Accident
On 26 August 2017, at approximately 14:50 UTC, a Robinson R44 Raven I helicopter, registration OK-SCI, experienced an incident during a recreational flight near the village of Vnorovy in the Czech Republic. The pilot was conducting the 14th in a series of short sightseeing flights for guests of a family celebration. Shortly after takeoff, while transitioning to horizontal flight, the pilot noticed the rotor and engine RPM indicators were at the upper red line. He immediately decided to perform a precautionary landing on a field ahead. The landing was slightly extended with a short skid. After landing, the pilot checked the instruments, verified the helicopter's functionality in a hover, and returned to the departure point. Upon exiting, bystanders informed the pilot of damage to the tail boom.
Aircraft
The helicopter was a Robinson R44 Raven I, light single-engine four-seat helicopter with a fixed skid landing gear, powered by a Lycoming O-540-F1B5 piston engine. It was manufactured in 2006 and had a total airframe time of 1706 hours 12 minutes. The last 100-hour inspection was completed on 21 July 2017. At the time of the incident, the fuel tanks contained approximately 55 liters of AVGAS 100 LL (31% of total capacity).
Pilot
The pilot, a 42-year-old male, held a valid Private Pilot License (Helicopter) with a type rating for the R44 and a valid Class 2 medical certificate. He had accumulated 415 hours 31 minutes on the R44 type, with 43 hours 12 minutes in the preceding year. The critical flight was approximately 6 minutes long.
Damage
The helicopter sustained serious damage. The tail boom tube was cut through in the upper half by a main rotor blade. Both main rotor blades were damaged at the tip area, and the tail strut tube below the lower vertical stabilizer was abraded. No other damage was reported. The pilot and passenger were uninjured.
Investigation
The accident was investigated by the Czech Accident Investigation Institute (ÚZPLN). The factual information includes the sequence of events, aircraft and pilot details, and damage description. The probable cause is not specified in the available excerpt of the report.