Back in Bankstown after a week on the fires. Yes, 'twas I, main problem still is a sore backside from kicking myself.
However, a lesson to be learnt, as all the holes lined up to contribute to an avoidable accident.
Driving home, phone call for a reposition Melbourne to Bankstown ASAP, within the bounds of reason.
Error 1: Continued driving home, packed bag and drove back to work, wasting an hour instead of returning to work & picking up o'night kit whilst flying to Sydney.
Error 2: Weather & last light rushing up, helped re fit the interior of the 117, worked up fair sweat, judgement going.
Error 3: Pushed to get north of the divide with deteriorating weather, instead of dropping in home and overnighting.
Errors 4-5: got to Albury, weather fine for continued NVMC, but waited an hour for crewman to drive to Albury. Should have o'nighted, pushed on (following another BK an hour ahead) because the 30 knot tailwind looked tempting. Anyway, the clocks only changed the night before, so my body clock was saying 9pm instead of 10pm. Right? WRONG!!!
Final errors: arrive Bankstown 2325, and phone calls to previous BK indicated no way of getting out of the airfield, since all exits locked up. No worries, key to Hangar 473, I'll park there. High hover taxi, rh landing light blown after take off from Albury, strange square of something with curling edges on the helipad area. Lets have a look with the nose landing lamp, OK, looks unsafe, pedal turn back out to land near the taxiway.
OK, series of unpleasant thuds from the tail area, definitely no yaw control, bl**dy trees 7 metres from the pad. Dump lever, cyclic steer onto the concrete, heavy landing, shut down, order taxi, go to hotel.
Without doubt, a series of poor calls, any of which could have avoided the accident. 36 years and lots of hours don't make any of us immune from the results of bad judgements. Press-on-itis, tiredness and bad airmanship are all killers, and I'm just grateful that we got on the ground in one piece.
Thank you to those who have taken the trouble to call, and I hope that this episode will help someone, one day, to avoid repeating my mistake.