What happened
On February 3, 2010, a Bell 47 G1 helicopter, registration F-GGFN, was conducting a local flight departing from the Saint-Vincent de Barbeyrargues helisurface. The flight, operated by a flying club, included the pilot and one passenger. Approximately ten minutes into the flight, while flying over the village of Cournonsec, the pilot decided to interrupt the flight to land at a private maintenance workshop to greet mechanics.
The pilot initiated a northward approach toward the workshop's private landing area, which is surrounded by hangars. During the final stages of the approach, the pilot experienced yaw instability and attempted to execute a right-hand turn and a go-around. While applying collective pitch to increase altitude, the aircraft failed to clear nearby obstacles. The right skid and the main rotor blades struck the roof of a hangar, causing the helicopter to fall approximately three meters.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the pilot's approach maneuvers and the environmental conditions at the landing site. Investigators established that the pilot had not performed a prior reconnaissance of the landing area, having only visited the site as a passenger in a different helicopter the previous day.
Analysis of the flight dynamics revealed that the pilot failed to notice a windsock located on the workshop hangar. Consequently, the pilot was unaware that the approach was being conducted with a tailwind. During the aborted landing, the aircraft was subjected to an unfavorable wind from the right. The investigation also noted that while the pilot attempted to increase power, they did not sufficiently adjust the throttle lever, leaving the engine without the necessary power to climb above the surrounding structures.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the absence of a prior landing reconnaissance of the site.
- The pilot failed to identify the wind direction via the windsock, leading to an approach with a tailwind.
- The sudden instability during the final approach prompted an interrupted landing maneuver that the aircraft could not safely complete.
- There was insufficient engine power available during the go-around due to inadequate throttle adjustment.
- The aircraft was operating at a weight of approximately 1,040 kg, well within its 1,100 kg maximum takeoff weight.