February 5, 2005, Minneapolis, Minn. / Robinson R44

At 1700 Central time, the helicopter collided with terrain following a loss of control while maneuvering and was substantially damaged. The Commercial pilot and two passengers were not injured. The pilot reported he was landing on a cart when the accident occurred. He reported the helicopter touched down, and he was attempting to raise the helicopter to center it on the cart, when a gust of wind caused the helicopter to roll to the right. The right skid contacted the ground and the helicopter came to rest on its right side. The pilot stated the cart is approximately six to eight inches high. He also stated that when the helicopter is centered on the cart there is approximately one foot of clearance between the outside of each skid and the edge of the cart. The local winds reported at the time of the accident were from 160 degrees at 16 knots gusting to 23 knots.