History of Flight
On 2 November 2007, at approximately 0830Z, a Robinson R22 Beta II (registration ZS-RPY) with a pilot and passenger took off from Hunter's Moon farm near Colesberg for a game-darting flight. The pilot, who was familiar with the area, performed an initial takeoff, darted animals, and landed to allow the passenger to reload. After a second takeoff, the pilot noticed telephone wires roughly 300 m ahead and began climbing to clear them. Suddenly, he saw electrical wires directly across his flight path. He applied power in an attempt to fly over them but was unsuccessful. The helicopter collided with the wires and impacted the ground.
Injuries and Damage
The pilot sustained serious injuries. The passenger was fatally injured. The helicopter was destroyed. Post-mortem examination of the passenger revealed a skull base fracture and diaphragmatic hernia with lung collapse. The pilot was hospitalised with multiple fractures.
Aircraft and Personnel Information
The helicopter was a 2003 Robinson R22 Beta II, serial number 3465, with a Lycoming O-360-J2A engine. It had a total of 1,751.7 airframe hours and was properly maintained per records. The pilot held a valid South African private pilot licence with a cull rating and had 803.2 total flying hours, all on type. No pre-existing defects were reported.
Environmental Conditions
Weather at the time was fine with surface wind 5 kts, temperature 20°C, visibility CAVOK, and no cloud cover. The accident site was at GPS coordinates S30° 25.4' E024° 55.6'.
Wreckage Analysis
The helicopter took off in a northerly direction approximately 100 m from electrical wires and about 400 m from telephone wires. The skids contacted the electrical wires, causing the aircraft to nose over and strike the ground. The main rotor and tail boom separated on impact. The wires were about 5 m above ground and did not break, but the wrap lock tie was torn open. The distance from the main wreckage to the cables was approximately 63 m.
Investigation Findings
The investigation determined that the pilot's attention was focused on the distant telephone wires, leading him to fail to see the closer electrical wires during takeoff. The aircraft was properly maintained and weather was not a factor.
Probable Cause
The helicopter collided with electrical wires spanning its flight path. A contributory factor was the pilot's failure to maintain a proper lookout during takeoff.