Accident Overview
The pilot was performing agricultural swath runs in a helicopter. After completing one run, he maneuvered the aircraft up over a power line and initiated a turn-around to begin the next swath run.
Pilot Report
The pilot stated that as he started the subsequent run, he felt the wind push the tail upward, forcing the nose downward. In an attempt to counteract this, he applied aft cyclic to level the helicopter and full collective to stop the descent.
Outcome
Despite the control inputs, the helicopter impacted the ground in a level attitude. Following impact, it rolled forward and came to rest inverted. The pilot reported that the wind was gusting to 24 knots at the time of the accident.
Weather Conditions
A weather observation station located about 13 miles northeast in Decatur, Illinois, recorded the wind at 1800 central daylight time as from 280 degrees at 16 knots. The pilot reported gusts reaching 24 knots.