ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 209085
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| Date: | Monday 9 April 2018 |
| Time: | 11:15 UTC |
| Type: |  Eurocopter AS 350B3+ |
| Owner/operator: | Mesiglo (Pty) Ltd |
| Registration: | ZS-HHI |
| MSN: | 4442 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 5 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near the railway line at Honey Lotus, Balfour -
 South Africa
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | private helipad near Nigel (Vosterkroon) |
| private helipad near Nigel (Vosterkroon) | |
| Investigating agency: | CAA S.A. |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The Eurocopter AS350B3, registration ZS-HHI, was substantially damaged when it crashed onto a service road next to a railroad line in the Balfour district, South Africa. The pilot reported that he was circling anti-clockwise overhead a farmstead, which was in close proximity to the railroad, at a height of between 50 and 100 ft above ground level (AGL). The pilot reported that he was flying sideways (a manoeuvre referred to as a ‘pedal turn’) at approximately 30 kt when the helicopter began to yaw and spin uncontrollably in an anti-clockwise direction. The pilot was unable to recover from the inadvertent yaw and lost control of the helicopter. He attempted to cushion the landing by applying maximum collective pitch before the helicopter impacted with the ground. There were four passengers on-board, three seated in the back and one seated next to the pilot in the left front seat. The front-seated passenger and the pilot were injured. The passenger was attended to by paramedics on the scene before being admitted to a private hospital in Alberton. This was a private flight conducted under the provisions of Part 91, with visual meteorological conditions (VMC) prevailing. The flight originated from a private helipad near Nigel (Vosterkroon) with the intention to land back at the same helipad.
Probable cause
The pilot executed a non-standard manoeuvre (referred to as a pedal turn) in strong wind conditions, which resulted in a loss of tail rotor effectiveness and subsequent loss of control.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/iFlyafrica/permalink/10155403154833015/
https://heidelbergnigelheraut.co.za/31019/four-survives-helicopter-crash-landing-near-balfour/
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 10-Apr-2018 16:12 | Anon. | Added |
| 10-Apr-2018 16:14 | harro | Updated [Aircraft type, Cn, Total fatalities, Other fatalities, Phase, Nature, Narrative] |
| 10-Apr-2018 22:23 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Total occupants, Location, Source, Embed code] |
| 26-Apr-2019 14:59 | harro | Updated [Time, Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Embed code, Narrative, Accident report, ] |
| 07-Aug-2023 16:23 | harro | Updated [[Time, Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Embed code, Narrative, Accident report, ]] |
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