ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 272758
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Sunday 14 December 2008 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Robinson R44 Raven II |
| Owner/operator: | |
| Registration: | ZS-RYR |
| MSN: | 10218 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2003 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Top of Langabalele pass -
 South Africa
|
| Phase: | |
| Nature: | |
| Departure airport: | Cleopatra Lodge, KwaZulu-Natal |
| Cleopatra Lodge, KwaZulu-Natal | |
| Investigating agency: | CAA S.A. |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot stated that he took off with three passengers on board from Cleopatra Mountain Lodge, then joined the escarpment at Giant's Castle and proceeded flying in a northerly direction. He turned into Langabalele Pass at 9 500ft AMSL at an Indicated Air Speed (IAS) of 70kt. At this stage, the wind was from the north at approximately 15kt and he believed there was sufficient reserve power available to exit the pass. He was about to turn out of the pass to fly in a northerly direction when he experienced a very strong downdraft. His initial reaction was to turn and exit the pass but the rate of sink was too high to turn the helicopter within the height available. The pass incline was quite shallow and there was a danger of not being able to clear the ground in a descending turn. He therefore decided to fly the helicopter straight in at the top of the pass. The aircraft skidded onto the ground on top of the pass in a level attitude at approximately 20kt, but due to the 25° down-slope, the left skid made contact with the ground first and separated from the fuselage structure. As a result of the hard landing, the main rotor blades struck and severed the tail boom and tail rotor assembly. The helicopter came to rest approximately 3 metres beyond the initial impact point. The pilot and two passengers suffered no injuries. The third passenger sustained bruises to her knees. Probable Cause When the helicopter was flown at a density altitude of approximately 12 800ft near the top of the mountain, it encountered a downdraught, was unable to maintain height and collided with the ground.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
S.A. CAA
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 19 April 2008 | ZS-RYR | Dragon Peaks Park (Pty) Ltd | 0 | Dragon Peaks Park, Central Drakensberg, Kwazulu-Natal | |
sub |
| Heavy landing | ||||||
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation