Accident Summary
On 5 December 2014 at 1325 UTC, a Robinson R44 II Raven, registered G-HECK, was involved in an accident at Leeds Heliport during a private flight. The pilot was the sole occupant and reported no injuries. The helicopter sustained damage to the tail rotor blades, gearbox, drive, and tail surfaces, while the roof of a parked vehicle was also damaged.
Aircraft and Flight Details
The helicopter, manufactured in 2006 (serial number 11416), was powered by a single Lycoming IO-540-AE1A5 piston engine. It was being operated as a private flight with one pilot and no passengers.
Pilot Information
The pilot, aged 45, held a Private Pilot’s Licence. His total flying experience was 131 hours, of which 15 hours were on the Robinson R44 type. In the previous 90 days he had flown 9 hours, and in the last 28 days, 1 hour.
Events Leading to the Accident
After completing pre-flight checks, the pilot started the helicopter, which was parked on an apron facing away from a small hangar. To its left was a small portable building, and immediately to its right was a parked vehicle. As the pilot raised the collective lever to initiate lift to the hover, he felt unusual and severe vibrations that appeared to originate from the main rotor. He immediately lowered the collective to land, but the helicopter yawed to the left. The tail boom struck the parked vehicle, resulting in damage to both the helicopter and the vehicle.
Investigation
The helicopter operator reported that an engineering investigation did not reveal any abnormality in the main rotor or its control system that could have accounted for the vibrations described by the pilot. The information for this report was provided by the pilot via an Aircraft Accident Report Form and by the helicopter operator’s engineering report.