What happened
On February 3, 2007, at approximately 18:09 local time, a private Hughes 269-B helicopter, registration EC-BFY, was attempting to land at Girona Airport, Spain. The pilot had originally planned a two-stage flight from Perpignan, France, to Sabadell, but was instructed by the tower to return to Girona due to the approaching sunset and the scheduled closure of the destination airport.
While performing a high hover to touchdown on the airport apron, the aircraft began a continuous rotation around its vertical axis, moving from right to left. This rotation was followed by a rapid descent that ended with the helicopter impacting the ground. The impact caused the landing gear to collapse and resulted in significant damage to the fuselage, tail boom, and tail rotor blades. The pilot, who had no injuries, successfully shut down the engine and exited the aircraft.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the mechanical state of the aircraft, the pilot's experience, and the flight circumstances. Technical inspections of the tail rotor drive systems and controls showed no mechanical failures; the pedals were found to be functioning correctly throughout their full range of motion. However, investigators noted that the throttle knob was found partially moved from the flight position toward the idle position.
Regarding the pilot's background, the investigation established that while the pilot held a private helicopter license, much of their experience was limited to training environments. Of the pilot's 115:20 total flight hours, 96:30 were in the Robinson R22, leaving only 16:40 hours in the Hughes 269-B, which included the type rating training completed only months prior.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the loss of aircraft control resulting from the pilot's failure to properly adjust the throttle in response to changes in the collective lever position.
- A contributing factor was the pilot's limited proficiency, which may have been exacerbated by the stress of the flight's circumstances, including the recent disorientation during the previous flight leg and the sudden cancellation of the planned flight to Sabadell.