What happened
Witnesses observed a Schweger 269C helicopter performing low-altitude maneuvers over a house that was under construction. During the flight, the aircraft completed one pass before slowing down; some observers noted that the helicopter appeared to enter a hover. During this phase, the aircraft began to wobble and then rotated its nose to the left, causing it to descend into nearby trees.
The pilot was accompanied by a dog during the flight. During the accident sequence, the dog was ejected from the helicopter. While reports indicated the dog had been secured with a harness, investigators found no evidence to confirm that the animal was restrained.