ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 248545
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| Date: | Friday 5 March 2021 |
| Time: | c. 09:50 |
| Type: |  Bell 212 |
| Owner/operator: | Airspan Helicopters Ltd |
| Registration: | C-GNYI |
| MSN: | 30569 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1973 |
| Engine model: | PWC PT6T-3B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Mount Gardner, Bowen Island, BC -
 Canada
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | External load operation |
| Departure airport: | Sechelt Airport (CAP3), BC |
| Cypress Mountain Provincial Park, BC | |
| Investigating agency: | TSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
A Bell 212 operated by Airspan Helicopters Ltd. was travelling from Sechelt Airport (CAP3), BC to Cypress Mountain Provincial Park, located in West Vancouver, BC to support a BC Hydro project with 2 pilots on board. During the flight the aircraft experienced a sudden and dramatic right roll and nose down pitch. Both pilots attempted to regain control. After regaining control, the pilots observed warning lights indicating a hydraulic and an engine failure (Pratt & Whitney PT6T-3B) . A location on nearby Bowen Island was selected for an emergency landing however the aircraft was still difficult to control and the crew was unable to maneuver it to the desired location. During the descent, the aircraft began an uncommanded rotation to the right, leading to a loss of control. The aircraft collided with trees and came to rest on a rocky ridge approximately 270 feet ASL on the NW corner of Bowen Island. Both occupants received minor injuries. The helicopter sustained substancial damage. There was no post impact fire and the ELT functioned as designed.
The helicopter was contracted to BC Hydro to help place some wooden structures for a transmission line replacement project on Hollyburn Mountain.
Finding as to causes and contributing factors:
1. The combination of a low-pressure system, the associated cold front, and the geography of Howe Sound created conditions conducive to severe mechanical turbulence, lee waves, and low-level wind shear along the helicopter’s flight path in the vicinity of Bowen Island.
2. The pilots were aware of the forecasted weather, low-level wind shear, and mechanical turbulence, but decided to continue with the day’s planned flights based on improving weather forecast later in the day, the desire to complete the operational flight, and the observation that other aircraft were operating around the Sechelt Aerodrome.
3. After observing visual cues of strong downdrafts and low-level wind shear when approaching Collingwood Channel, the pilots modified their heading, altitude, and airspeed; however, they continued toward Bowen Island unaware of the severity of the lee effects there.
4. The helicopter entered an area of severe turbulence that led to low-G conditions and a loss of control that included extreme attitudes, that resulted in excessive flapping of the main rotor blades. As a result, the main rotor blades contacted and severed the tail rotor driveshaft, causing a loss of tail rotor thrust and yaw control.
5. The helicopter’s extreme attitude during the initial loss of control likely caused the hydraulic system to malfunction, the No. 2 engine to shut down in flight, and the No. 1 engine to reduce fuel flow (resulting in less power), which subsequently reduced the main rotor speed.
6. As the helicopter slowed for the emergency landing, yaw control was lost due to the absence of tail rotor thrust, and the helicopter collided with terrain.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://globalnews.ca/news/7679626/helicopter-crash-bowen-island/
https://www.bowenislandundercurrent.com/local-news/helicopter-crashes-on-bowen-island-3518840?fbclid=IwAR2C2SLvkKDgAGiHVVHfC9AkK2NjEWnYmnoCuDbr3B1XMwI2FYoxMc_ZYoU
https://globalnews.ca/news/7679626/helicopter-crash-bowen-island/
https://www.bowenislandundercurrent.com/local-news/how-does-one-remove-a-6500-lb-crashed-helicopter-from-bowen-island-video-3546611
TSB
https://www.flickr.com/photos/bcavpics/32481445551 (photo)
http://aerossurance.com/helicopters/b212-windshear-mountain/
Media:
B212 Windshear Encounter: The first loss of control caused the TRDS to be severed by a MR blade strike. Only when slowing for an emergency landing did the crew discover they had lost TR drive. https://t.co/vg81wrM2Qd #helicopter #accident #flightsafety #aviationsafety pic.twitter.com/WbJkYTFo4g
— Aerossurance (@Aerossurance) July 30, 2022
Last Saturday, while deployed at the site of a Bell 212 helicopter accident on Bowen Island, #BC, our investigators examined & photographed the wreckage as part of the field phase of the investigation. https://t.co/xs3xBSZMeS pic.twitter.com/m8ghOJtMDt
— TSB of Canada (@TSBCanada) March 9, 2021
https://www.bowenislandundercurrent.com/local-news/how-does-one-remove-a-6500-lb-crashed-helicopter-from-bowen-island-video-3546611B212 crashes on Bowen Island BC https://t.co/Gb5TLGjIon via @bowundercurrent
— Aerossurance (@Aerossurance) March 6, 2021
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 05-Mar-2021 19:34 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 05-Mar-2021 21:04 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Source, Narrative] |
| 06-Mar-2021 01:43 | RobertMB | Updated [Registration, Cn, Operator, Phase, Source] |
| 06-Mar-2021 08:33 | Aerossurance | Updated [Nature, Narrative] |
| 06-Mar-2021 09:11 | Aerossurance | Updated [Embed code, Narrative] |
| 06-Mar-2021 09:31 | Aerossurance | Updated [Embed code] |
| 06-Mar-2021 18:18 | harro | Updated [[Embed code]] |
| 09-Mar-2021 20:02 | Aerossurance | Updated [Embed code] |
| 16-Mar-2021 20:11 | Aerossurance | Updated [Source, Embed code] |
| 06-Apr-2021 14:42 | harro | Updated [Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 28-Jul-2022 17:21 | harro | Updated [Destination airport, Narrative, Accident report] |
| 05-Aug-2022 11:10 | Aerossurance | Updated [Source, Embed code] |
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