Enstrom 280C accident near Castle Rock, Colorado, April 16, 1998
On April 16, 1998 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Enstrom 280C (helicopter), registered N5693D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Castle Rock, Colorado. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Malfunction of the engine-driven fuel pump. Factors were unsuitable terrain, soft ground, and a berm.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 16, 1998 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Castle Rock, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Enstrom 280C · all 280Cs on the register
- Registration
- N5693D · no longer on the register · serial 1192
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor was conducting an introductory flight with a new student. While demonstrating emergency procedures at approximately 400 feet above the ground, the helicopter lost engine power. Determining the ground unsuitable for landing, he turned south and aimed for a flat area of terrain. He cushioned the landing with the collective, then sank 6 inches into the ground. Examination of the engine disclosed no abnormalities, however a postaccident functional test of the engine revealed a malfunction in the engine-driven fuel pump. When the electrically-driven boost pump was switched to the OFF position, power fluctuations were noted. All three rotor blades were bent, and the tail boom was severed.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,093 hours in all; 45 in this make and model; 72 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 949 as pilot in command; 278 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,048 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 31, 1998; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-E1AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: APA Englewood CO at 9:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 10,000 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:50 pm from APA, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.