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Enstrom: Flight test instrumentation caused emergency hard landing of TH180

By Sarah Grandy | May 5, 2016

Estimated reading time 3 minutes, 1 seconds.

The TH180 is a new, two-seat training helicopter based on the Enstrom F28F, and powered by a Lycoming IO-390 engine. Enstrom Photo
The TH180 is a new, two-seat training helicopter based on the Enstrom F28F, and powered by a Lycoming IO-390 engine. Enstrom Photo

A mechanical problem with a piece of flight test instrumentation was the cause of an emergency hard landing of the first Enstrom TH180 prototype in February, the manufacturer has revealed.

Originally announced at HAI Heli-Expo 2014, the TH180 is a new, two-seat training helicopter based on the Enstrom F28F, and powered by a Lycoming IO-390 engine. The incident happened during a flight test in Menominee, Michigan, on Feb. 12, 2016.

Enstrom told Vertical the aircraft experienced a mechanical problem with bolts connecting a piece of flight test instrumentation in the helicopter’s main drive system, which disconnected the engine from the drive train.

“It was a piece of flight test equipment, it was not a part of the aircraft design,” said Bill Taylor, chief pilot at Enstrom Helicopter Corporation.

The test pilot performed an autorotation to a paved roadway, where the main rotor struck and chopped down a wooden utility pole; the aircraft then dropped about 15 feet, destroying the main rotor blades. The TH180 skidded 300 feet down the road before resting upright with the skid gear collapsed.

Fortunately, the pilot walked away uninjured.  “In our opinion, it speaks well for the crash-worthiness of the aircraft,” said Taylor.

He said the crash set the production schedule back by a month or two, but says the company has adjusted the production schedule to get prototypes two and three ready sooner than originally planned.

Taylor noted the company has not seen any decrease in interest or sales due to this incident. “Our customers seem to understand that it was flight test equipment that gave out, not the aircraft design,” said Taylor. “Given the situation, they seem to be very pleased with the way the aircraft held up. If anything, from what I can tell, this seems to actually have increased their confidence in the product.”

The second prototype is scheduled to be off the production line and flyable within a couple of weeks. Once testing instrumentation is installed, flight tests in the aircraft should begin in about six weeks.

“I think it’s going to be a great trainer. It’ll be very forgiving for both the student and the instructor,” said Taylor. “It’s a great little aircraft. It’s robust, it’s honest, [and] it’s a lot of fun to fly.”

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