What happened
On November 29, 2006, a Robinson R44 helicopter, registered F-HCDP, was involved in an accident during a flight to the Château des Sept Tours helisurface in Courcelles-de-Touraine. The pilot had originally intended to perform a reconnaissance flight of the landing area with an instructor, but due to the instructor's unavailability, the pilot proceeded alone after receiving permission from the property owner.
Upon arriving at the location, the pilot was unable to identify the specific landing area and initially considered landing on a nearby clear surface. A person on the ground signaled the correct position of the helisurface, prompting the pilot to land facing east. The landing area, measuring approximately 70 by 50 meters, was bordered by buildings to the north and east, with dense vegetation situated to the south and west.
For the return flight, the pilot attempted a vertical takeoff. During the ascent, the pilot failed to notice that the aircraft was drifting backward. The main rotor struck branches of a large tree overhanging the landing area. This impact caused the helicopter to tilt to the left, leading to a rotor blade striking the ground. The aircraft then spun to the right and slid across the surface before coming to rest near an eastern perimeter fence. The aircraft was destroyed in the accident.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the pilot's maneuvers and the assessment of the landing site. The pilot reported feeling anxious about the vertical takeoff due to the surrounding obstacles. During the climb, the pilot's attention was concentrated on the takeoff gap, and they failed to establish longitudinal or lateral visual references, which resulted in the undetected backward drift. The investigation also noted that the pilot had not performed a prior reconnaissance of the landing area and only realized the difficulty of the environment after the initial landing.