Enstrom 280C accident near Quakertown, Pennsylvania, October 6, 1995
On October 6, 1995 at about 9:20 pm local time, a Enstrom 280C (helicopter), registered N976BT, was destroyed in an accident near Quakertown, Pennsylvania (Quakertown airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
improper installation of the magneto by maintenance personnel, which resulted in the loss of ignition and the loss of engine power. A factor relating to the accident was: the lack of suitable terrain for an emergency landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 6, 1995 · about 9:20 pm local time
- Place
- Quakertown, Pennsylvania · Quakertown · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Enstrom 280C · all 280Cs on the register
- Registration
- N976BT · no longer on the register · serial 1142
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot/owner and passenger departed on a local flight. Five minutes after takeoff, while orbiting the airport at 200 to 300 feet above the ground, the engine lost power and the pilot autorotated into trees. Examination of the wreckage revealed the single-drive dual-magneto was separated from the engine. The two magneto attaching studs on the engine were intact, and undamaged. No nuts, washers, or flange clamps were attached to the studs. The flange of the magneto was also undamaged. The two flange clamps were found in the debris below the helicopter. During a previous flight, the pilot successfully autorotated to a field when the dual magneto failed. The pilot had a mechanic replace the magneto, and the mechanic performed ground runs successfully. This was the first flight after the magneto change.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,932 hours in all; 82 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 1,671 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 982 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 3, 1995; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-E1AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: UKT at 9:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:55 pm from UKT
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.