Enstrom 280C accident near Middleton, Idaho, February 29, 1984
On February 29, 1984, a Enstrom 280C (helicopter), registered N51715, was destroyed in an accident near Middleton, Idaho. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 29, 1984
- Place
- Middleton, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Enstrom 280C · all 280Cs on the register
- Registration
- N51715 · no longer on the register · serial 1128
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN DURING A TEST FLT. WITNESSES OBSERVED THE ACFT ROTATE ABOUT 180 DEGREES ABOUT ITS VERTICAL AXIS GO NOSE LOW AND DESCEND VERTICALLY TO THE GROUND. A NOISE CHANGE DESCRIBED AS A 'SPUTTER' OR TONE CHANGE' WAS HEARD DURING THIS MANEUVER. DURING THE POST ACCIDENT INSPECTION OF THE ENGINE THE MAGNETO WAS FOUND TO BE LOOSE ENOUGH TO ROTATE THROUGH AN ARC OF ALMOST 60 DEGREES RADIALLY ABOUT ITS DRIVE SHAFT. NO OTHER DISCREPANCIES WERE FOUND EXCEPT A PUNCTURE IN THE ENGINE CASE DIRECTLY BELOW THE LOWER SWASH PLATE ASSEMBLY.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,630 hours in all; 127 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,805 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 15, 1982; 268 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HI0-360-E1AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 64U Middleton ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 20,000 ft; scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.