Wednesday, June 24, 2020

Enstrom 280FX Shark, N280MM: Fatal accident occurred June 23, 2020 in Hayden, Kootenai County, Idaho

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. 

The National Transportation Safety Board did not travel to the scene of this accident.

Additional Participating Entity: 
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Spokane, Washington


Location: Hayden, ID
Accident Number: WPR20LA191
Date & Time: June 22, 2020, 17:00 Local 
Registration: N280MM
Aircraft: Enstrom 280
Injuries: 1 Fatal, 1 Serious
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Instructional

On June 23, 2020, about 1700 Pacific daylight time, an Enstrom 280 FX helicopter, N280MM, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Hayden, Idaho. The student pilot was fatally injured, and the flight instructor was seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 instructional flight.

According to witnesses, the helicopter was maneuvering at a low altitude when it crashed in an open field. One witness stated that the tail of the helicopter was moving up and down and it did not seem to be flying smoothly. The witness further stated that as the helicopter neared the ground, its tail swung around quickly, before it impacted the ground. Subsequently, a postcrash fire ensued, that consumed most of the helicopter. Local law enforcement stated that the helicopter was surrounded by a burnt area about 45 ft in diameter.

The helicopter wreckage was recovered to a secure location for further examination.

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: Enstrom
Registration: N280MM
Model/Series: 280 FX 
Aircraft Category: Helicopter
Amateur Built: No
Operator: On file 
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Operator Designator Code:

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: VMC 
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: KCOE,2307 ft msl 
Observation Time: 16:56 Local
Distance from Accident Site: 3 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 30°C /13°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 8 knots / , 280°
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility: 10 miles
Altimeter Setting: 29.96 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: Coeur D'Alene, ID (COE)
Destination: Coeur D'Alene, ID (COE)

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal, 1 Serious
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Passenger Injuries: 
Aircraft Fire: On-ground
Ground Injuries: N/A 
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Fatal, 1 Serious
Latitude, Longitude: 47.775001,-116.895553 (est)

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. 
 
CHARBONNEAU, James Rollin
Flew West
(06-11-1942 to 06-26-2020)

The family of Jim Charbonneau grieves the loss of a man who loved his family and friends and chased his dreams. A lifetime resident of Spokane, Jim built, fixed, and drove most any mobile craft man has devised except trains. He built his first boat at 12 years old, in his parent's basement on Scott Street, located on Spokane's South Hill. As the only surviving son of a Latin teacher (Lillian Charbonneau; Lewis & Clark) and a math teacher (Rollin Charbonneau; North Central High and Libby Jr. High), Jim embraced learning from the time he dismantled his first radio to the time of his last helicopter flight. He raced hydroplanes and cars for years. He approached life looking for a thrill, searching for a bargain, loving his late wife, and watching as his two daughters built strong families and careers in Oregon and Michigan respectively. Jim was frugal yet generous; methodical yet adventurous; deliberate yet passionate. He was married to Kay over 50 years before her passing in 2018; and following that loss, Jim returned to his passion for flying and added a helicopter student pilot license to the fixed wing pilot license he held since the 1980s. He had logged over 100 hours in Enstrom helicopters at the time of his death.

Jim is remembered by his friends and loyal neighbors as being a man who would do anything for his family and his pets, who was living life with the excitement of a child, who would plow your driveway when you needed it, who would buy you almonds just because he saw it was your snack of choice, who would pay you extra to give his beloved dog Torrey a treat, and who would take the time to find out how your day was going. This is the story of the "Real JR" and shall live on, superseding any other published material.

Jim is survived by his two daughters, Michelle Roos (Charbonneau) and Kelly Broker (Charbonneau); their spouses; 7 grandchildren; 5 great-grandchildren; and a 6th great grandchild on the way.

Jay Schrank, 42, of Rathdrum, Idaho, was critically injured in a helicopter crash June 23rd.



Update June 26, 2020

Harborview Medical Center has confirmed that 78-year-old Jim Charbonneau of Spokane passed away from his injuries Friday night.  Charbonneau was the owner of the 2003 Enstrom 280FX helicopter that crashed.

Update, June 24, 2020, 12:00 pm:

RATHDRUM, Idaho - Two men who were seriously injured in a helicopter crash near Rathdrum have been identified.

According to FAA records reviewed by KHQ, 78-year-old Jim Charbonneau of Spokane is the owner of the 2003 Enstrom 280FX helicopter and holds a student pilot license. Accompanying him was 42-year-old Jay Schranck, a registered flight instructor. 

The helicopter went down approximately three miles from where it took off. According to radar records obtained by KHQ, the helicopter never reached flight altitude. Witnesses said it was flying low enough to clip power lines as it went down. 

Charbonneau and Schrank were both initially taken to Kootenai Health before being transferred to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Their injuries are described as serious but non-life-threatening. 

Neighbors of Charbonneau's Spokane Valley home had expressed concern in the past about a helipad installed on the property in 2018. As The Spokesman-Review first reported, the Spokane County Commission voted back in February to pursue legal action against Charbonneau for operating the helipad. 

Charbonneau in turn, accused Spokane County of bullying him and wasting taxpayer money to go after a private citizen. 

Drugs and alcohol do not appear to be a factor but the investigation regarding the exact circumstances of the crash remains ongoing.

*Correction: A previous version of this story included incorrect spelling of Jay Schranck's last name. It was subsequently incorrectly reported that there were no FAA licenses issued under his name. Those errors have been corrected in this version.*

Previous Coverage:

The Spokane man whose helicopter crashed Tuesday near Rathdrum, seriously injuring himself and one other, was not a fully qualified pilot and was not supposed to be flying with passengers.

According to FAA records reviewed by KHQ, 78-year-old Jim Charbonneau holds a student pilot license, issued in 2018. That certification carries with it a federal limitation: "Carrying passengers is prohibited."

Charbonneau was flying with 42-year-old Jay Schrank of Rathdrum when his 2003 Enstrom 280FX helicopter went down, about 3 miles after take-off. It is unknown at this time whether Schrank might have been acting as the flight instructor; the FAA Airman database has no licenses issued under that name.

Radar records obtained by KHQ show the plane never reached flight altitude; witnesses say it was flying low enough to clip power lines as it went down. 

Charbonneau and Schrank were both initially taken to Kootenai Health before being transferred to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, according to the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office. 

Neighbors of Charbonneau's Spokane Valley home had expressed concern in the past about a helipad installed on the property in 2018. As The Spokesman-Review first reported, the Spokane County Commission voted back in February to pursue legal action against Charbonneau for operating the helipad. 

Charbonneau in turn, accused Spokane County of bullying him and wasting taxpayer money to go after a private citizen. 

Drugs and alcohol do not appear to be a factor but the investigation regarding the exact circumstances of the crash remains ongoing.

Update, June 24, 6:40 am:

RATHDRUM, Idaho - The Kootenai County Sheriff's Office has identified two people who survived a helicopter crash outside of Rathdrum on Tuesday, June 23. 

According to the Sheriff's Office, 42-year-old Jay Schrank of Rathdrum and 78-year-old Jim Charbonneau of Spokane were both initially taken to Kootenai Health. They have both since been transferred to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with serious but non-life threatening injuries. 

Drugs and alcohol do not appear to be a factor but the investigation regarding the exact circumstances of the crash remains ongoing.

Previous Coverage:

RATHDRUM, Idaho - Fire officials have confirmed they are on scene of a helicopter crash outside of Rathdrum. The approximate location is Highway 41 and Wyoming Ave.

Kootenai Fire and and Northern Lake Firefighters are on scene. The helicopter was fully engulfed in flames. 

The incident commander on scene tells KHQ two people were on board but both survived and have non-life threatening injuries.  

Witnesses say the helicopter was having obvious trouble shortly before the crash. Fire crews say this could impact power in the area. 

First responders are asking the public to please avoid the area. 


https://www.khq.com





Kootenai County Sheriff's Office

Updated Information: The occupants of the helicopter crash have been identified at Jay Schrank, 42, of Rathdrum, and Jim Charbonneau, 78, of Spokane. Both were initially transported to Kootenai Health, but were later transferred to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, with serious but at this time non-life threatening injuries.

Rathdrum, Idaho: On June 23rd 2020 at approximately 5:00 PM, the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Division, Northern Lakes Fire/EMS, and Kootenai County Fire/EMS personnel responded to an aircraft incident in a field in the northwest corner of Highway 41 and Wyoming Ave in Rathdrum. Upon arrival, the two flight occupants, were transported immediately for serious but non-life threatening injuries after initial aid was rendered by civilians who witnessed the collision.

Based on initial investigation, it appeared the rotorcraft had collided into the field from a low level altitude. Though alcohol/drugs do not appear to be a factor at this time, the investigation is ongoing regarding the exact circumstances of the crash. Due to aviation involvement, the Federal Aviation Administration has been notified and is conducting an investigation as well.


When Carl Strode and his wife, Dana, moved to Painted Hills, they were hoping for a quiet neighborhood with an abundance of wildlife.

Instead, helicopters fly over regularly, and if they’re outside on their porch, even yelling can’t be heard over the whirring blades of their neighbor’s private aircraft.

Strode lives in a residential area just south of Spokane Valley, surrounded by a thick blanket of evergreens and a close group of neighbors. Neighbors who say that helicopter traffic landing on a helipad installed in 2018 in the backyard of a resident has been a source of stress.

“What I’m most afraid of is that there will be a crash,” said Shirley Auble, another neighbor. “That’s what everybody is afraid of.”

The Spokane County Commission voted last week to pursue legal action against the owner of the helipad, Jim Charbonneau, for operating a heliport in a low-density residential zone, which is not allowed in the county’s zoning code.

Charbonneau has lived on the property for decades and, according to his neighbors, has been operating a helipad in his backyard since 2018.

Charbonneau, who previously owned a company called Allied Systems, has accused Spokane County of bullying him as well as wasting taxpayer money to go after a private citizen.

“I’m 70 years old and I’ve been here for a long time, and here comes Spokane County with all of their horses and men piling on,” he said.

He said he had tried to install the helipad “as correct as I can” and felt that the county was targeting him, despite the fact that he was a longtime resident who doesn’t have a record of breaking rules. When asked if he was aware that helipads are not allowed in residential neighborhoods when he built the helipad, he also declined to comment, citing pending litigation.

He also declined to answer questions about his helipad.

He said he still was open to negotiating with the county to find a solution outside of a lawsuit.

A 2018 Federal Aviation Administration analysis of Charbonneau’s helipad, which has been named “Birdhouse” on the FAA report, found it to be objectionable due to lack of fire protection and lights, its location in a congested residential neighborhood and its close proximity to tall trees.

According to the report, the use of the heliport would have “substantial adverse effect on the safe and efficient use of navigable airspace by aircraft with the respect to the safety of persons and property on the ground.”

FAA determinations are not meant as a denial or approval for building an airport, a designation that includes helipads, but as a grade to determine how much it will impact air traffic and safety on the ground around it. When searched online and in charts, Charbonneau’s heliport on Shawnee Drive still has an “objectionable” designation, also letting other aircraft know that it may be unsafe to land there.

Chris Anderson, the deputy prosecutor in the county’s civil department, said aircraft are allowed in some rural and agricultural zones, but not in residential neighborhoods. He said the county looked into the helipad after neighbors in the South Mohawk Drive area off of Dishman Mica Road called to report helicopter activity.

“We’ve heard from a fairly large number of people complaining about it,” he said.

Anderson said the county also is willing to negotiate with Charbonneau before officially filing the lawsuit.

Anderson, Spokane County Prosecutor Larry Haskell and County Commissioner Mary Kuney met with Painted Hills residents a few months ago to discuss the helicopter issue. Kuney said the county is working as quickly as they can to address the issue.

“We are definitely doing everything we can from the county’s side to not have a helicopter flying in and out of a neighborhood,” she said.

While Charbonneau did not file a building permit to construct a hangar, he did file a permit for an outbuilding in 2017. Ironwood Structures completed work on the building in 2018. The firm is known for constructing garages, barns and airplane hangars, according to its website.

Auble, who lives down the street from Charbonneau, said she was friends with his late wife, Kay, and previously got along with Charbonneau. But the helicopter has made her fear for her and her husband’s safety. It has also led to discord among neighbors who previously got along, she said.

“It’s not good for Painted Hills,” she said. “It’s just caused problems, and there never were any problems.”

Auble’s husband, Dave, said he was especially concerned after reading about the death of Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others in a helicopter crash last month in Southern California. He said that if Charbonneau really enjoys aviation, he should fly at a place that’s equipped for it, like Felts Field.

Shirley Auble is one of about 70 people who signed a petition against the heliport that was circulated by another neighbor, Jill Kang.

Kang said she has known Charbonneau for years and also was friends with Charbonneau’s wife, but has grown increasingly frustrated with him. She said neighbors who want to sell their homes likely will have a hard time, once prospective buyers realize there’s a constant barrage of air traffic overhead.

While not all of the neighbors were as concerned as she and the Strodes, Kang said most were worried about a fire or a crash. She said Charbonneau also wasn’t forthcoming with his neighbors when he built the helipad, and hasn’t shared many details since.

“It’s just not a nice, neighborly thing to do,” she said.

Strode said he is concerned that something could go wrong and that his home, which is next door, could be in danger.

Mostly, though, he and many others want their neighborhood to return to being a quiet place to watch deer and elk.

“We did buy this house purely for the rural feel,” Strode said. “It feels rural even though we’re so close to town, and that is gone.”

https://www.spokesman.com

1 comment:

  1. Update: the owner died: https://www.khq.com/news/one-person-in-rathdrum-helicopter-crash-passes-away-from-injuries-other-victim-still-in-critical/article_3133d528-b5b0-11ea-ba8f-e7d97e24b00b.html

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