Enstrom F-28F accident near Bryce Canyon, Utah, August 4, 1998
On August 4, 1998 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Enstrom F-28F (helicopter), registered N8619M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bryce Canyon, Utah (Aladdin Air Heliport airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A partial loss of engine power due to an oil leak in the turbocharger system. Factors were high vegetation and high density altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 4, 1998 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Bryce Canyon, Utah · Aladdin Air Heliport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Enstrom F-28F · all F-28Fs on the register
- Registration
- N8619M · no longer on the register · serial 704
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was departing to the east when he noticed a drop in rotor rpm. He rolled the throttle, but no power was being produced from the engine. He landed straight ahead and performed a high altitude run on landing. After touching down, the helicopter slid approximately 30 to 40 feet. The left skid was caught in ground brush, and the left front support of the landing gear was broken. The tail rotor blades were bent, and while still rotating, impacted the skid bar, shearing the bar off and separating the gear box from the tail. The helicopter came to rest on its left side. Postaccident examination of the aircraft by an FAA inspector revealed the turbocharger had leaked oil into the induction system. According to his accident report, 'The slight power loss appears to have been caused by the oil leakage pass[ing] the seals in the turbocharger.'
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,942 hours in all; 684 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 72 in the last 30 days; 5,648 as pilot in command; 1,874 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,600 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-FIAD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: UT77 at 10:30 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Observation at 8:59 pm from BCE, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.