What happened
A helicopter was engaged in an external load operation intended to transport Christmas trees from a field to a designated drop zone (DZ) for truck loading. During an approach to the drop zone, the pilot failed to maintain sufficient altitude and clearance to keep the external load away from obstructions.
As a result of this loss of clearance, the pilot lost control of the helicopter. The aircraft traveled backward approximately 100 to 200 feet before striking the ground tail-first. The impact caused the aircraft to roll over, resulting in extensive damage. Trees from the external load were scattered between the object and the main wreckage.
The investigation
The investigation into the mechanical state of the aircraft revealed that the pilot had only a manual method for releasing the load from within the helicopter. The electrical release system had been rewired to provide power exclusively to the bottom hook. Additionally, ground personnel reported that the hook had been malfunctioning prior to the accident.
Findings
The investigation found that while the pilot had 5 hours of dual instruction and 8 hours of pilot-in-command time in external load operations, she did not possess the required letter of competency for this specific operation.