Incident Summary
On 3 February 2007 at 18:09 local time, a Hughes 269-B helicopter, registration EC-BFY, was involved in an accident at Girona Airport (LEGE). The helicopter, operated by a private owner, was performing a high hover prior to landing when it began a continuous rotation about its vertical axis to the left, followed by a rapid descent that ended with impact with the ground. The pilot disconnected the master switch, shut off the fuel valve, and exited the aircraft unaided, sustaining no injuries. The aircraft suffered substantial damage.
Aircraft and Pilot Information
The aircraft was a Hughes 269-B, powered by a single Textron Lycoming HIO-360A1A engine. The pilot, aged 56, held a private helicopter pilot license and had a total flight experience of 115 hours and 20 minutes, of which 16 hours and 40 minutes were on the Hughes 269 type. His remaining experience was primarily on the Robinson R22. The pilot had completed a type rating course for the HU269 in January 2007, which included 10 hours of flight instruction and a proficiency check.
Sequence of Events
The pilot had flown from Perpignan, France, to Girona earlier that day, landing at 16:52. He experienced difficulty locating the airport due to haze and required assistance from air traffic control. After refueling, he departed for Sabadell at 18:50 but was informed that Sabadell would close in three minutes due to sunset and was cleared to return to Girona. While hovering over the apron at an estimated height of 15-20 meters, the helicopter began a leftward rotation. Witnesses reported two to three rotations during the subsequent rapid descent to the ground.
Investigation Findings
Post-accident inspection of the tail rotor drive and control systems revealed no mechanical anomalies; the controls operated within normal limits. The cockpit throttle was found partially moved from its flight position toward idle. The pilot reported that the left pedal felt stiff and that applying right pedal seemed to increase the rotation, prompting him to lower the collective decisively to avoid instability.
The investigation concluded that the rotation originated from a decrease in applied power when the pilot lowered the collective lever to initiate descent, closing the throttle more than required, and failing to adequately correct the leftward rotation with the pedals. The subsequent decisive lowering of the collective may have increased the descent rate and maintained the rotation until impact.