Accident Details
A helicopter was observed flying at approximately 50 feet above ground level along the length of a private gravel airstrip near Anchorage, Alaska. A nearby jogger reported that the pilot appeared to wave as he flew past. Several seconds later, the jogger heard the sound of the helicopter crashing.
Impact
The helicopter struck a tree with its main rotor blade at a point 16 feet 4 inches above the ground.
Pilot Information
The pilot, a local physician, had accumulated approximately 14 hours of flight time in the Enstrom F-28F over the preceding three years. It is believed that this flight was his first since the helicopter had been placed in storage 10 months earlier, with the exception of a short ferry flight.