Enstrom F-28C accident near Quincy, California, September 8, 1983
On September 8, 1983 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Enstrom F-28C (helicopter), registered N619H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Quincy, California. 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
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 8, 1983 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Quincy, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Enstrom F-28C · all F-28Cs on the register
- Registration
- N619H · no longer on the register · serial 380
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS ON A FLT TO A RADIO TRANSMITTER SITE AT ABOUT THE 7000 FT LEVEL IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. DURING ARRIVAL TO THE HELIPAD, THE PLT NOTICED THAT SEVERAL VEHICLES WERE PARKED ON THE LANDING SURFACE. WHILE IN A HOVER, HE MANEUVERED THE HELICOPTER TO AN ADJACENT ROAD & BEGAN INSPECTING IT FOR SUITABILITY AS A LANDING AREA. HE DECIDED THAT THE ROAD WAS UNSATISFACTORY & APPLIED POWER & COLLECTIVE TO BEGIN A LEFT CLIMBING TURN. ACCORDING TO ALL STATEMENTS, THE ENG'S RESPONSE TO THE POWER DEMAND WAS A GRADUAL POWER FADE UNTIL IT QUIT. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT LANDED HARD IN A BUSH COVERED AREA & WAS DAMAGED. THE ENG WAS EXAMED & OPERATIONALLY TESTED, BUT NO ABNORMALITIES WERE NOTED. THE DENSITY ALTITUDE WAS CALCULATED TO BE ABOUT 7800 TO 8650 FT. ACCORDING TO THE FLT MANUAL, AT THE ESTIMATED WEIGHT, THE HELICOPTER'S HOVERING CEILING WAS 13,000 FT IN GROUND EFFECT & 8300 FT OUT OF GROUND EFFECT.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,310 hours in all; 110 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 3,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 935 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 11, 1983; 101 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-E1AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2O1 Quincy CA at 4:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.