No fatalities

ENSTROM 280FX accident at Russellville, KY, 27 Jul 2024

Russellville, KY, United States

On July 27, 2024, an ENSTROM 280FX was involved in an aviation accident near Russellville, KY. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The flight instructor’s failure to maintain sufficient rotor rpm while maneuvering the helicopter low to the ground, which resulted in a loss of control. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 2026-08-03Data APIEditorial standards

Probable cause

The flight instructor’s failure to maintain sufficient rotor rpm while maneuvering the helicopter low to the ground, which resulted in a loss of control.

— NTSB Determination

Contributing factors

Instructor/check pilot