Enstrom 280C accident near Newport, Rhode Island, December 11, 1986
On December 11, 1986 at about 10:45 pm local time, a Enstrom 280C (helicopter), registered N647H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Newport, Rhode Island. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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
- December 11, 1986 · about 10:45 pm local time
- Place
- Newport, Rhode Island
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Enstrom 280C · all 280Cs on the register
- Registration
- N647H · no longer on the register · serial 1087
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AIRCRAFT DESCENDED AND COLLIDED WITH WATER WHEN THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO REGAIN VISUAL GROUND REFERENCE WHEN WEATHER DETERIORATED. NO PLT ACC REPORT WAS RECEIVED. PLT TIME WAS NOT REPORTED OR AVAILABLE.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HI0-36E1AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Rhedom Realty CORP.
The flight
- Departed from: Oceancliff RI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- 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.