What happened
At about 1730 local time on 3 July 2025, after a repositioning ferry flight to Welcome Station, Queensland, for mustering operations the following day, the pilot and sole occupant of a Robinson R22 Beta helicopter made an approach to land next to a wooden pallet loaded with two 200 L drums of Avgas.[1] The pilot was likely unable to see the position of the left skid in relation to the pallet as they were seated on the right side of the helicopter. They reported that the left skid made contact with the pallet and caused the helicopter to bounce upwards. With no forward movement, the pilot reacted by quickly lowering the collective. They recalled hearing a bang and felt a ‘shimmy’ through the tail rotor pedal controls, which they suspected was the main rotor severing the tail boom.
Figure 1: Helicopter accident site
Source: Operator
The pilot recalled that the helicopter instantly began to rotate in a clockwise direction. The left skid impacted one of the fuel drums on the wooden pallet, and the helicopter rolled and impacted the ground, coming to a stop on its side about 15 m away from the pallet.
ATSB review of images provided by the operator and similar occurrences that involved main rotor blade contact with the tail boom identified that the condition of the tail boom, damage to the tail rotor and vertical stabiliser were consistent with contact with terrain or an object, likely resulting in the tail boom separating from the helicopter. Consistent with the pilot’s recollection, this would result in the helicopter rotating in a clockwise direction.
Figure 2: Occurrence aircraft tail boom
Source: Operator
The pilot extricated themselves from the wreckage and observed that fuel was leaking from the fuel cap. There were no reported injuries, and the pilot was assisted by 3 nearby colleagues to roll the substantially damaged helicopter upright to prevent further fuel spillage.
Safety action
The pilot had accumulated about 9,500 hours flying the R22 helicopter and was familiar with these types of operations.
They reported they would take this opportunity to educate other pilots on the risks posed by objects in close proximity to the helicopter and how quickly an accident can develop when contact is made with a fixed object.
Safety message
This accident highlights the importance of clear visual lookout in respect to obstacles as the helicopter is approaching the ground. This is particularly significant when a pilot is required to land close to refuelling stations where ignition or explosion risks exist.
Pilots should always conduct a thorough reconnaissance of a landing area and, where possible, use ground marshallers to determine any potential hazards, assess the terrain, and identify a safe location to land the helicopter.
About this report
Decisions regarding whether to conduct an investigation, and the scope of an investigation, are based on many factors, including the level of safety benefit likely to be obtained from an investigation. For this occurrence, no investigation has been conducted and the ATSB did not verify the accuracy of the information. A brief description has been written using information supplied in the notification and any follow-up information in order to produce a short summary report, and allow for greater industry awareness of potential safety issues and possible safety actions.
[1] Avgas is an aviation fuel used in aircraft with spark-ignited internal combustion engines.