What happened
On the morning of December 19, 2000, a Bell 206L-4 helicopter, registered as ZS-REG, departed from the President Steyn Goldmine near Welkom. The aircraft was performing an industrial aid mission, with an intended destination of the Rand refineries near Rand Airport.
Roughly five minutes into the flight, the pilot initiated a maneuver to simulate an approach, descending to an altitude of approximately 20 feet to practice hovering. During this phase of flight, the aircraft unexpectedly suffered a loss of tail rotor effectiveness (LTE). This sudden loss of control forced the pilot to execute an emergency landing in an open field. While the aircraft sustained damage during the impact, there were no injuries to the two occupants on board.
The investigation
Following the incident, the aircraft's main rotor blades were removed to facilitate transport. The helicopter was subsequently moved by road to a maintenance facility located at Rand Airport for further assessment. The investigation confirmed that weather conditions at the time of the accident were favorable, characterized by fine weather and a northeast wind of 10 to 15 knots.