Accident Overview
On June 7, 2015, at approximately 13:35 Japan Standard Time, a privately owned Schweizer 269C-1 helicopter, registered JA7926, sustained substantial damage after its fuselage contacted the ground and overturned at a ballpark in a resort facility in Hosokawa-cho, Miki City, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. The helicopter had departed from Maishima Heliport for a leisure flight.
Flight History
The captain, seated in the right seat, and an initial passenger (Passenger A) departed around 12:24. The captain planned to fly via Miki, Amagasaki, and Daito to a temporary helipad in Yamazoe Village, Nara Prefecture. In Miki, the captain intended to circle over the resort facility where his friends were visiting. After circling twice, he hovered at 10-15 m above ground and, seeing no one in the ballpark, landed without permission to let his friends board. After dropping off Passenger A, another passenger (Passenger B) got on and they flew for about five minutes. Then Passenger C boarded. The captain told Passenger C it was acceptable to lightly place a hand on the cyclic stick but not to touch the rudder pedals. Despite being afraid of heights, Passenger C agreed, placed his left hand on the door frame and his right hand on the cyclic stick, keeping his legs pulled back. The captain hovered at 2-3 m altitude with the nose east, then changed direction and moved laterally. Passenger C asked to be let off, but the captain did not appear to understand. The captain, intending to please Passenger C, indicated he would release the cyclic stick, and Passenger C then also let go, thinking he could not operate the controls. The captain felt the aircraft pitch nose-down, then fully pulled the cyclic stick back without operating the corrective pitch lever. The aircraft then pitched nose-up, and the empennage struck the ground. The helicopter overturned onto its left side.
Injuries and Damage
Passenger C sustained serious injuries. The helicopter was substantially damaged: three main rotor blades were damaged, one main rotor control rod in the rear of the fuselage was bent, the left fuselage side was damaged, the rear cross tube was deformed, and the tail boom, tail rotor drive shaft were ruptured, and the tail rotor gear box fell off. No fire occurred.
Pilot Information
The captain, aged 73, held a private pilot certificate for rotorcraft with a single-piston engine (land) type rating, issued in 1995. He had approximately 1,000 total flight hours, with 31 hours 40 minutes on the type. He had not flown for about 10 years before resuming flight at the end of the previous year when he obtained the helicopter. He had not taken the Pilot Competency Assessment at the time of the accident.
Additional Information
The wind at the time was calm, with recorded wind direction and speed from a nearby observation station showing southwest winds around 2.8 m/s at 13:30. The captain did not obtain required permissions under the Civil Aeronautics Act for landing and taking off at a place other than an aerodrome or for flying below minimum safety altitude. The aircraft's weight and center of gravity were within allowable limits.