Accident Overview
On 19 November 2020, a Eurocopter EC120B helicopter, registration SP-GRY, was involved in an accident near Łęka, close to Dąbrowa Górnicza, Poland. The helicopter was owned and operated by a private owner. The flight was conducted under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) during daylight hours. The pilot and the aircraft owner were on board; neither sustained any injuries. The helicopter suffered serious damage.
Sequence of Events
The helicopter owner had contracted the pilot to perform a sightseeing flight. The flight proceeded along a planned route at an altitude of 1,500 to 2,000 feet. The pilot maintained continuous communication with Kraków Flight Information Service (FIS).
On the return leg, at the owner's request, the pilot executed a hover at approximately 1 meter above a large meadow, with headwind. The pilot then increased engine power intending to transition to forward flight with climb. At that moment, the helicopter began to rotate to the left with a tendency to roll to the right. To counter the rotation, the pilot increased right pedal input and moved the cyclic stick to the left. These actions had no effect; the helicopter continued rotating left with increasing right roll.
The pilot then reduced engine power and attempted to land at the hover spot. The helicopter contacted the ground on the right skid while still rotating left. The main rotor blades struck the ground and were destroyed. The fuselage impacted the ground on the right side and rotated 180° from the intended takeoff direction.
After the impact, the pilot shut down the engine by closing the fuel valve, cut electrical power, and, with the owner's help, jettisoned the left door using the emergency release. Both occupants unbuckled their harnesses and exited the cabin—the owner first, followed by the pilot—and moved to a safe distance. Several minutes later, the pilot notified FIS Kraków, the Polish State Commission for Aircraft Accident Investigation (PKBWL), the CAMO organization, and the police about the occurrence.
Aircraft Damage
The helicopter was seriously damaged. Post-accident examination revealed destruction of both main rotor blades, destruction of the tail boom, damage to the fuselage and right side, and loss of kinematic continuity in the tail rotor control system due to accident-related damage. The actuator mechanism for changing the angle of attack of the fenestron blades was found to have functioned correctly. No excessive wear was noted on the Flexball cable.
Cause
The cause of the accident was determined to be "too dynamic use of controls during takeoff."