What happened
On October 13, 2018, at approximately 19:00 UTC, a Robinson R66 helicopter, registration PR-GZP, was performing a private passenger transport flight from Belo Horizonte to the Haras Quatro I farm in Esmeraldas, Minas Gerais.
After a flight of roughly 25 minutes, the pilot landed the aircraft in a field at the destination. As the aircraft touched the ground and the pilot lowered the collective, the helicopter lost lift and settled onto the terrain. Due to irregularities in the ground surface, the front of the skids lifted, causing the tail to descend. During this movement, the tail rotor struck a pile of wooden logs positioned behind the aircraft. The impact was severe enough to cause the tail rotor to detach from its mounting on the tail cone. Both the pilot and the passenger were uninjured, but the aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The investigation
CENIPA's investigation confirmed that the pilot was properly licensed and held valid medical certification. The aircraft was airworthy, with all maintenance logs up to date, and was operating within its weight and balance limits. Meteorological conditions at the time of the accident were favorable for flight.
Investigators noted that this was the pilot's first time landing at this specific location. Although the pilot performed a low approach to check for obstacles such as trees and power lines, he did not establish prior contact with the farm to better manage landing risks. While the pilot reported seeing the pile of logs, he failed to determine if the clearance was sufficient for the operation.
Findings
- Inadequate flight planning, as the chosen landing site did not meet the minimum safety requirements for non-standard landing sites established by the Brazilian Aeronautical Regulation (RBHA 91).
- Flawed decision-making regarding the positioning of the aircraft's tail relative to the wooden obstacle.