Resumption Of Flight Testing Following Hard Landing Of First Helo In February

On May 26 th, Enstrom resumed flight testing of the TH-180 with the second prototype, Helicopter N181TH. The TH-180 took to the air under control of Enstrom test pilot and Senior Technical Fellow, William Taylor. Taylor took the aircraft through a standard production-type acceptance, including all the hover and forward flight checks such as tracking and rigging checks.

“It flies great.” said Taylor, “Now we can resume certification. The market needs a robust, forgiving trainer.”

Enstrom’s third TH-180 flight test vehicle is in production with completion expected this summer. With two aircraft flying, Enstrom is focused on an accelerated certification flight test schedule.

On February 12 the first prototype TH-180 Enstrom Helicopter N180TH experienced a mechanical problem and made a forced landing. During the landing, the rotor struck a wooden utility pole, cutting off the pole and destroying the main rotor blades. The pilot, the only person on board, was uninjured. The preliminary investigation indicated that a piece of flight test instrumentation in the main drive system failed, disconnecting the engine from the drive train.

Enstrom said at the time it feels this accident demonstrated the ruggedness of the design and the ability of the aircraft to protect the occupants.

(Top image provided by Enstrom Helicopter. Lower image from file)

FMI: www.enstromhelicopter.com