Incident Overview
On December 7, 2014, around 12:00 local time, a Robinson R22 helicopter registered as F-HAEM was involved in an accident at the Toussus-le-Noble aerodrome in France. The aircraft was operating under general aviation rules for a solo training flight. The pilot was the sole person on board. The incident resulted in damage to the helicopter, specifically confirmed by the downward deflection of the tail boom after the event.
Flight Sequence and Pilot Actions
The flight was part of a private pilot license course for helicopters. Following a dual instruction flight involving two expanded circuits, the instructor departed, leaving the student pilot to perform an identical solo takeoff. After completing pre-flight checks and radio communications, the pilot increased the collective pitch to establish a hover.
During the transition to a stable hover, the helicopter began to exhibit increasing deviations in amplitude. The aircraft subsequently made a hard landing in the grass to the left of the initial takeoff axis, at a 90-degree angle. The instructor later retrieved the aircraft and parked it without further difficulty. Upon inspection, the tail boom's position confirmed the severity of the impact.
Contributing Factors and Analysis
The pilot reported that while maintaining visual reference on a distant point, as taught, they felt the helicopter becoming unstable. This triggered a reflex to look at the cyclic control stick rather than maintaining external visual focus. The pilot described feeling significant resistance in the controls, leading to tension and an inability to correct the aircraft's movement effectively.
The investigation noted that the helicopter's weight and center of gravity were within manufacturer limits, although the pilot perceived a difference from previous dual flights due to the instructor's absence. Additionally, the pilot had experienced similar control resistance during a previous solo flight one and a half months earlier. Despite corrective training sessions focused on low-altitude maneuvers, this prior experience likely contributed to the pilot's apprehension and inadequate reaction during the accident.
Conclusion
The loss of control was attributed to the pilot's inadequate reflex to look at the flight controls while correcting for instability. The BEA emphasized that improving the training of visual scanning techniques would be beneficial for preventing similar incidents.