What happened
On September 1, 2002, at approximately 17:30, a Bell 47G4A helicopter, registration F-GFZU, was conducting a demonstration flight near Saint-Maur, France. The flight was part of an aerial event, carrying a pilot and two passengers: one adult and one small child. During the flight, the pilot attempted to simulate an engine failure by performing a descent at reduced power.
As the aircraft reached an altitude of approximately four to five meters while attempting to recover from the descent, the pilot found the collective pitch control lever became immobilized. The child, seated in the center of the cabin with legs straddling the control, had shifted in the seat and placed a foot against the lever. Unable to clear the obstruction in time to avoid the ground, the pilot applied cyclic control to cushion the impact. The collision resulted in the destruction of the aircraft and two injuries (the pilot and one passenger), while both passengers were ejected from the cabin upon impact.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the sequence of events leading to the loss of control and the configuration of the cabin during the flight. Investigators examined the seating arrangement and the physical constraints of the aircraft's interior. It was determined that the aircraft was only equipped with a single lap belt intended to secure both passengers. The investigation also looked into the preparation of the flight, noting that the demonstration maneuver was improvised and the cabin preparation was insufficient for the specific passenger configuration.