Accident Overview
On June 10, 2001, at 1330Z, a Robinson R-22 Beta helicopter, registration ZS-HVX, was involved in a fatal accident on Farm Lillyfontein in the Weenen area of South Africa. The helicopter was being operated under private flight rules. The pilot, aged 42, held a private pilot license that was not valid at the time of the accident. He had a total of 781.2 flying hours, all on the Robinson R-22 type.
Sequence of Events
The pilot, who owned the game farm and worked as a hunter, had a group of six hunters staying on the farm that weekend. The night before the accident, the hunters met the deceased at a nearby lodge. The following morning, the lodge owner requested permission to bring a party, including the deceased, for a game drive; permission was granted on the condition they did not interfere with hunting.
When the party arrived, the deceased saw the helicopter and asked if she could be taken for a flight, mentioning it was her birthday. The pilot told her that if she was still on the farm after hunting, he would take her for a short flight. Later that afternoon, the pilot flew with two other clients. Upon landing, he saw the deceased moving toward the helicopter. She approached the tail rotor from the 5 o'clock position. The pilot asked his passenger to watch out for her. The passenger disembarked and waved at the deceased, as if signaling a warning, then put his hands to his head. At the same moment, the pilot felt a vibration and realized she had walked into the tail rotor.
The pilot shut down the engine and found that the tail rotor had struck the deceased in the face. She continued breathing for approximately 40 minutes before she died.
The pilot had not given the deceased any briefing on how to safely approach the helicopter or to watch for the tail rotor.
Probable Cause
The probable cause was that the deceased failed to maintain a proper lookout while she approached the helicopter from the rear-danger side of the aircraft (3 o'clock to 9 o'clock position) and subsequently collided with the tail rotor, in which she was fatally injured.