Enstrom F-28 accident near Cincinnati, Ohio, June 12, 1999
On June 12, 1999 at about 7:45 pm local time, a Enstrom F-28 (helicopter), registered N9588, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cincinnati, Ohio (Blue Ash airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate evaluation of the weather conditions at the time of departure, which resulted in a downwind takeoff. A factor in the accident was the change in wind direction.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 12, 1999 · about 7:45 pm local time
- Place
- Cincinnati, Ohio · Blue Ash · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Enstrom F-28 · all F-28s on the register
- Registration
- N9588 · no longer on the register · serial 109
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot started giving helicopter rides to airshow spectators in the morning. Then stopped about noon, because airspace around the airport was being closed for airshow performers. After the show, he resumed giving rides, and had completed 4 to 6 rides prior to the accident. During those rides, he did not notice any problems with the helicopter. On the accident flight, the pilot brought the helicopter to a hover into the wind, then initiated the takeoff. The helicopter started to climb, but at 10 feet agl and prior to translational lift, the wind shifted, and the helicopter started to settle. The throttle was full open, and rotor rpm was in the 'normal' range. The pilot felt increasing collective would cause rotor rpm to decay. The left skid then went under a rope barricade, and the helicopter decelerated and yawed to the left. Then suddenly it yawed to the right, which the pilot identified as a tailrotor malfunction. He 'cut the throttle' and executed a hovering autorotation. The helicopter touchdown, the right skid collapsed, and the helicopter rolled onto its right side.
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; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,792 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 1,606 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,594 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 4, 1999
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ISZ OH at 7:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 6,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:54 pm from CVG, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.