Enstrom 280FX accident near Waterford, California, March 15, 2025
On March 15, 2025 at about 6:00 pm local time, a 2006 Enstrom 280FX (helicopter), registered N402TA, was destroyed in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Waterford, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from water while operating at a low altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 15, 2025 · about 6:00 pm local time · cases in 2025
- Place
- Waterford, California · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Enstrom 280FX, built 2006 · all 280FXs on the register
- Registration
- N402TA · no longer on the register · serial 2122
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness video showed the helicopter flying very low over a lake before it impacted the water. During postaccident interviews with news outlets, the pilot stated he and a passenger were flying the helicopter low over clear water, when his “depth perception got a little off”, and he drove the helicopter into the water. The helicopter fuselage, tail boom, and main rotor blades were substantially damaged. The pilot did not complete a NTSB Form 6120.1 Accident/Incident Report.
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
- Low altitude operation/event during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
- Miscellaneous/other during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Incorrect use/operation
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Water/moisture › Effect on equipment
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 2,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,200 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.17 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 am from KMOD, 14 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KMOD 151753Z VRB04KT 10SM OVC042 12/07 A3017 RMK AO2 SLP217 T01220067 10122 20044 53013
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 3 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – Helicopter Wreckage - Front
Photograph 2 – Helicopter Wreckage - Left
Photograph 3 – Video Screenshot of Low Flying HelicopterThe 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 July 3, 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 | Mor - Pilot News Interviews | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 4 pages · 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
- N402TA: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Enstrom 280 Shark 65 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Enstrom 215 aircraft on the register
- Modesto City-County-Harry Sham Field · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,098 in the last ten years
- California 27,686 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR25LA112.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.