ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 308017
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| Date: | Friday 17 June 2022 |
| Time: | c. 10:30 |
| Type: |  Robinson R22 |
| Owner/operator: | |
| Registration: | |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | 200km SW of Winton, QLD -
 Australia
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Agricultural |
| Departure airport: | |
| Investigating agency: | ATSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities |
On 17 June 2022, at about 1030 local time, a Robinson Helicopter Company R22 was being used in agricultural mustering operations on a private property south-west of Winton, Queensland.
The helicopter was being used to move cattle out of a river and towards the larger herd with assistance from station staff on motorbikes. As the cattle moved out of the trees and across a clearing, the pilot of the helicopter remained in the hover above the trees and noticed that a second motorbike had joined the first. Both bikes were observed to be stationary along the tree line. It was reported that the pilot of a second helicopter involved in the muster instructed the rider of one of the bikes to follow these cattle back to the herd.
The cattle were moving in a northerly direction when they suddenly turned right. The pilot moved to cut them off, positioning the helicopter in front of cattle about 3 ft above the ground. This put the cattle out the left side of the helicopter on the opposite side of the cabin to where the pilot was seated. While manoeuvring in the hover and remaining focussed on the cattle, the pilot reported hearing a loud bang and feeling large vibrations. The helicopter began to spin, and the pilot immediately suspected a tail-rotor failure. After approximately 3 spins, the pilot was able to regain partial control, reduce the rate of rotation and conducted a controlled crash. After exiting the helicopter, the pilot reported seeing a motorbike on its side and a helmet on the ground nearby.
The helicopter was destroyed in the crash landing, but the pilot was uninjured. The rider of the motorbike sustained serious injuries and was taken to hospital before being released. Their helmet was found to have been split by the impact with the tail rotor.
Sources:
https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/occurrence-briefs/2022/aviation/collision-terrain-involving-robinson-r22-200-km-south-west-winton-queensland-17-june-2022
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