What happened
On 11 August 2018, a Bölkow BO 208 C Junior was attempting to land at a private airfield located in Othem, Gotland. During the landing sequence, the aircraft experienced a bounce before making contact with the runway on all three wheels. As the aircraft continued its rollout for approximately 200 metres, the nose landing gear detached from the airframe. This failure caused the aircraft to nose over, ultimately resulting in the helicopter resting on its back. The pilot, who was operating the aircraft alone, was able to exit the wreckage without any injuries, though the helicopter suffered substantial damage.
The investigation
Investigators from the Swedish Accident Investigation Authority examined the mechanical state of the nose landing gear following the accident. The inspection revealed that a gas spring component had been improperly replaced with a different spring assembly. This modification resulted in the nose landing gear being entirely devoid of necessary damping capabilities. Furthermore, structural calculations performed during the inquiry determined that the nose landing gear had been subjected to a vertical force of 3.4 G, which constitutes a very hard landing.
Findings
way The investigation established that the accident was the result of a hard landing on an uneven runway occurring in conjunction with the mechanical failure of the landing gear's damping function. The lack of proper shock absorption meant the gear could not withstand the vertical forces encountered during the landing impact.