Robinson R22 F-GLSF Accident at Andernos-les-Bains

Incident Overview On 5 November 2015 at 11:55 local time, a privately operated Robinson R22 helicopter, registration F-GLSF, was involved in an accident at the aerodrome of Andernos-les-Bains (33). The flight was a local VFR general aviation operation. The pilot was the sole person on board, and the helicopter sustained heavy damage. ## Flight Sequence The pilot departed Andernos-les-Bains for a local VFR flight. On return, he approached for landing on unrunwayed runway 13. After controlling the helicopter in a hover in ground effect, he performed a 180-degree turn and conducted a rapid translation exercise at approximately five meters altitude. After traveling about 250 to 300 meters, he applied a nose-up attitude to decelerate and stop in a hover. During this phase, he reported hearing a sudden increase in engine power that he could not reduce. He lost control, the helicopter began yawing to the right, then struck the ground with the right skid and rolled onto its left side. ## Pilot and Meteorological Information The pilot was the aircraft owner and held a valid PPL(H) since 2006, with 125 total flight hours, including 45 on type, all on F-GLSF. He also held a valid PPL(A) with 250 hours. METAR data from Cazaux and Bordeaux-Mérignac indicated winds from 160 to 180 degrees at 4 to 6 knots, CAVOK, temperature 18°C, dew point 12°C, and QNH 1020 hPa. ## Investigation Findings The pilot stated he had not completed the R22 safety course and had planned to do so the following month. He was surprised by the sudden power increase and the ineffectiveness of his actions on the throttle and collective pitch. He believed he acted with some confusion and did not sufficiently use the left rudder to counter the yaw. Site and wreckage examination showed initial contact with the right skid heel at the threshold of runway 31, followed by left skid skid marks perpendicular to the runway axis before the helicopter rolled onto its left side. One main rotor blade was heavily damaged and had cut the rear beam near the anti-collision light; the other was slightly damaged but bent. Both tail rotor blades were slightly damaged. No pre-impact malfunction was identified. Examination of the overspeed governor revealed no functional anomaly. ## Probable Cause The accident resulted from loss of control during the stopping phase of a rapid translation at too low an altitude. The combination of low altitude and a tailwind likely increased pilot workload to saturation. It is probable that the observed power increase was the result of an inadvertent pilot action on the power control located on the collective pitch during the nose-up input.