Hughes 269C, VH-SBR, 97 km NNE of Kununurra WA, 12 October 1985

The pilot was requested, by the passenger, to land the helicopter on the mud flats to the north of Kununurra. He decided to make a run on landing as he believed he may have difficulty in hovering the helicopter. As the aircraft approached the touchdown point, the pilot allowed it to yaw into wind, but it contacted the ground still moving sideways. The left skid caught in the dry mud and the helicopter rolled onto its side. The pilot was inexperienced in the operation of helicopters and had experienced difficulty in hovering the aircraft when he departed Kununurra that morning. The approach to land on the mud flat was poorly planned and the pilot misjudged the altitude of the aircraft during the turn into wind.