Accident Details
On 26 June 2010, at approximately 1650 hours UTC, a Robinson R44 Astro helicopter, registration G-PIDG, was involved in an accident at the Devonshire Arms Country House Hotel, Skipton, North Yorkshire. The helicopter, manufactured in 1999, was powered by a single Lycoming O-540-F1B5 piston engine. The flight was private, with one pilot and one passenger on board. Both occupants sustained no injuries, and there was no fire. The helicopter suffered extensive damage.
Sequence of Events
The pilot was following an associate in another helicopter to a private landing site with two helipads. Weather conditions were fine with light winds. The other helicopter landed on the larger helipad, but the pilot of G-PIDG felt uneasy about members of the public near the smaller helipad and decided to land in an adjacent field. As he approached his intended landing point, the low rotor rpm warning activated, and the helicopter landed heavily. The pilot then applied collective pitch to lift into a hover, but the helicopter rolled onto its right side; it is possible that one skid had dug into the ground during the landing. The occupants vacated the helicopter without injury.
Pilot Information
The commander, aged 46, held a Private Pilot's Licence (Helicopters) and had a total flying experience of 253 hours, of which 89 were on type. In the last 90 days, he had flown 27 hours, and in the last 28 days, 10 hours. He reported that he had not visited the landing site before and felt somewhat unprepared during his approach. He added that he had gripped the throttle too tightly prior to touchdown and had probably overridden the engine governor, causing the reduction in rotor rpm. He stated his intention to undertake further dual training with his instructor before flying solo again.
Additional Information
The accident was reported to the AAIB through an Aircraft Accident Report Form submitted by the pilot, followed by subsequent AAIB enquiries. No further official causal analysis was provided beyond the pilot's account.