What happened
On 24 July 2024, at Kyviškės Aerodrome in Lithuania, a student pilot was conducting a solo training exercise involving circle flights. The aircraft involved was a Cabri G2 helicopter, registered as LY-LMO. During the maneuver, the pilot executed an approach to runway KTT31R that resulted in a hard contact with the ground.
The impact caused significant structural damage to the helicopter. The landing gear and the fuselage at the landing gear attachment points were damaged. Additionally, the tail rotor guard was found to be cracked. Despite the severity of the mechanical damage, the student pilot was not injured in the incident.
Findings
The investigation established that the primary factor was the hard contact with the runway during the final phase of the solo circle flight. The physical evidence confirmed damage consistent with a high-load landing event, specifically affecting the undercarriage and tail rotor protection systems.