Robinson R66 crash near Private site, Stowe, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom

The pilot reported that he was landing at a private site that he had visited previously. The weather was CAVOK with wind from 090° at 5 kt. Having approached the site from the south-south-west the pilot landed the helicopter on a relatively flat area above a slope, with the rear of the helicopter’s skids over the edge of the slope. As the helicopter settled it pitched nose-up. The pilot responded by simultaneously raising the collective and pushed forward on the cyclic. This caused the helicopter to lift and roll left. The pilot lowered the collective to avoid colliding with trees surrounding the site. The helicopter subsequently landed firmly, resulting in the front of the skids collapsing and minor distortion to several fuselage panels. The pilot stated that he had misjudged the position of the slope and may have over-reacted to the initial pitch-up. Robinson R66, N166MG 02-17