Enstrom Helicopter CORP 280C accident near Vale, Oregon, October 9, 2024
On October 9, 2024 at about 10:00 pm local time, a 1977 Enstrom Helicopter CORP 280C, registered N646H, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (hover) near Vale, Oregon. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 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 engine and rotor rpm during takeoff, that resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 9, 2024 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Vale, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Enstrom Helicopter CORP 280C, built 1977 · all 280Cs on the register
- Registration
- N646H · registry record · serial 1099
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the helicopter reported that, after completing an aerial application, he returned to the mix vehicle for an additional load. While reloading the helicopter, he noticed the wind direction was changing and “blowing harder” and may have shifted to a quartering tailwind. During takeoff from the mix vehicle, the engine and main rotor blade rpm started to decay. He aborted the takeoff and made a run on landing to an open field near the mix vehicle. During the landing the main rotor blades tilted aft and severed the tailboom. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tailboom. 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
- Loss of control in flight during maneuvering (hover) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Main rotor system › Main rotor blade system › Capability exceeded
- Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Main rotor system › (general) › Incorrect use/operation
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › (general) › Incorrect use/operation
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 18,318 hours in all; 8,000 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 18,218 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 11, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,764 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 3, 2024; 90 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,600 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-EIAD (piston); 3,657 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 3:56 pm from KEUL, 48 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KEUL 092156Z AUTO VRB03KT 10SM CLR 26/02 A2998 RMK AO2 SLP138 T02610017
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on April 8, 2025. 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, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR25LA010.