ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 272725
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| Date: | Wednesday 13 September 2006 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Robinson R22 Beta |
| Owner/operator: | |
| Registration: | ZS-RBZ |
| MSN: | 2003 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: / Occupants: |
| Aircraft damage: | |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Inyala Game Ranch, Ventersdorp district -
 South Africa
|
| Phase: | |
| Nature: | |
| Departure airport: | Inyala Game Ranch, Ventersdorp district |
| Inyala Game Ranch, Ventersdorp district | |
| Investigating agency: | CAA S.A. |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot, accompanied by the owner of a game ranch was engaged in a game counting exercise of antelope when they flew on the lee side of some high ground. According to the pilot, they encountered a sudden severe down draught, which necessitated him to apply maximum power in order for the helicopter to remain airborne. In an attempt to manoeuvre the helicopter to avoid colliding with terrain, he over pitched the rotor system, which resulted in a decay in main rotor RPM, a condition from which the pilot was unable to recover timeously. A hard landing followed on sloping terrain, which caused the helicopter to roll over to the right. Nobody was injured in the accident. According to the pilot questionnaire, the accident occurred at an elevation of 5 200 feet AMSL, which when converted accounts for a density altitude of 8 000 feet. The aircraft weight at the time was 1 295.8 pounds, which was 74.2 pounds (33.6kg) below its maximum certified take-off mass. According to the performance graphs the helicopter would be capable of hovering in ground effect (IGE) at the height it was operating at, but an out of ground effect (OGE) hover would not have been possible. The IGE and OGE graphs, does not take into account the prevailing wind conditions. The pilot stated in his questionnaire that the cause of the accident could be attributed to pilot error. The pilot was the holder of a valid private pilot's license. Also endorsed in his license was Cull Rating. The last Mandatory Periodic Inspection (MPI) that was certified on the helicopter prior to the accident was on 10 August 2006 at 3 611.0 airframe hours. Since the inspection was certified a further 60.4 hours were flown. The aircraft was maintained by Aircraft Maintenance Organisation (AMO) No. 247. The AMO was in possession of a valid AMO Approval at the time with an expiry date of 30 October 2006. Probable Cause The pilot failed to asses the prevailing wind condition accordingly and while flying on the lee side of high ground he suddenly experienced a severe downdraught, which requires immediate intervention. He over-pitched the main rotor blades, which resulted in a decay in main rotor RPM and a hard landing followed, whereupon the helicopter rolled over.
Accident investigation:
 |
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Sources:
S.A. CAA
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 29 July 2002 | ZS-RBZ | 0 | Farm in the Alldays area | |
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
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