Enstrom F-28A accident near New York, New York, June 25, 1986
On June 25, 1986 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Enstrom F-28A (helicopter), registered N149Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near New York, New York. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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
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
- June 25, 1986 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- New York, New York
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Enstrom F-28A · all F-28As on the register
- Registration
- N149Q · no longer on the register · serial 261
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT PERFORMED A GO-AROUND DUE TO EXCESSIVE GROUNDSPEED DURING THE FIRST LANDING ATTEMPT. THE PLT REPORTED THAT AS HE APPLIED UPWARD COLLECTIVE TO TERMINATE THE SECOND LANDING APCH OVER THE HELIPAD, THE HELICOPTER DESCENDED RAPIDLY. THE HELICOPTER CONTACTED THE WATER IN A LEVEL ATTITUDE THEN ROLLED ONTO IT'S LEFT SIDE. GUSTY WIND CONDITIONS EXISTED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT.
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, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,050 hours in all; 350 in this make and model; 271 in the last 90 days; 850 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,536 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 1, 1986; 44 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-C1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Ridgefield Park NJ at 6:00 pm
- Destination: JFK Jamaica NY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 19 knots, gusting 27
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.