Enstrom F280 accident near Bow, New Hampshire, October 5, 1998
On October 5, 1998 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Enstrom F280 (helicopter), registered N8618N, was destroyed in an accident near Bow, New Hampshire (Audley Divide Heliport airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate visual lookout and his failure to maintain adequate obstacle clearance, which resulted in an in-flight collision with a tower. A factor in this accident was the gusty wind conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 5, 1998 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- Bow, New Hampshire · Audley Divide Heliport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Enstrom F280
- Registration
- N8618N · no longer on the register · serial 1507
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the helicopter was practicing touch and go landings from a private heliport he owned. During the approach, the helicopter's tail boom struck a 330 foot tall guyed meteorological equipment tower, which was located about 1/2 miles from the heliport. The helicopter then descended and impacted the ground, where it was consumed by a post crash fire. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal evidence of any pre-impact abnormalities. The pilot said 'strong wind gusts' pushed the helicopter into the tower, which he did not see because it was on his 'blind side.' The weather reported at an airport about 5 miles northeast of the accident site was: sky clear; visibility 10 statue miles; winds from 350 degrees at 13 knots, with 20 knot gusts.
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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,190 hours in all; 518 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: None (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,026 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 1998; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,105 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-F1AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: NONE NH at 6:05 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 60 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 13 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:51 pm from CON, 5 miles away
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.