What happened
On October 23, 2001, at approximately 13:00Z, an AS 350 B3 helicopter, registration ZS-RNL, was performing a commercial operation when it encountered an incident during landing. The aircraft was arriving at a farm near Pries/ka Poort, a location used by the pilot for aircraft cleaning and overnight stays. After receiving prior permission to land on the property, the pilot attempted to position the aircraft away from active sprayers on the farm. During this maneuvering, the trailing edge of the main rotor blades made contact with the branches of a Syringe tree.
The investigation
Following the incident, the aircraft was inspected by Eurocopter technicians. The investigation focused on determining the extent of the damage caused by the contact with the tree. The technical assessment classified the event as a light main rotor blade strike. As a result of the strike, the main rotor head was removed and subjected to a thorough inspection to check for structural or mechanical compromise.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was that the pilot misjudged the aircraft's position while descending into a confined landing area.
- The contact occurred specifically between the trailing edge of the blades and a Syringe tree.
- Post-incident inspections of the rotor head revealed no damage.
- The aircraft was returned to service after new blades were installed, tracked, and balanced.