What happened
On 16 January 2012, a Robinson R22 Beta, registration G-FIRS, was conducting a private flight from Kemble Airfield to a landing site near Lake Vyrnwy, Powys. The flight involved the pilot and one passenger. During the final stages of the approach to a hotel helipad, the aircraft began to yaw to the right. The pilot was unable to arrest this rotation, and the helicopter completed several full turns. During this period, the pilot noted the activation of the low rotor RPM warning horn. The aircraft subsequently dropped and struck the ground heavily on a sloping area of the landing site. The impact caused the right skid to collapse and the helicopter to roll. While the engine continued to run for several minutes, a fire broke out that largely destroyed the aircraft. Both the pilot and the passenger escaped the wreckage with minor injuries.
The investigation
Investigators examined the wreckage and the flight circumstances. The aircraft had been taken on a self-fly hire basis. Due to a lack of recent flying experience, the pilot had been required to perform three solo circuits at the departure airfield before carrying a passenger, a task he had not completed prior to the flight. The investigation noted that the pilot had not consulted an instructor regarding the removal of dual controls, and the operator's oversight meant the pilot's specific flight intentions were not monitored by instructors that day. Analysis of the crash site showed the helicopter struck the ground with minimal horizontal movement, but the rotation and subsequent impact on the slope led to the structural failure and fire.