Aviation safety investigations & reports
Weather related event - Robinson Helicopter, R44, VH-HXB, 46 km W of Sydney, on 2 April 2011
AO-2011-047
Summary
On 2 April 2011, a Robinson Helicopter Co R44, registered VH-HXB (HXB), departed Orange, New South Wales on a private flight to a property in Macquarie Fields, 27 km south-west of Sydney Airport.
Approaching 30 NM (55 km) west of Sydney Airport, the pilot noticed the cloud cover increase. He climbed on top of the cloud and lost visual contact with the ground. He inadvertently flew into controlled airspace and was contacted by Air Traffic Control (ATC).
The Controller requested weather reports from other aircraft in the area and directed the helicopter to the north, east and then south of Sydney trying to find a hole in the cloud. About 30 minutes after the initial contact with ATC, the pilot saw a break in the cloud and was able to descend below the cloud base.
The helicopter landed at a private property in Macquarie Fields 10 minutes prior to last light. The pilot was not rated to fly at night.
During the event, two arriving aircraft and ten departing aircraft from Sydney Airport were affected.
General details
| Date: | 02 April 2011 | Investigation status: | Completed | ||
| Time: | 1821 ESuT | ||||
| Location (show map): | Sydney Airport, 46 km | Investigation level: | Short | ||
| State: | New South Wales | Occurrence type: | Weather - Other | ||
| Release date: | 12 September 2011 | Occurrence class: | Environment | ||
| Report status: | Final | Occurrence category: | Incident | ||
| Highest injury level: | None |
Aircraft details
| Aircraft manufacturer | Robinson Helicopter Co | |
|---|---|---|
| Aircraft model | R44 | |
| Aircraft registration | VH-HXB | |
| Serial number | 1368 | |
| Type of operation | General Aviation-Unknown | |
| Sector | Helicopter | |
| Damage to aircraft | Nil | |
| Departure point | Orange, NSW | |
| Destination | Macquarie Fields, NSW |