What happened
On April 5, 2014, at approximately 17:54 UTC, an Enstrom 280FX helicopter crashed into a forested area near Kogl, in the municipality of Kirchham, Upper Austria. The flight originated from Gmunden Airfield (LOLU) with the intention of transporting two passengers to a landing site at Pogusch in Styria.
Following the initial leg of the flight, the pilot flew to Lanzen Turnau to refuel the aircraft. After picking up the passengers for the return journey, the pilot departed Pogusch between 16:00 and 16:40 UTC. The pilot had previously indicated to a witness that the return trip to Gmunden would take approximately 20 minutes longer than the outbound flight due to strong headwinds and the necessity of deviating from the direct route to avoid adverse weather conditions. During this return leg, the helicopter struck the terrain, resulting in one fatality (the pilot) and two serious injuries (the passengers).
The investigation
The Austrian Federal Safety Investigation Board (SUB) conducted an investigation to reconstruct the sequence of events and examine the technical and environmental factors involved. The investigation included a detailed analysis of the aircraft's maintenance history, fuel levels, and weight and balance. Investigators also examined the meteorological conditions at the time of the accident and reviewed the pilot's flight planning and decision-making processes. Technical examinations of the wreckage, including the flight controls and the tail rotor assembly, were performed to identify any mechanical failures.