Accident
On 20 April 2018 at 1500 UTC, a Robinson R22 Beta helicopter, registration G-JKAT, sustained airframe buckling during a hard landing at Shobdon Aerodrome in Herefordshire. The aircraft was manufactured in 1986 and equipped with one Lycoming O-320-B2C piston engine. The sole occupant, the pilot, was not injured.
Pilot Information
The pilot was a 50-year-old student with a total of 59 hours of flying experience, all on the Robinson R22. His recent flying included 11 hours in the last 90 days and 11 hours in the last 28 days.
Sequence of Events
The pilot was conducting the first leg of a qualifying cross-country flight. He was cleared for an approach to Runway 26 and directed to land on the grass strip to the north. On final approach, he selected a landing spot directly ahead, approximately one-third of the way along the grass runway.
As he established a high hover at an estimated height of 7 to 10 ft, he felt a slight judder. He assessed that he was not decelerating to a full hover and became concerned about possibly entering vortex ring effect. Believing he was too low to lower the nose and translate forward, he remained level and applied more power in an attempt to hover. However, the helicopter descended and yawed through 90°, contacting the ground heavily.
Additional Information
The pilot reported that the active runway was changed to Runway 08 approximately 20 to 30 minutes after the event. He noted that a light tailwind may have been present during the landing attempt. The Aerodrome Flight Information Service Officer (AFISO) who observed the arrival stated that the hover appeared to occur at a greater height than the pilot perceived.