What happened
On August 6, 2008, at approximately 19:00 UT, an Enstrom F28F helicopter, registration OO-VDK, was involved in an accident in a field near Zingem, Oost-Vlaanderen. The pilot, who intended to perform a final short flight before permanently storing the aircraft, departed from a private helipad located on his property. During the flight, which was conducted at a very low altitude of roughly 2 meters and low speed, the pilot attempted to return to the departure point. During this maneuver, the aircraft experienced propulsion difficulties. The helicopter descended rapidly, causing the main rotor to strike the ground and one blade to impact the tail boom. The aircraft came to rest on its right side, resulting in a total loss of the airframe. There were 0 fatalities.
The investigation
Investigators examined the aircraft's maintenance history and the pilot's credentials. The aircraft had not been maintained by a professional repair station since December 2001, and its Certificate of Airworthiness had expired at that time. The engine had also exceeded its 12-year service life limit by six years. Regarding the pilot, the investigation found that while the individual had previously held a student pilot license, it had been expired for ten years, and no medical certification had been updated since 1997. Physical examination of the wreckage revealed that one fuel tank was empty, while the other contained a minimal amount of fuel. The damage to the rotor blades was consistent with a low-speed ground impact.
Findings
Several contributing factors led to the accident, most notably the engine failure occurring during a period of insufficient altitude and airspeed for a safe recovery. The investigation identified the following issues:
- The pilot lacked recent flying experience and had not undergone a medical evaluation in a decade.
- The aircraft was not airworthy, as it had not been maintained according to the required program and several Airworthiness Directives (ADs) regarding rotor shaft failure, oil loss, fuel pump leaks, and loss of control had not been addressed.
- The flight was initiated despite the pilot being aware of a low fuel supply.
- The flight parameters—specifically the low altitude and velocity—left no margin for a safe landing following the loss of propulsion.
Safety action
Following the investigation, a recommendation was made to the BCAA to implement a random inspection program for privately-owned aircraft. This program would focus on verifying logbook accuracy, checking hour-meter readings against records, and ensuring that decommissioned aircraft are properly removed from the registry.