Enstrom F-28C accident near Fairview, Pennsylvania, October 24, 1997
On October 24, 1997 at about 6:35 pm local time, a Enstrom F-28C (helicopter), registered N1944J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fairview, Pennsylvania (Capital City airport). It was a ferry 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
inadequate maintenance, which led to detonation and a melted piston, and subsequent power loss.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 24, 1997 · about 6:35 pm local time
- Place
- Fairview, Pennsylvania · Capital City · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Enstrom F-28C · all F-28Cs on the register
- Registration
- N1944J · no longer on the register · serial 370
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The helicopter was purchased and flown about 1 hour to another airport. The following day the pilot departed on a ferry flight. About 5 minutes after takeoff, the engine lost power when the RPM dropped to 1,900, and the pilot entered autorotation. During the descent the engine continued to idle and the cabin filled with smoke. The helicopter landed hard and the main rotor blades struck the tailboom. The last annual inspection occurred 53 months before the accident. A Special Flight Permit was issued by the FAA for the ferry flight. The helicopter's engine was overhauled 33 months before the accident, and 3.9 hours had been logged on the engine from the date of overhaul, to the date of the helicopter's purchase. At the time of the accident the engine had accumulated a total of 6.7 hours since overhaul. Examination of the engine revealed the forward side of the #2 piston was melted and eroded away, and a hole had melted through the piston. An FAA publication described detonation as spontaneous combustion which can burn a hole completely through a piston.
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, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,575 hours in all; 1,300 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,067 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 1993; 44 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-E1AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CXY Capitol City PA at 5:30 pm
- Destination: LBE Latrobe PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 22,000 ft; scat at 14,000 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from MDT, 8 miles away
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.