Accident: Enstrom 280FX
Jan 26, 2015 · Erie, CO
NTSB numberCEN15FA126Event id20150128X02848
- 2
- Fatalities
- 0
- Serious injuries
- 0
- Minor injuries
- 0
- Uninjured
Probable cause
An in-flight failure of the helicopter's #2 main rotor spindle due to undetected fatigue cracking, which resulted in an in-flight breakup. Contributing to failure were the nonconforming thread root radius of the spindle and the manufacturer's failure to include a bending moment within the spindle threads when performing the fatigue analysis during initial design of the spindle.
Source: National Transportation Safety Board. Record last changed Oct 28, 2026, 10:54 UTC.
Aircraft involved
- Aircraft
- Enstrom 280FX
- Registration
- N86235
- Category
- Helicopter
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Operating rules
- Part 91: general aviation
- Defining event
- Autorotation Inflight upset
Source: National Transportation Safety Board aviation accident database. Counts only; Voydar holds no names.
Nearest airports
Airports with a Voydar profile closest to the recorded position. Proximity only.
- Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC)7 nm (13 km) south-west
- Boulder Municipal Airport (WBU)8 nm (15 km) west
- Denver International Airport (DEN)20 nm (36 km) south-east
This page restates the NTSB's public record. Injury figures are counts; Voydar does not hold or publish the names of anyone involved.