Does anyone think a large bird strike could be a possibility. Had a near miss in an R22 with a huge
white Swan as I lifted out of a fiends garden once. Don’t think it would have ended well for me or the bird.
R

Fire usually connotes presence of fuel....what else in a small helicopter is there that would produce a serious fire?

Ask the simple questions first before making your own determination of what caused the crash please.

Are all the rotating bits present at where the wreckage is located?

Do the Rotor Blades, main and tail, show rotational damage?

How large is the debris field...small/compact or wide/scattered?

Weather conditions?

Radio Transmissions reporting any problems or malfunctions?

Don't go running off with LTE or VRS without any evidence....that is so amateurish.

I agree Bird Strike is definitely a possibility, especially as the location was near trees along the edge of a field. I had a couple of near miss bird strikes at Manchester Barton in an R44 some years ago and the Instructor had one go through the screen in that same R44 the next day. I think it was a goose.
Also saw the aftermath of one through the windscreen of the Newcastle Helimed on approach to Newcastle Airport.

AAIB
 

Link to the report

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/a...t-20-june-2022