On September 5, 1987, an Enstrom F-28F (registration N8622A) operated by Edward D. Arbow was involved in an aviation accident near Anchorage, AK. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
Aircraft registered N8622A. Photo: Alan Wilson from Stilton, Peterborough, Cambs, UK / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A helicopter flying at 50 feet above a private airstrip near Anchorage, Alaska, struck a tree with its main rotor blade. The pilot, who had 14 hours in the Enstrom F-28F, was seen waving before the crash.
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.
