What happened
On December 21, 2017, at approximately 11:05 UTC, a Bell UH-1H helicopter, registration ZS-HLI, was involved in an accident in Bredasdorp, Western Cape Province, South Africa. The aircraft was performing a demonstration flight under visual meteorological conditions.
Shortly after lifting off from the Bredasdorp fire station, the helicopter was attempting to reposition because a bambi bucket strop was positioned under the skid. While in a very low hover, the aircraft began to oscillate. The pilot attempted to increase power to fly away and correct the movement, but this action worsened the oscillation. Consequently, the pilot lost control, causing the aircraft to yaw and impact both a wall and the ground.
The accident resulted in one minor injury to the pilot and one serious injury to the ground assistant. The aircraft was substantially damaged.