Enstrom 280C accident near Milbridge, Maine, August 16, 1989
On August 16, 1989 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Enstrom 280C (helicopter), registered N89JD, was substantially damaged in an accident near Milbridge, Maine. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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
FAILURE OF THE NUMBER 3 INTAKE VALVE OUTER SPRING. THE WATER (RIVER) IN THE EMERGENCY LANDING AREA WAS A RELATED FACTOR.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 16, 1989 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Milbridge, Maine
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Enstrom 280C · all 280Cs on the register
- Registration
- N89JD · no longer on the register · serial 1103
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
SHORTLY AFTER DEPARTING THE PILOT'S PRIVATE HELIPORT IN MILBRIDGE, MAINE, THE HELICOPTER HAD A PARTIAL LOSS OF POWER. IT WAS THEN AUTOROTATED INTO THE NARRAGUAGUS RIVER AND WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. THE NUMBER 3 INTAKE VALVE OUTER SPRING, P/N LW11796, HAD BROKEN NEAR THE TOP OF THE VALVE STEM.
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: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 950 hours in all; 350 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 850 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,220 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, May 5, 1989; 19 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 15 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.