History of the Flight
The pilot, an experienced helicopter pilot and instructor holding an Airline Transport Pilot’s Licence, was conducting practice autorotations to the threshold of Runway 22 at Swansea Airport prior to undertaking a Line Proficiency Check. The aircraft was a Robinson R22 Beta, registration G-RICE, powered by a single Lycoming O-320-B2C piston engine.
During the second autorotation of the session, which was carried out into wind, the pilot felt that the helicopter was slightly misaligned with the direction of the wind. At touchdown, the helicopter landed with a slight amount of left drift. As a result, the left skid made contact with the ground fractionally before the right skid.
Damage
The landing with left drift caused slight bending of the lower left hand frame and undercarriage cross tube. The bend in the cross tube was within the acceptable limits defined by the Robertson Helicopter Company. Nevertheless, the operator chose to replace both parts as a precautionary measure.
Pilot Assessment
The pilot assessed the wind as 270°/14 kt, gusting 17 to 18 kt. He believed that the accident occurred because he encountered a gust of wind close to the ground, which precipitated the left drift. The pilot was the sole occupant and reported no injuries.
Aircraft and Pilot Information
The aircraft was manufactured in 1995 and was being used for a private flight. The pilot, aged 51, had accumulated 6,655 total flying hours, including 550 on type, with 104 hours in the last 90 days and 43 hours in the last 28 days.