What happened
On 4 May 2012, an Agusta A109S Grand, registration G-STGR, was conducting a private flight to a landing site in Helsby, Cheshire. The flight began following refueling at Hawarden Airport, carrying two crew members. The weather at the destination was clear, with winds estimated at 14 knots from 030°.
The landing site consisted of a helipad situated on the roof of a private residence, which was part of an ongoing construction project. During the approach, the pilot initially approached from the south-west. However, because the landing site was only identified late in the approach and trees were noted immediately preceding the site, the second pilot requested a break in the approach to reposition from the opposite direction for a subsequent night landing.
Following this request, the pilot executed a downwind approach from the north-east, establishing a 10 to 15 ft hover over the center of the landing area. While using the edge of a building as a visual reference to maneuver the aircraft into the wind, the tail rotor blades struck a fence located adjacent to the western side of the helipad.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report submitted by the pilot. The crew reported that there were no unusual vibrations or cockpit indications during the maneuver. The pilot noted that while the fence was visible, his primary focus was on maintaining visual contact with the building roof edge while positioning the helicopter. The impact was not identified until after the engines had been shut down.