Robinson R44 Ii crash near Slaton, TX, United States

After a local flight, the pilot positioned the helicopter onto its platform trailer. The helicopter’s left skid touched down on the metal surface and the pilot then lowered the right skid to the platform. The helicopter started to slip off the platform, so the pilot raised the collective to correct the problem. However, the helicopter fell to the left, the main rotor impacted the ground, and the tail boom was severed. The helicopter came to rest on the skids: the fuel tank was compromised and a post-crash fire consumed a majority of the helicopter.