Enstrom F28F accident near Baker, Oregon, March 30, 1998
On March 30, 1998 at about 5:10 pm local time, a Enstrom F28F (helicopter), registered N171HH, was substantially damaged in an accident near Baker, Oregon. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Fatigue failure of the steel tubing pylon structure. Factors include inadequate inspection by maintenance personnel of damage after a previous accident.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 30, 1998 · about 5:10 pm local time
- Place
- Baker, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Enstrom F28F · all F28Fs on the register
- Registration
- N171HH · registry record · serial 758
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he had lifted off from a road in open terrain so that a truck could get by. He stated that the lift-off was smooth. He noticed some shaking when he began forward flight. He increased the load on the rotor disk and the shaking became so violent that he couldn't see the ground. He dropped the collective and reached the ground. He said that the only way he could describe the situations was that 'it was like being in the spin cycle of a washing machine when all of the weight is on one side.' The helicopter had recently been imported to the US from Canada, and recertified with a US airworthiness certificate. The helicopter had been involved in a hard-landing accident in Japan on June 10, 1994. Damage to the aircraft at that time included the left skid, deformation of the fuselage and twisting of the tail boom. All three main-rotor blades had terrain impact The helicopter was later exported from Japan to Canada, where the importee stated that it was received in a repaired condition. No reference to the accident or its required repair was made in the Canadian maintenance or journey logs. No record was found for accomplishment of an inspection, as outlined in the Enstrom Maintenance Manual, for main rotor blade strike or hard landing inspections. The Safety Board materials laboratory inspected fragments from the steel tube pylon assembly, consisting of pieces of steel tubing that are welded to each other to form a frame structure for the helicopter. The steel tubes provide reinforcement for the four attachment points of the main transmission and other attachment points for the engine. Two of the steel tubes exhibited fatigue cracking, and completely separated during operation of the helicopter.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 16,000 hours in all; 600 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 433 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 18, 1998; 39 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,600 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-F1AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 pm from BKE
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.
Other NTSB records under N171HH the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.