AgustaWestland A109E crash near Al Badayer, Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

The A109 was on a single-pilot private flight from Al Bateen Executive Airport to Fujairah, routing via Ghantoot and Minhad airspace below 1,500 feet. It made an intermediate landing at a heliport at Al Badayer, about 24 nautical miles southeast of Sharjah International, to pick up passengers. The pilot reported the landing was into a headwind and proceeded normally, but on touchdown the helicopter experienced severe rocking oscillations for about six seconds which made control inputs impossible. The vibration caused the main rotor and part of the gearbox to detach, coming to rest some 29 metres from the airframe; one blade separated from the hub and was found 14 metres from the rotor. The pilot was unable to shut down the engines and struggled to hold the controls. The helicopter sustained structural damage and came to rest tilted about 12 degrees right, its right main landing gear damaged and its wheel detached.