Agricultural Helicopter Accident During Low-Altitude Turn

Accident Description and Pilot Report The helicopter pilot reported that he was performing an agricultural flight and was in a hurry to spray the field because of a previous 3-hour delay caused by a broken fuel truck. The pilot reported that the weight of the helicopter was forty pounds under the helicopter's maximum gross weight, and that he approached the field with the understanding that he was heavier, and it was hotter and more windy than he originally planned for. He reported that the helicopter was headed south, and the wind was from the southwest about 15 knots. The pilot made a low altitude, low airspeed, left turn to the north, and the helicopter entered a nose low attitude and had a more rapid sink rate than he anticipated. The pilot aborted the turn and chose to maintain a southeast heading to utilize the crosswind to avoid powerline wires. He attempted to arrest the sink rate by increasing the collective, but the low rotor RPM horn sounded. The helicopter impacted the ground and bounced, then it rolled onto its left side. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tailboom, and the main rotor system. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.