History of Flight
On 11 October 2013, the pilot, who owned the Enstrom 280FX (SP-GMB), planned to fly to a class reunion in Hermanów. The helicopter was hangared at a company airfield in Międzychód-Bielsko. At approximately 16:00, the pilot and a passenger boarded. The pilot started the engine, let it warm up, and departed around 16:30. At 16:46, the pilot contacted Poznań FIS and reported a flight from Międzychód to Hermanów. The controller instructed a routing via waypoint Whiskey, which the pilot acknowledged. The helicopter landed at Hermanów around 17:00 on a fenced meadow. After landing, the engine ran for about five minutes before shutdown.
On 12 October 2013, at about 10:26, the pilot and passenger took off from the makeshift site in Hermanów, intending to fly back to Międzychód-Bielsko. After covering approximately 730 meters along the route, the helicopter struck the ground in a forest between tall trees with no forward speed. The engine had stopped automatically due to fuel exhaustion.
Injuries and Damage
The pilot and passenger died in the accident. The helicopter was destroyed and partially burned.
Investigation and Cause
The Polish State Commission for Aircraft Accident Investigation determined the cause of the accident was automatic engine shutdown due to fuel exhaustion. Contributing factors included low altitude flight just above treetops, which prevented a successful autorotation, and a rapid collective pitch increase that caused rotor rpm decay and the helicopter's descent.