Enstrom F-28A accident near Parsons, Kansas, March 20, 1982
On March 20, 1982 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Enstrom F-28A (helicopter), registered N101AE, was substantially damaged in an accident near Parsons, Kansas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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
- March 20, 1982 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Parsons, Kansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Enstrom F-28A · all F-28As on the register
- Registration
- N101AE · registry record · serial 104
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS RATED IN FIXED WING AIRCRAFT, BUT HE WAS A STUDENT PILOT IN HELICOPTERS. HE HAD ONLY 40 HOURS IN ROTORCRAFT. DURING A CROSS-COUNTRY IN HIS OWN HELICOPTER, HE RAN OUT OF FUEL AND STRUCK TREES DURING AN AUTO-ROTATIVE LANDING. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE FUEL QUANTITY SYSTEM WAS OPERATING PROPERLY, BUT HE THOUGHT HE HAD A LARGER THAN NORMAL TANK. WHEN HE FOUND THAT HE WAS ABOUT TO RUN OUT OF FUEL, HE ATTEMPTED TO GET TO THE NEAREST AIRPORT. HOWEVER, THE PLANE RAN OUT OF FUEL ABOUT THREE MILES FROM THE AIRPORT.
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, student
- Flight time: 1,033 hours in all; 40 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 982 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,011 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,950 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-C1B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Grove OK at 11:30 am
- Destination: Chanute KS
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 315° at 10 knots
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.