WPR18WA054

Factual narrative

On December 21, 2017, about 1105 Coordinated Universal time, a Bell UH-1H helicopter, ZS-HLI, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain shortly after liftoff from Bredasdorp fire station, Western Cape Province, South Africa. The helicopter was operated by FFA Assets under the pertinent civil regulations of the government of Africa. The pilot sustained minor injuries, and the ground assistant was seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the intended demonstration flight. According to a communication by a representative of the South African Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), "the aircraft got airborne from LZ to reposition as bambi bucket strop was under skid. At very low hover the aircraft began to hop…the pilot decided to take power and fly away to correct but it worsened the oscillation and he lost control and the aircraft yawed and impacted a wall and the ground." The investigation is under the jurisdiction of the Government of Africa. This report is for information purposes only and contains only information released by the Government of Africa. Further information pertaining to this accident may be obtained from: South Africa Civil Aviation Authority Accident & Incident Investigation Division Southern Region Office P.O. Box 174 Cape Town International Airport Tel: +27 21 934 4744 Fax: +27 21 934 1326 Email: [email protected] Web Site: www.caa.co.za Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12