What happened
On July 12, 2011, at approximately 15:41 local time, a Robinson R66, registration N810AG, crashed near Girardot, Colombia. The flight departed from Girardot/Santiago Vila Airport (SKGI) approximately four minutes before the accident occurred. The pilot had filed a visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan intended for a 45-minute flight south of the destination airport.
At the time of the accident, weather conditions were visual meteorological conditions (VMC) with a visibility of 6 statute miles and winds from 310 degrees at 4 knots. Following takeoff, the helicopter was flying south of the airport at an altitude of approximately 250 feet above ground level. An eyewitness reported seeing the helicopter flying in a northeasterly direction before hearing a cracking sound and observing an object separate from the aircraft. The witness further observed the helicopter spinning around its vertical axis during its descent prior to impact.
The wreckage came to rest on its left side. The tailcone and tail rotor were found separated from the main wreckage, located approximately 46 meters away. The accident site was situated about 2.5 nautical miles and 230 degrees from the approach end of runway 02 at SKGI.
There were 2 fatal injuries involving the pilot and one passenger.