Enstrom 280C accident near Lucasville, Ohio, February 19, 1997
On February 19, 1997 at about 7:02 am local time, a Enstrom 280C (helicopter), registered N51662, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lucasville, Ohio. It was a public-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot in command failure to maintain rotor rpm.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 19, 1997 · about 7:02 am local time
- Place
- Lucasville, Ohio · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Enstrom 280C · all 280Cs on the register
- Registration
- N51662 · no longer on the register · serial 1101
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial helicopter pilot/owner received a request from the local authorities to assist in an official law enforcement search mission, at 0030. The pilot and a passenger took off from the airport and arrived on scene about 0155, after a 20 minute flight. A Deputy climbed into the helicopter as the spotter during the search mission. With three people onboard, the helicopter climbed to about 5 feet in altitude, landed, and the passenger exited the helicopter. The helicopter took off and made a climbing turn downwind to about 150 feet in altitude. Witnesses reported that the helicopter dropped nearly straight down into a wooded area. Minutes after the accident, when EMT personnel and another Deputy arrived at the crash site, the rotor blades were stopped, but the engine was running. Examination of the wreckage revealed no mechanical anomalies with the engine or airframe.
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: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 413 hours in all; 168 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,572 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 24, 1996; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,600 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HI0-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE at 7:02 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 210° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:51 am from HTS, 38 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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.