Accident Details
On July 4, 2019, about 2000 central daylight time, an MD 369-500E helicopter, registration N5277F, was involved in an accident at Houston Hobby Airport (HOU), Houston, Texas. The helicopter sustained substantial damage. The commercial pilot was not injured, and his flight officer sustained minor injuries. The flight was conducted as a public operations flight.
Flight Sequence
After 1.5 hours of an uneventful flight, the pilot was positioning the helicopter to land on a helipad at its home base (HOU). The pilot reported that after checking the wind conditions, he made a normal approach to the helipad. About 5 to 10 ft above the ground, just before coming to a hover, the helicopter experienced a sudden uncontrollable yaw and bank to the right. The pilot felt the left skid impact the ground, and the helicopter rolled onto its right side. Both the pilot and passenger exited the helicopter after it came to rest.
Pilot Statements
The pilot reported that before the uncontrolled yaw and bank to the right, there was no sudden gust of wind, and he stated that he did not have input on the controls that would have caused the yaw and bank to the right.
Examination
Detailed examination of the helicopter’s flight control systems did not reveal any mechanical anomalies.