Additional Participating Entities:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Boise, Idaho
Lycoming Engines; Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Enstrom Helicopters; Menominee, Michigan
Aviation Accident Preliminary Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
Location: Jordan Valley, OR
Accident Number: WPR20FA016
Date & Time: 10/25/2019, 1541 MDT
Registration: N280F
Aircraft: Enstrom 280F
Injuries: 1 Fatal, 1 Serious
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal
On October 25, 2019, at 1541 mountain daylight time, an Enstrom 280F, N280F, collided with terrain near Jordan Valley, Oregon. The commercial pilot was fatally injured, the private pilot (airplane) rated passenger sustained serious injuries, and the helicopter sustained substantial damage. The helicopter was registered to Sundance Aviation Group LLC., and was being operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. The local flight departed Caldwell Industrial Airport (EUL), Caldwell, Idaho, at 1520. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.
According to the passenger, who was the pilot's daughter, the intent of the flight was to fly towards the Owyhee Mountain Range and Reservoir, a trip they had taken multiple times before. Upon her arrival at the airport that afternoon, the pilot had already moved the helicopter out of the hangar. A short time later they boarded and taxied to the local fueling facility, where the pilot serviced the helicopter with the addition of 22.5 gallons of fuel.
The passenger stated that the departure was to the southwest and was uneventful, and after arriving over the Owyhee Mountain Range, they observed some wild horses. The pilot performed an orbit over the horses, while the passenger took photos. Once complete, they proceeded back on track to the southwest. A few minutes later the pilot calmly stated that the "rpm" was low. Due to the tone of his voice, the passenger was not initially concerned, however he began to manipulate the flight controls and when she looked over, he appeared nervous. The helicopter then rapidly descended, and struck the ground.
Preliminary ADS-B flight track data for the entire flight was provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The data closely matched the passenger's statement, and indicated that the orbit over the horses occurred about 18 minutes after takeoff, 25 miles southwest of EUL, at a GPS altitude of about 4,900 ft, which was between 50 and 200 above ground level (agl) over the undulating terrain. After completing the orbit, the helicopter departed southwest bound and proceeded at an altitude of about 50 ft agl, until the last recorded target, 2 miles to the south-southwest.
By 2230 family members called the Ada County Sheriff's Department, after neither the pilot nor passenger had returned home. Both of their cars were subsequently found at the airport, and at 2342 the FAA issued an alert notice (ALNOT). The helicopter was equipped with a 406 MHz emergency locator transmitter (ELT), however, no activation signal was received by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC). A search and rescue mission was initiated by the Oregon Office of Emergency Management Search and Rescue Division, and the wreckage was discovered at 0820 the following morning by deputies from the Malheur County Sheriff's Department.
The helicopter was located about 500 ft south of the last ADS-B target at an elevation of 4,917 ft mean seal level (msl). The helicopter came to rest on its right side on a heading of about 330 ° magnetic. The cabin sustained crush damage, resulting in fragmentation of the entire canopy and the composite canopy structure, completely exposing the cabin contents. The lower cabin support structure including the flight controls, instrument panel, and seat bases were folded 90° down. The lower seat assemblies exhibited crush damage downwards and to the right, while the seat backs had crushed aft and to the right.
Aft of the cabin wall, the primary helicopter structure remained largely intact, with the tubular steel pylon members behind the aft cabin wall sustaining compression damage focused on the lower right side. The tailboom was intact, and the right horizontal stabilizer was bent down about 90° midspan. The tailrotor gearbox remained attached to the gearbox boom, and the entire assembly had rotated about 180 along the longitudinal axis. All three main rotor blades remained attached to the hub, and all exhibited 30° upward bending damage. (See Photo 1)
Photo 1 – Helicopter at the Accident SiteAircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Make: Enstrom
Registration: N280F
Model/Series: 280F
Aircraft Category: Helicopter
Amateur Built: No
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: KMAN, 2537 ft msl
Observation Time: 2255 UTC
Distance from Accident Site: 25 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 18°C / -3°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 5 knots / , 350°
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility: 9 Miles
Altimeter Setting: 30.09 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: Caldwell, ID (EUL)
Destination: Caldwell, ID (EUL)
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: 1 Serious
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Fatal, 1 Serious
Latitude, Longitude: 43.394722, -117.046944
Those who may have information that might be relevant to the National Transportation Safety Board investigation may contact them by email eyewitnessreport@ntsb.gov, and any friends and family who want to contact investigators about the accident should email assistance@ntsb.gov.
Jim F. Valentine, MD
BOISE, Idaho — A St. Luke's surgeon died in a helicopter crash Friday on the Idaho, Oregon border.
52-year-old Dr. Jim Valentine, of Eagle, died this weekend after his helicopter crashed. Dr. Valentine worked at St. Luke's Boise Clinic in Bariatrics and General Surgery.
A passenger, Valentine's daughter, was flown to a hospital by air ambulance. Malheur County Sheriff says she has severe injuries but is not believed to be life-threatening.
Authorities are praising the resilience of the 25-year-old Idaho woman who survived a frigid night in the high desert of southeastern Oregon.
Malheur County Undersheriff Travis Johnson said Monday that despite being injured herself, Jordan Valentine managed to crawl around the side of the wreck to get out of the wind after the helicopter went down in a remote area southeast of Succor Creek State Natural Area on Friday afternoon. She was lightly dressed and the temperature was in the 20s.
Johnson credited Jordan, saying it took "a very tough and determined person to be able to survive a crash like that and keep her composure through the night."
The helicopter is registered to Sundance Aviation out of Eagle.
According to The Civil Air Patrol's National Radar Analysis Team, the helicopter dropped off the radar at 4:40 p.m. Friday afternoon.
MCSO received the call around 2:30 a.m. Saturday. They activated the county's search and rescue team.
The pilot was killed in the crash, but his daughter was found alive. She managed to find shelter until help arrived, as temperatures dropped into the upper 20's overnight.
The father and daughter duo were sightseeing in the area and headed to the Owyhee Reservoir.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are taking over the investigation.
Original article can be found here ➤ https://idahonews.com
The 25-year-old woman from Eagle, Idaho, lay beside the wreckage of an Enstrom 280F helicopter on a secluded high desert hill south of Adrian. The crash, at about 4pm Friday, killed her father, Jim Valentine, 52, also of Eagle, who was piloting the helicopter.
Despite serious injuries, Valentine managed to crawl out of the wreckage and then took shelter out of the wind next to the rotorcraft. She was wearing light clothing.
“She was beat up pretty bad,” said Travis Johnson, Malheur County undersheriff.
Johnson said the sheriff’s office received the call of an overdue helicopter around 2 a.m. Saturday. From there, the sheriff’s office activated its search and rescue team.
“We called people in and got a plan together,” said Johnson.
Johnson said the last radar contact on the helicopter was near Succor Creek.
The area is remote, said Johnson.
“The roads in that area are not great but luckily it was not far from one of those roads and it was out in a flat area where it was fairly visible,” said Johnson.
The search kicked off just before dawn. Around 8 a.m., search and rescue personnel sighted the wreckage near Top Reservoir, southeast of Succor Creek State Park.
“It takes a very tough and determined person to be able to survive a crash following by a long cold night,” said Johnson.
The temperature in the area dropped below freezing.
Valentine was flown by LifeFlight to a Boise-area hospital around 9:30 a.m. Saturday
Eric Weiss, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board, said an investigator had been dispatched to the scene of the crash. He said the crash remains under investigation.
Original article ➤ https://www.malheurenterprise.com
MALHEUR COUNTY, Oregon — An Eagle man is dead following a weekend helicopter crash in a remote desert area of Malheur County.
The Malheur County Sheriff’s Office was notified about 2:00 a.m. Saturday of a helicopter that had not returned as expected.
“The last contact with radar showed it in the Succor Creek area, about 50 to 60 miles south of Ontario,” said Malheur County Undersheriff Travis Johnson. “We learned a helicopter had crashed on Friday, the 25th sometime around 4:00 p.m. near Top Reservoir, southeast of Succor Creek State Park.”
Malheur County Search and Rescue volunteers were called out and began searching at daylight.
“One of our UTV search teams located the crashed helicopter at 8:20 that morning. The two occupants were Identified as Jim Valentine, a 52-year-old man from Eagle, Idaho, and his daughter Jordan Valentine, a 25-year-old female also of Eagle,” Johnson said.
Jim Valentine was deceased. His daughter was transported by air ambulance to a Boise hospital with multiple injuries. She is currently listed in serious condition.
“She was wearing only light clothing at the time, but managed to make it through a very windy, cold night. Temperatures were around 28 degrees when we arrived on scene,” Johnson said. “Although badly injured, she had the wherewithal to crawl around the aircraft to get out of the wind. It takes a very tough and determined person be able to survive a crash followed by a long cold night.”
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.
Original article can be found here ➤ https://www.kivitv.com
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