2017 Robinson R44 Raven II accident at Warnemünde

Accident overview and location On 2 June 2017, a Robinson Helicopter Company R44 Raven II was involved in an accident at the Hubschrauber-Sonderlandeplatz Yachthafenresidenz Hohe Düne (HSLP-YHD) in Warnemünde, Germany. The aircraft was operating from the Sonderlandeplatz Stechow-Ferchesar (EDUA) with the pilot and two passengers aboard. The helicopter came to rest on its right side approximately 33 metres north of the marked landing area. ## Sequence of events The pilot had contacted the harbourmaster by telephone before the flight and had been advised that the helicopter could not remain overnight on the marked landing pad and would need to be moved to an open area to the north. During the approach, the helicopter flew at a low, nearly constant altitude with reduced forward speed from the north toward approximately 200 degrees. The harbourmaster, wearing a yellow warning vest, met the approaching aircraft north of the marked landing area. Shortly before landing, at about 17:15 local time, the main rotor struck a lamp post on the eastern edge of the supply quay. The tail assembly, including the tail rotor, was torn away, the tail boom bent to one side, and the helicopter fell to the ground. It came to rest on its side with the engine still running. ## Injuries and damage The three occupants were able to leave the helicopter under their own power. The pilot sustained abrasions, and the harbourmaster sustained a laceration from debris. The helicopter was heavily damaged: the main rotor showed multiple injuries, the tail boom was bent, the tail assembly was torn off, the tail rotor gearbox was broken, the tail rotor blades were sheared off, the tail rotor shaft was broken into several pieces, and the skid landing gear was torn from the fuselage and broken. A lamp post approximately 6 metres high was cut about 1.4 metres below its top. ## Aircraft and operational details The aircraft was a single-engine, four-seat light multi-purpose helicopter built in 2009, with serial number 12845. It was registered in Germany and operated in private ownership. The helicopter was powered by a Lycoming IO-540AE1A5 piston engine and had a two-blade main rotor, skid landing gear, and a tail rotor for torque compensation. Its maximum takeoff mass was 1,134 kg. The pilot held a private pilot licence for helicopters with type rating for the R44, valid until 31 December 2017, and a class 2 medical certificate valid until 24 March 2018. His total experience was about 328 hours with 678 landings. The helicopter had no flight data recorder or cockpit voice recorder, as these were not required. A Garmin aera 795 GPS unit was installed and its data were recovered. ## Meteorological and site conditions About 15 minutes after the accident, weather at Rostock-Laage, approximately 17 nautical miles away, was reported as wind from 060 degrees at 5 knots, visibility more than 9,999 metres, few clouds at 4,400 feet, temperature 21 °C, dew point 10 °C, and QNH 1,018 hPa. The heliport was located on the supply quay of the Hohe Düne marina. At the time of the accident, several people and a vehicle with a boat trailer were present on the western part of the quay, and the cranes had not been swung away from the landing area as required. No radio contact had been established between the pilot and the harbourmaster.