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| Date: | Wednesday 19 April 2023 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Guimbal Cabri G2 |
| Owner/operator: | Starlite Aviation Pty Ltd |
| Registration: | ZS-HKC |
| MSN: | 1094 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2015 |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-360-J2A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Mossel Bay -
 South Africa
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | Mossel Bay Airport (MZY/FAMO) |
| Mossel Bay Airport (MZY/FAMO) | |
| Investigating agency: | CAA S.A. |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The flight instructor stated that during the third autorotation, at 300ft AGL he called 'opening throttle' but there was no response from the engine.The flight instructor then took control from the student. He stated that he kept the flare for as long possible and levelled off before ground contact to prevent a tail strike. The speed at touchdown was approximately 15 knots. The ground was very uneven, and the helicopter touched down hard on the skid gear and bounced and rotated approximately 90° to the right before coming to rest in an upright position. It was during this phase that the main rotor blades severed the tail boom.
Probable Cause
The flight instructor initiated the flare at 40ft AGL and the helicopter touched down hard on its skid gear as there was not enough inertia in the main rotor blades to cushion the landing. The helicopter bounced back into the air and rotated approximately 90° to the right after the tail boom was severed by the main rotor blades.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://bea.aero/en/investigation-reports/notified-events/detail/accident-to-the-guimbal-cabri-g2-registered-zs-hkc-on-19-04-2023-near-mossel-bay/
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 29-Apr-2023 16:57 | harro | Added |
| 16-May-2023 19:16 | harro | Updated |
| 19-Sep-2024 16:05 | ASN | Updated [Narrative, Accident report, ] |
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