What happened
On 4 June 2019, a student pilot operating a Robinson R22 Beta II, registration F-HVRA, took off from Nogaro airport for a solo instructional flight. During the flight, the pilot decided to practice approaches over an unlisted, uncultivated field near Caupennes-d’Armagnac.
After performing an initial approach facing into the wind, the pilot maintained a hover at approximately three meters above the ground. To increase the distance from a nearby forest and ensure a safe takeoff clearance, the pilot executed a U-turn to fly southwards. During this maneuver, the helicopter was flying at low speed with a tailwind. Shortly after initiating forward flight, the pilot lost control of the aircraft, leading to a collision with the ground. The impact resulted in one slight injury and the destruction of the helicopter.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the sequence of events leading to the loss of control and the mechanical state of the aircraft. Investigators examined the wreckage and the student pilot's flight history, noting that the pilot had 58 total flight hours, with 19 hours of solo experience.
While the pilot initially hypothesized that a rotor blade might have detached in flight due to a loud engine noise, physical examination of the wreckage refuted this. Investigators found that both main rotor blades had struck the ground, and the detachment of one blade occurred only after impact. The examination of the rotating star and pitch-change rods revealed that the breakage was consistent with the high compression loads caused by the ground impact rather than a mechanical failure in flight. Additionally, meteorological data confirmed that while there were gusts up to 20 knots, there was no evidence of significant turbulence or wind curl-over from the nearby trees that could have caused the accident.
Findings
- The student pilot conducted an unsupervised practice session at an unlisted landing area without consulting an instructor.
- The accident occurred while the helicopter was operating at low airspeed with a tailwind.
- The pilot encountered difficulties maintaining control as the aircraft transitioned out of ground effect during the maneuver.