Flight History
On March 2, 2023, at about 09:18 JST, a Eurocopter EC 135 T2 (JA37NH) operated by All Nippon Helicopter Co., Ltd. departed from Hiroshima Heliport for a news coverage flight. The crew comprised a pilot in the right seat, a mechanic in the left seat, and a camera operator in the aft seat. After aerial filming over Okayama City, the helicopter landed on Runway 07 at Okayama Airport at about 10:38 for refueling. It then began air-taxiing at approximately 1 m AGL toward No.1 Spot in front of the control tower.
Upon entering the apron, the helicopter approached with a true bearing of about 330°. The pilot perceived a strong crosswind from the left and described the airflow as unfavorable, with the helicopter experiencing erratic altitude changes, shaking, and rattling. Based on past experience, the pilot attributed this to turbulence generated by wind blowing around the control tower and a nearby parking lot. Deeming it unsafe to continue, the pilot decided to land about 20 m short of the designated Spot.
During the descent, the helicopter remained unstable. When the skids contacted the ground, the pitch attitude pitched downward as if pivoting on the front of the skids, then returned, then pitched downward again more severely, and returned again. The pilot felt two impacts with "boom" sounds, resembling a bounce. The pilot recalled the collective pitch lever (CP) rising, but was unsure whether it was natural or unconscious. After the second impact, the pilot’s left arm was fully extended and the CP nearly slipped from the hand, but after the second "boom," the pilot’s upper body moved forward, allowing a firm grip on the CP.
The helicopter then lifted off with a sharp downward pitch for a third time and began a rapid right rotation. The pilot immediately applied full left rudder pedal and lowered the CP to its lowest position, but the rotation continued. The helicopter landed with a hard impact on the apron about 3 m from the stop bar marking at the Spot, and continued rotating until it stopped. The emergency locator transmitter (ELT) activated upon the hard landing. The Okayama Airport Office received ELT signals at 10:41:15.
The mechanic on board heard the pilot announce the intention to land short. During the descent, the mechanic noted no abnormal engine indications. After touchdown, the mechanic saw through the left window that the left skid had touched down, then the helicopter began shaking. The mechanic remembered tilting forward and returning twice, but little after that. When the sudden rotation began, the mechanic held onto the chair and placed a hand on the door recess. The landscape spun abnormally, then a hard impact occurred. After stopping, the mechanic checked for fire, found engines running, and advised the pilot to shut down. While the pilot performed shutdown, the mechanic photographed the flight report page showing flight time and exceedances.
The accident occurred at about 10:41 JST on March 2, 2023, at the Spot at Okayama Airport.
Surveillance camera video from the west side of the Spot recorded the event. Video analysis showed that after initial touchdown about 20 m short of the Spot, the helicopter exhibited three downward pitching motions. The first occurred about 0.9 seconds after initial touchdown, and the helicopter touched down again about one second later after advancing slightly.
Injuries
One passenger sustained a minor injury.
Damage to the Aircraft
The helicopter was substantially damaged. Specific damage included buckling of the left aft frame (primary structure), fractures on the right and left sides and lower fuselage, buckling of the left side of the forward cross tube, breakage of the tail bumper and left vertical stabilizer, and damage to press coverage equipment (camera and antenna). No abnormalities were found in the engine, main rotor, fenestron, rotor drive system, or control system. Scratch marks from the skids were observed on the apron surface where the helicopter stopped.
Personnel Information
The pilot, aged 50, held a commercial pilot certificate with a type rating for land multi-turbine helicopters (obtained July 13, 2005). The pilot’s competency assessment expiration was February 10, 2024, and the Class 1 aviation medical certificate was valid through November 9, 2023. Total flight time was 2,902 hours and 38 minutes, with 477 hours on the EC 135 type.
Aircraft Information
The helicopter was a Eurocopter EC 135 T2 (serial number 0397, manufactured April 14, 2005). It held airworthiness certificate No. Dai-2022-265, valid until August 1, 2023. Total flight time at the time of the accident was 3,357 hours and 14 minutes. The estimated weight at the time was 2,513 kg, and the center of gravity was within allowable limits.
Meteorological Information
At 11:00 JST, the wind at Okayama Airport was from 300° at 14 kt, with fluctuations between 250° and 360°, and a maximum instantaneous wind speed of 31 kt.
Additional Information
Surveillance camera footage recorded the accident sequence. The video showed the helicopter touching down about 20 m short of the Spot, then lifting off after three pitching motions. The time from initial touchdown to lift-off was measured.