What happened
On 19 March 2010, an Enstrom 280C Shark, registration G-COLL, departed from a private landing site near Douglas, Isle of Man, as part of a planned two-day tour. The flight began under favorable weather conditions with clear skies and light winds. After completing standard pre-flight procedures and lifting into a hover, the pilot transmitted a departure message to ATC and activated the transponder.
During the initial climb, at an altitude of approximately 200 feet, the engine suddenly lost power. The pilot noted a leftward yaw and immediately responded by lowering the collective and opening the throttle to initiate an autorotation. The pilot attempted to land in a field located ahead and to the left of the flight path. As the aircraft approached the edge of the field, the pilot flared to reduce forward speed. The helicopter dropped nearly vertically from an estimated height of 10 to 12 feet, bouncing forward approximately one meter before settling in an upright position. The aircraft sustained substantial damage to the rotor head, main rotor blades, forward fuselage, and skids, but the pilot escaped the wreckage without injury.
The investigation
The AAIB examined the aircraft and the circumstances surrounding the power loss. The pilot noted that his routine procedure involved setting the mixture control knob to a specific pre-set position before takeoff, which he identified by a wear mark on the control. Following the accident, the engine was restarted the next day and operated normally at 1,500 rpm for 12 minutes without any apparent issues. No conclusive evidence was found to explain the sudden loss of engine power during the climb.
Findings
- The loss of engine power occurred during the climb phase of the flight.
- The pilot successfully executed an autorotative maneuver to reach a landing site.
- There was no evidence found to determine the cause of the engine failure.
- The condition of the rotor blades suggested very low energy remained at the time of impact.