What happened
On the afternoon of 23 November 2006, a Hughes 269C helicopter, registration ZS-HKS, was engaged in a game capture operation near Farm Easterstead in the Cradock district. The mission involved herding approximately 36 springbok into a boma for relocation to a different game farm. To prevent the animals from overheating, the flight was delayed until the late afternoon when temperatures had dropped.
While maneuvering near the ground to contain the animals, the pilot performed low-altitude maneuvers. During these maneuvers, the tail rotor assembly made contact with the earth. This impact caused the tail rotor guard to detach from the tail boom, and the tail rotor blades struck the ground, resulting in a partial failure of one blade at the root. This sequence of events immediately stripped the aircraft of tail rotor authority.
As the helicopter lost directional control, it began to spin clockwise. The centrifugal forces and mechanical stress caused the tail boom assembly to separate from the main fuselage. The cabin area completed approximately five to six full revolutions before impacting the ground. The aircraft remained upright following the crash. The pilot sustained bruising to the back and lower ribcage but did not suffer any fatalities.