Enstrom F-28F accident near Malad City, Idaho, July 21, 2026
On July 21, 2026 at about 2:15 pm local time, a 1987 Enstrom F-28F (helicopter), registered N8624B, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi near Malad City, Idaho (Malad City airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 21, 2026 · about 2:15 pm local time
- Place
- Malad City, Idaho · Malad City · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Enstrom F-28F, built 1987 · all F-28Fs on the register
- Registration
- N8624B · registry record · serial 752
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On July 21, 2026, about 0815 mountain daylight time, an Enstrom F-28F helicopter, N8624B, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Malad City, Idaho. The pilot and pilot-rated passenger were not injured. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot in command, who was positioned in the left seat reported that the intent for the flight was to fly around the local area. After conducting a preflight inspection with no anomalies noted, he started the engine, conducted engine runup checks, increased the engine and rotor RPM to 100 percent and ascended to a hover. While conducting the helicopters in ground effect hover checks, he noticed that the manifold pressure was high, but still in the green. The pilot air taxied from the hangar parking area to the north toward the taxiway intersection near the approach end of runway 35 and saw that the manifold pressure was abnormally high. He landed the helicopter on the asphalt ramp to assess the instruments and conduct another magneto check, but when he rolled the throttle to flight idle, the engine lost total power. The pilot stated that with the engine and rotor RPM still married, he immediately engaged the starter and the engine restarted, but he noticed smoke emanating from the right side of the engine compartment, and there were flames on the lower left side of the engine. He attempted to shut down the engine by pulling the fuel/air mixture control on the instrument panel to the idle cut off position, but the engine continued to operate. He then turned the ignition switch to the off position to no avail, and he engaged the manual fuel shut-off located between the pilot and passenger seat, but the engine continued to operate. Unable to shut down the engine, the pilot and the passenger egressed the helicopter and searched for a fire extinguisher. Unable to locate a fire extinguisher, they contacted first responders, remained a safe distance from the burning helicopter and waited for the fire department to extinguish the blaze. The wreckage has been recovered to a secure facility for further examination.
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
- Fire/smoke (non-impact) during taxi defining event
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,600 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 8:00 am from KPIH, 47 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KPIH 211353Z 31007KT 10SM SCT120 22/15 A3010 RMK AO2 SLP128 T02220150
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 2 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 WPR26LA270.