Enstrom 280FX accident near Lewistown, Montana, February 15, 2024
On February 15, 2024, a 1989 Enstrom 280FX (helicopter), registered N899JS, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Lewistown, Montana (Lewistown Muni airport). It was a personal 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
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s encounter with low light conditions and snow-covered terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 15, 2024 · cases in 2024
- Place
- Lewistown, Montana · Lewistown Muni · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Enstrom 280FX, built 1989 · all 280FXs on the register
- Registration
- N899JS · no longer on the register · serial 2049
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane rated pilot reported that he departed the airport traffic pattern with the intention of practicing helicopter maneuvers at about 200 ft. above ground level (agl) near sundown. The pilot reported that he felt a loud bang while maneuvering and realized he had “impacted the ground” without warning and the helicopter immediately rolled onto its left side. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and tailboom. The pilot reported that he encountered a “VFR white out” in “flat light” conditions while maneuvering over snow-covered terrain. He also reported that he was not maintaining a safe altitude. The pilot reported that he had accumulated 59.5 total flight hours in rotorcraft; however, the pilot did not possess a helicopter rating. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during enroute (cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Light condition › Flat light › Awareness of condition
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,897.6 hours in all; 59.5 in this make and model; 48 in the last 90 days; 12.5 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: June 23, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,591 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 21, 2023; 204 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HI0-360-F1AD (piston); 1,681 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 310° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 9 ft; clear at 9 ft
- Temperature: 14°F (-10°C), dew point 10°F (-12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 5:54 pm from KLWT, 3 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KLWT 150054Z AUTO 31003KT 9SM -SN OVC009 M10/M12 A3007 RMK AO2 SNB54 SLP245 P0000 T11001117
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 1 picture from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on October 10, 2024. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 8 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N899JS: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Enstrom 280 Shark 66 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Enstrom 216 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming HI0-360-F1AD 34 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Lewistown Municipal · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Montana 1,121 since 1982 · 166 in the last ten years
- Montana 6,041 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR24LA090.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.