History of Flight
The helicopter departed from a farm 2 km north of Mkuze at approximately 0600Z for a game-capturing operation. It conducted three landings and three take-offs before the accident flight. During the final flight, while chasing game into a boma, the helicopter entered a hover and began turning anti-clockwise. As it moved rearward, the tail rotor hooked onto the top wire of a high-tension power line. The helicopter then moved rapidly rearward, turned left through 45°, its nose dropped, and it entered an uncontrollable spin before crashing inverted. The pilot, who was the sole occupant, remained fastened with the seatbelt and was found hanging from his seat. Two witnesses observed the sequence; one heard the engine rev up and saw the helicopter spinning, while the other witnessed the tail rotor contact.
Injuries and Damage
The pilot sustained fatal injuries. The helicopter was substantially damaged on impact, and the high-tension wire was damaged. There was no pre- or post-impact fire.
Personnel Information
The pilot, aged 56, held a valid South African pilot license with a type endorsement for the Robinson R22 and a cull rating. He had accumulated 10,868 total flying hours at his last license renewal on 15 March 2002. His logbook was not located during the investigation.
Aircraft and Weather
The aircraft was a Robinson R22 Beta (serial number 1397, manufactured in 1990) with 2,020.1 total airframe hours at the time of the accident. The engine was a Lycoming 0-320-B2C with 2,020.1 hours since new. The last maintenance inspection was performed on 20 March 2002 at 1,963 hours. Weather conditions at 0900Z, obtained from the Pongola automatic weather station, included wind from 240° at 5 knots, temperature 21°C, visibility more than 10 km, few clouds at 200 feet, and dew point 11°C.
Probable Cause
The tail rotor contacted the high-tension wires, resulting in the helicopter entering an uncontrollable spin prior to crashing into the ground.