2011 Robinson R44 accident at Luzoir

Overview and flight details On Saturday, 9 July 2011, at about 10:30 local time, a privately operated Robinson R44 helicopter, registration OO-HNE, crashed in a grassy field at Luzoir in the Aisne department of France. The pilot, who owned the aircraft, and one passenger were killed, and the helicopter was destroyed. The flight had departed from a private platform at Willebroek, Belgium, at approximately 09:47 local time. The intended destination was Empuriabrava aerodrome in Spain, with the first planned stop at Auxerre aerodrome. After about 42 minutes of flight, the helicopter was over a hilly area with summits between 1,500 ft and 2,000 ft when it struck the ground. ## Weather and witness accounts The pilot had prepared a weather briefing using internet sources, including METAR and TAF reports for Brussels and Reims, and a GAMET forecast for the Brussels flight information region. The forecast indicated a cloud system with isolated cumulonimbus at 1,200 ft and, between 10:00 and 12:00, stratocumulus from scattered to broken at 1,400 ft in the central part of the area. Météo-France confirmed that a weather disturbance had passed through, with drizzle and stratus below 500 ft over Luzoir at the time of the accident. Witnesses reported rain, poor visibility due to mist, and a ceiling of about 50 to 100 m. They heard the helicopter circling over Luzoir and briefly saw it. The helicopter then emerged from the clouds in a steep dive and struck the ground one to two seconds later. ## Investigation findings Lille air traffic control had asked the pilot to display a transponder code, but no radar contact was obtained. In the pilot’s last radio contact a few minutes before the accident, the pilot reported flying at 1,200 ft. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any malfunction that could have contributed to the accident. The pilot had 347 flight hours, including 248 hours on the R44. He held a night flight qualification but was not qualified for instrument flight rules. The autopsy found no abnormalities. ## Conclusion The accident was caused by the continuation of the flight in adverse weather conditions, which led to a loss of visual references. The BEA noted that its study of accidents related to a pilot’s objective of reaching a chosen destination found that the large majority occurred in adverse weather, highlighting issues of training, overconfidence, inadequate decision-making, and flight preparation.