ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 273408
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| Date: | Monday 2 April 2001 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Robinson R22 |
| Owner/operator: | |
| Registration: | ZS-HUJ |
| MSN: | 0850 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1989 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Rietvlei (Lydenburg district) -
 South Africa
|
| Phase: | |
| Nature: | |
| Departure airport: | Rietvlei (Lydenburg district) |
| Rietvlei (Lydenburg district) | |
| Investigating agency: | CAA S.A. |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
According to the pilot he flew from Nelspruit to Kudu Ranch (Lydenburg district) in order to assist a friend in locating a wounded Kudu. He refueled the helicopter prior to take-off at Nelspruit. The pilot and his passenger took-off from Kudu Ranch to the neighboring farm (Rietvlei) to search for the wounded Kudu. They then landed at Rietvlei in order to drain some fuel (30 l) from the aircraft as, according to the pilot, it was hot and the altitude was approximately 4200 ft. According to the pilot they had also cut down several shrubs in the clearing, for the take-off, in order to provide 'a run as long as possible before the tree line'?. The pilot then took-off solo and positioned the helicopter at the far end of the clearing on the southern side as the wind was from the north and the ground also sloped down to the north. The pilot and his passenger then did a 'low power'? (limited power) take-off but as they came over the trees he was unable to maintain altitude 'even by milking the collective'?. The main rotor struck the trees and the helicopter impacted the ground. An eyewitness on the ground commented that the wind direction had changed during the take-off. PROBABLE CAUSE: The accident can be attributed to a combination of loss of lift over the trees, over weight (due to the “hot” and “high” condition) and a change in wind direction.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
S.A. CAA
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
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