Accident Overview
On April 9, 2023, at approximately 0845 central daylight time, a Helicopteres Guimbal Cabri G2, registration N372PA, crashed near Cahokia, Illinois. The helicopter was being operated as an instructional flight under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The aircraft sustained substantial damage, primarily to the main rotor blades. The flight instructor received minor injuries, while the student pilot was uninjured.
Flight Instructor Account
According to the flight instructor, during the approach for landing at the departure airport, he noticed that his left cyclic control had “a little bit of play” and the helicopter was not responding fully to his control inputs. Upon lining up with the taxiway of the intended landing site, he completely lost cyclic control. He retained collective and rudder control. The student pilot’s cyclic controls were still functional at that time, and the instructor guided the student on cyclic inputs to maintain control. However, the student pilot’s cyclic control then also ceased to function. The helicopter impacted the ground during the attempted landing.
Postaccident Examination
Examination of the flight control system after the accident revealed that several critical components were missing from the left cyclic control. Specifically, part #34 (Pin, reference HG17-0545), part #36 (Safety Pin, reference HG21-0803), part #43.0 (Pin Locker, reference G41-41-300), part #44 (Bolt, reference HG20-2036), and part #7 (Nut, reference HG12-0332) were not installed. Ideal Aviation could not determine when these parts were removed. No evidence indicated that the parts were dislodged during the crash, and the left cyclic control did not show any deformation or damage.