Accident Overview
On January 24, 2016, at about 1812 mountain standard time, an Enstrom 280 helicopter, registration N133AB, was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a total loss of engine power after takeoff from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), Phoenix, Arizona. The private pilot, who was the sole occupant, sustained minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight, which was destined for La Cholla Airpark (57AZ), Tucson, Arizona. The helicopter was registered to and operated by the pilot under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
Flight Sequence
The pilot had recently purchased the helicopter in Oregon and was relocating it to his home in Arizona. A flight instructor accompanied him from Oregon to PHX, where the instructor disembarked. The pilot then began the final leg of the flight alone. After takeoff, he climbed the helicopter to an altitude of 2,000 feet mean sea level (msl). As the helicopter climbed through 1,500 feet msl, the pilot felt an abrupt left yaw and observed the engine rpm indication drop to zero. The rotor rpm began to decay, prompting the pilot to conduct an autorotation to a dry riverbed. The forced landing resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and main rotor blades.
Pilot Information
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a rating for rotorcraft-helicopter. He reported 98 total hours of flight experience, of which 12 hours were in the accident helicopter. His most recent second-class FAA medical certificate was issued in December 2015.
Helicopter Information
The helicopter was manufactured in 1974 and was equipped with one Lycoming HIO-360 series, 205 hp reciprocating engine. The most recent 100-hour inspection was completed on December 2, 2015, at a total airframe time of 3,123 hours. The engine had accumulated 535.2 hours since its last major overhaul.
Examination at Salvage Facility
The helicopter was examined at a salvage facility in Phoenix, Arizona, in June 2016. The airframe was largely intact with damage to the fuselage and tailboom, and the skids were spread. The main rotor blades were significantly damaged. The tail rotor drive shaft was sheared in a manner consistent with overstress failure, but the tail rotor turned freely by hand. Cyclic and collective control continuity was established from the cockpit controls. The clutch engaging lever moved through its full travel with no anomalies noted.
Engine Examination and Testing
The engine cooling fan was intact and undamaged, with no rotational scoring observed on the housing. The bottom spark plugs were removed and exhibited normal wear characteristics, though the #1 and #3 plugs were wet with oil. Visual examination of the belt drive system revealed no anomalies, and the belt drive was removed to ensure disengagement of the main rotor during the engine test run. Power was applied via an external battery, and the engine was started using the fuel onboard. The engine started, accelerated smoothly, and ran for several minutes through all power settings with no anomalies observed. A normal engine shutdown was completed by pulling the mixture control to the idle-cut off position.