Swiss Helicopter Hard Landing During Autogyration Exercise (HB-XYL)

Incident Overview On 7 October 2014 at 10:05 local time, a Schweizer HU 269 C helicopter with registration HB-XYL was involved in a hard landing at Les Ecasseys in the canton of Fribourg, Switzerland. The aircraft was operated and owned by Swiss Helicopter AG, based in Chur. The flight was a visual flight rules (VFR) examination flight for the renewal of a type qualification. ## Flight Details The helicopter was carrying two people: a pilot and an examiner. The pilot was a Swiss citizen born in 1966, holding a private pilot licence (helicopter) with a total of 242:46 flight hours, including 147:23 hours on the type. The examiner was a Swiss citizen born in 1956, holding a commercial pilot licence (helicopter) with a total of 14,158 flight hours, including 1,400 hours on the type. ## Sequence of Events During the examination flight, the examiner requested an autogyration exercise. The initial landing site was deemed inadequate, so the exercise was interrupted and the helicopter climbed to 5,000 ft AMSL for a second autogyration exercise with a go-around. During the second exercise, the helicopter approached the final phase of the autogyration at 50 kt, with rotor speed in the middle of the green sector and an estimated headwind of 5 to 7 kt. The selected landing site had a sloping surface. The examiner took control to align the helicopter with the slope, performed a flare, and then executed a go-around. The helicopter then struck the ground hard and lifted off again. After a short hover, the examiner landed the helicopter on a suitable nearby site. ## Damage and Injuries The helicopter sustained damage to the landing gear and airframe. There were also traces in the grass. Both occupants were uninjured or lightly injured. No other persons were injured. ## Investigation Status This report is a summary report issued for informational purposes only and was not the result of a formal investigation. It is based on available statements. The report was issued by the Swiss Accident Investigation Board (SESA) on 10 December 2014.