Loss of control

The pilot reports that he intended to conduct a practice flight to rehearse for an upcoming air display. His intention was to activate the aircraft's display smoke system on the runway threshold and complete a tight turn through 360 degrees, prior to commencing the take-off roll. This would be followed by a steep climb out to position the aircraft for commencement of the airborne display routine. A gusting crosswind was blowing across the runway being used for departure.

The pilot indicates that after turning left through approximately 90 degrees, the aircraft accelerated sideways across the grass and the right main wheel began to skip. The pilot was unable to maintain control of the aircraft and the right wheel appeared to dig into the grass runway surface. The aircraft was observed to nose over, before toppling onto its back. The pilot was not injured. The pilot states that the loss of control was most likely a combination of the gusting crosswind conditions and the right main wheel digging into the soft runway surface.

The pilot reported that he descended to approximately 150 ft AGL as he was approaching Bellburn airstrip, and decided to overfly the windsock. He noted that the wind was an easterly breeze of about 7 knots. The pilot then intended to carry out a left turn, fly a downwind leg, and terminate into wind. He then rolled on about 50 degrees of bank, and shortly afterwards the helicopter began shaking violently. The helicopter then rotated through 180 degrees and adopted a nose down attitude. The pilot said he applied full power and full collective control, but was unable to prevent the helicopter striking the ground.

A witness located near the parking area saw the helicopter bank steeply and then begin to descend. The tail rotor then hit a patio attached to an office building and the main rotor struck a tree just before the helicopter impacted the ground.

The pilot of the aircraft reported that the helicopter was being used to spray a sugarcane crop when he attempted to avoid a bird. As he banked the helicopter to the right, he heard two bangs and decided to land the helicopter in an adjacent fallow paddock. During the attempted landing, the helicopter yawed right, and the right skid dug into the ground, rolling the helicopter onto its right side. The pilot was not injured. Examination revealed that the right spray boom had struck the crop during the attempt to avoid the bird.

A portable ELT was carried in the cabin, but it was not activated by the pilot.