What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) The pilot privacy data omitted was drying cherries near Brewster, WA and his right foot slipped off the right anti torque pedal resulting in a loss of control of the helicopter. The process of drying cherries requires slow flight just above the tops of the trees. The pilot privacy data omitted has two prosthetic legs. He lost the right one below the knee and the left one above the knee. He has a demonstrated waiver which was performed in an airplane. Before he could get his right foot back on the pedal the right skid hooked a cherry tree and the helicopter tipped on its right side, the rotor blades struck the ground, the transmission, mast and rotor assembly left the helicopter and it crashed on its right side between rows of trees. The tail boom severed from the ship also.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DAT^ WAS DRYING CHERRIES NEAR BREWSTER, WA AND HIS RIGHT FOOT SLIPPED OFF THE RIGHT ANTI TORQUE PEDAL RESULTING IN A LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE HELICOPTER. THE PROCESS OF DRYING CHERRIES REQUIRES SLOW FLIGHT JUST ABOVE THE TOPS OF THE TREES. THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DAT^ HAS TWO PROSTHETIC LEGS. HE LOST THE RIGHT ONE BELOW THE KNEE AND THE LEFT ONE ABOVE THE KNEE. HE HAS A DEMONSTRATED WAIVER WHICH WAS PERFORMED IN AN AIRPLANE. BEFORE HE COULD GET HIS RIGHT FOOT BACK ON THE PEDAL THE RIGHT SKID HOOKED A CHERRY TREE AND THE HELICOPTER TIPPED ON ITS RIGHT SIDE, THE ROTOR BLADES STRUCK THE GROUND, THE TRANSMISSION, MAST AND ROTOR ASSEMBLY LEFT THE HELICOPTER AND IT CRASHED ON ITS RIGHT SIDE BETWEEN ROWS OF TREES. THE TAIL BOOM SEVERED FROM THE SHIP ALSO.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.