Incident Overview
On August 10, 2012, at approximately 1600 central daylight time, a Robinson Helicopter Company model R44 II, registration N144DZ, made a hard landing on a private landing area near Belgium, Wisconsin. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The helicopter's main rotor blades sustained substantial damage when debris, associated with the landing, impacted the rotor blades. The helicopter was registered to Chicago Helicopter Express LLC and operated by Sun Aero Helicopters under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight. Day visual flight rules (VFR) conditions prevailed, and the flight did not operate on a VFR flight plan. The flight originated from Waukesha County Airport near Waukesha, Wisconsin, at 1530.
Pilot Report
According to the pilot's accident report, he was attempting to land the helicopter in a confined area containing a hump concealed by grass. The helicopter landed on the hump and began to slide backward. The pilot pulled up on the collective, causing the helicopter to lift rapidly. He then corrected left and right to keep the helicopter within the confined area and chose to set the helicopter straight down again. The helicopter settled on the front tips of the skids, which broke at the point where the down arm meets the skids. During postflight inspection, the pilot noted that one of the main rotor blades sustained impact damage consistent with debris being blown up into the rotor during the landing. The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions associated with the helicopter during the accident flight.
Weather Conditions
At 1653, the recorded weather at Sheboygan County Memorial Airport near Sheboygan, Wisconsin, was: wind 350 degrees at 12 knots gusting to 22 knots; visibility 10 statute miles; sky condition clear; temperature 21 degrees C; dew point 10 degrees C; altimeter 29.96 inches of mercury.