Enstrom F-28C N5688R

Summary

On 5 March 2023 at about 23:00 local time, a Enstrom F-28C registered N5688R was involved in an accident near Anchorage, Alaska, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 March 2023 at 23:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Anchorage, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Lake Hood Seaplane (LHD)

Coordinates

61.1841, -149.9758

Aircraft

Enstrom F-28C

Registration

N5688R

Category

Helicopter

Year built

2015

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Willow

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC23LA024

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain main rotor rpm on takeoff, which resulted in a forced run-on landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the helicopter preflight and engine runup were normal; however, he could not maintain main rotor rpm on departure and the engine lost partial power. The pilot made a run-on landing to a snow-covered lake, which resulted in substantial damage to the tail boom. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Since there were no mechanical anomalies with the helicopter, it is likely the pilot allowed the main rotor rpm to decrease and exceeded the available engine power to recover from the low main rotor rpm condition. When the main rotor rpm decreases, the amount of power the engine can produce also decreases, which is likely the reason the pilot perceived a partial loss of engine power. In addition, the obstacles along the departure path prevented the pilot from lowering the collective to regain main rotor rpm, which resulted in the pilot electing to perform a run-on landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.