Flight History
On June 7, 2022, about 0940 eastern daylight time, an Enstrom F28F helicopter, registration N600TA, was substantially damaged when it crashed near Greenville, Ohio. The private pilot and a student pilot passenger were fatally injured. The flight was conducted as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
The helicopter was owned by the pilot and used for agricultural spraying on his family farm. It was based at a private hangar facility in Greenville. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector reported that surveillance video showed the pilot and passenger departing the facility at 0925; the spray equipment had been removed from the helicopter. Several witnesses observed the helicopter flying in the local area at an altitude between 500 and 1,000 ft mean sea level. About 0940, law enforcement received a 911 call that the helicopter had crashed in the driveway of the pilot’s residence, approximately 3 miles from the hangar facility.
No eyewitnesses or video of the accident were available. The pilot was not in contact with air traffic control, and no flight plan had been filed. Radar data for the flight was not captured. Automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) equipment was installed but recorded no data for the accident flight. A DynaNav DynaFlight 3 navigational system was present but not in use during the accident.
According to the pilot’s flight instructor, who also flew spraying operations in the helicopter, the pilot had planned to fly to Warren County Airport (I68) in Lebanon, Ohio, later that day for scheduled maintenance, with the passenger intending to drive and pick him up. The instructor was uncertain why the pilot and passenger were operating the helicopter at their home that morning.
Pilot and Passenger Information
The pilot held a private pilot certificate for rotorcraft-helicopter. His last FAA third-class medical certificate was issued on January 7, 2020. His flight logbook showed the last entry on December 14, 2021. According to the pilot’s father, the pilot was pursuing a commercial pilot certificate and could not legally conduct agricultural flights for hire. He would fly the helicopter to Lebanon, Ohio, for maintenance to accrue flight hours. The father stated that the lack of logbook entries from December 2021 to the accident date was likely due to maintenance delays (awaiting parts from the manufacturer, which had recently filed for bankruptcy) and busy farming operations.
The passenger held a student pilot certificate. Her last FAA third-class medical certificate was issued on March 22, 2022. Her logbook showed 24 total flight hours, all dual instruction in the accident helicopter. Her last logged flight with an instructor was on December 19, 2021.
Wreckage and Impact
The helicopter came to rest upright with the skids fully spread, oriented on a magnetic heading of approximately 245°. A postaccident fire consumed the aft cockpit area and extended to the forward tail boom, including the engine and both fiberglass fuel tanks. The three main rotor blades remained attached to the main rotor head. Blades No. 1 and No. 2 were undamaged; blade No. 3, which was positioned above the postaccident fire, was partially delaminated and exhibited heat damage. No ground scars or impact marks were observed around the main wreckage, consistent with a near-vertical descent.
As the helicopter descended, it struck a ½-inch coaxial cable running between the street and the home. The cable was severed and lay on the ground on either side of the wreckage. One end of the cable was frayed, and part of the black outer jacket was scraped away. Material from the cable was smeared on the leading edge of the No. 2 main rotor blade from the tip to about 88 inches inboard.
Manual rotation of the main rotor blades showed continuity to the tail rotor was free and smooth. The tail rotor gearbox was intact; one tail rotor blade was bent about 90 degrees, and the other sustained minor damage. The tail rotor guard was broken into two sections, found about 20–30 ft behind the main wreckage along with a cargo door.
The cockpit area was crushed downward; the instrument panel was intact and undamaged. The wind/glareshield was shattered, with plexiglass pieces on the ground in front of the helicopter’s nose. Both seat structures were crushed downward. The on/off fuel shutoff valve handle in the cockpit was bent downward, and the fuel selector valve was found in the “on” position.
Both sets of flight controls were installed and moved synchronously when manually manipulated. Breaks in the flight control system consistent with fire and impact damage were observed in the aft cockpit area. Flight control continuity for each cyclic, collective pitch, and anti-torque pedals was traced from the controls to their respective control surfaces.
The pilot’s flight instructor reported flying the helicopter approximately one week before the accident. He stated that the helicopter “flew better than ever” and that dual controls were not installed during that flight, as they are not normally installed during agricultural spraying operations.
Engine Examination
The engine sustained extensive fire damage; the accessory case was heavily burned. The engine was removed from the airframe, and the valve covers and top spark plugs were removed from all four cylinders. Manual rotation of the crankshaft produced strong compression on cylinders No. 1 and No. 3, and weak compression on cylinders No. 2 and No. 4. Valvetrain continuity was observed on all cylinders. Internal borescope inspection of cylinders No. 2 and No. 4 revealed proper seating of intake and exhaust valves. These cylinders were removed, and no anomalies were noted that would explain the low compression. Piston rings were unremarkable. The No. 4 outer exhaust valve spring was found broken, but there were no indications that this would have contributed to an engine issue.
The oil sump screen was removed and free of debris. The single-drive dual magneto remained attached to the accessory case, which had partially burned away, exposing the driveshaft. When the engine was rotated, the drive was observed rotating. Ignition leads were consumed in the fire. Due to fire damage, the magneto could not be tested. Fuel injector nozzles exhibited a light amount of debris. The flow divider was intact, but its diaphragm sustained heat damage.
The helicopter was equipped with an Electronics International TC-1P engine monitor; however, this model had no recording capability, so no engine data was recorded.
Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Medical and Toxicology
Toxicology testing of the pilot was performed at the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory. The testing detected ketamine, norketamine, fentanyl, norfentanyl, and midazolam in the pilot’s heart blood, hospital blood, and urine; sevoflurane was detected in his hospital blood. Additionally, the generally non-impairing medications albuterol, lidocaine, and trimethoprim were detected in his heart blood and urine. Postaccident medical records indicated that all of these medications were administered after the accident.
Toxicology testing of the passenger detected diphenhydramine in her heart blood and liver.