What happened
On September 2, 2009, a student pilot was conducting training for a private helicopter license. The flight began with a flight instructor accompanying the student from Hamburg airport to Uetersen airfield. After performing initial circuits together, the instructor briefed the student on the specific center-of-gravity considerations required for solo flight in the Robinson R22 Beta. The student then completed five solo circuits, which the instructor described as being performed with high precision and safety.
Following a 30-minute break, the student attempted a second solo session. At approximately 15:25 local time, the student attempted to transition into a hover. During this maneuver, the helicopter became light on the skids and began a slight rotation around the vertical axis to the left before tipping to the right. The student attempted to stabilize the aircraft using the pedals and pulled on the collective pitch. While the left skid lifted, the right skid remained in contact with the ground. Despite corrective inputs using the cyclic and lowering the pitch, the aircraft continued to tilt right and overturned.
The student was able to exit the aircraft independently and was uninjured. The helicopter sustained heavy damage, including bent rotor blades, a broken tail boom, and a severed control rod.
The investigation
The BFU examined the aircraft and the flight sequence at the accident site near the windsock at Uetersen airfield. The investigation noted that the aircraft was not equipped with a Flight Data Recorder or Cockpit Voice Recorder, as these were not required for this type of operation. The investigation also reviewed the pilot's experience, noting the student had approximately 25 hours of flight time, while the instructor was highly experienced with 2,000 total hours.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was a dynamic rollover.
- The aircraft became light on the skids during the transition to hover, creating a pivot point on the right skid.
- The student's attempt to correct the movement by pulling the collective pitch contributed to the rollover effect.
- The aircraft's right skid remained anchored to the ground while the momentum of the fuselage caused it to tip over the longitudinal axis.