Enstrom's lone flight-test TH180 prototype, N180TH, was substantially damaged during a hard off-airport landing on a Menominee, Mich. residential street after losing power late Friday morning. The test pilot walked away and was evaluated at a local hospital for minor injuries.
The helicopter hit tree tops and a power pole on the way down, substantially damaging the main rotor system and the skid landing gear. However, the cockpit and fuselage remained largely intact and upright. The helicopter came down approximately 1,800 feet short of the approach end of Menominee Airport's Runway 32. Wind at the time was reported from the northwest at 9 to 12 knots, gusting to 21 to 23 knots.
The TH180 had logged 49 hours since making its first flight on February 6 last year. Certification had been anticipated later this year. A second flight-test aircraft is under construction, and Enstrom president Tracy Biegler told AIN that its completion will be “expedited.” Conceived as a robust, low-cost training aircraft priced at less than $400,000, the TH180 is powered by a Lycoming HIO-390 piston engine.