ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 195365
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| Date: | Saturday 13 May 2017 |
| Time: | 10:15 LT |
| Type: |  Eurocopter AS 350B2 Ecureuil |
| Owner/operator: | Mountain Flyers 80 Ltd |
| Registration: | HB-ZTM |
| MSN: | 3816 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2004 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 6 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Petersgrat -
 Switzerland
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Berne-Belp Airport (BRN/LSZB) |
| Gebirgslandeplatz Petersgrat | |
| Investigating agency: | STSB |
The helicopter took off shortly after 09:50 with five passengers and one pilot on board from Bern-Belp Airport (LSZB).
At 10:13, the helicopter, coming from the north, flew over the snow-covered summit of Petersgrat and turned in a wide left curve towards the Petersgrat mountain landing site.
Due to the mostly covered sun and the low-contrast surfaces, landing conditions were very challenging.
The pilot lowered his sunglasses in front of his eyes several times, immediately lifting them again.
The pilot continued the approach towards the mountain landing site, initially aiming for the spot he had flown several times during mountain training.
Subsequently, he moved in slow hover flight roughly towards the west, away from the rocks in the background of the official mountain landing site.
In this phase, the pilot repeatedly glanced forward to the left, then forward to the right, and then diagonally down to the right. The pilot practically reduced the forward speed to zero and began to descend, swaying strongly about all axes. Snow was stirred up and contact with the snow occurred in an uncontrolled attitude. Due to a lateral movement to the left, the helicopter tilted to the left side.
The rotor blades struck the cabin roof, tearing it away almost completely at the front. The pilot suffered fatal head injuries. The passengers were lightly or not injured and could free themselves from the wreck independently.
Cause:
The accident, in which control over the helicopter's attitude was lost, leading to a tilt to the left side, is attributed to the pilot's decision to attempt a landing in diffuse and low-contrast light conditions over a featureless snow-covered terrain.
Contributing factors to the accident include:
• The pilot's limited experience in mountain flying and with the accident model.
• The circumstances of the flight that led to pressure on the pilot to carry out the flight as promised.
The investigation identified the following factors that did not directly influence the occurrence and progression of the accident but nonetheless posed a safety risk:
• The automatic emergency locator transmitter (ELT) was turned off and, therefore, could not transmit signals.
• Inadequate equipment for the occupants for survival in mountainous terrain.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.jungfrauzeitung.ch/artikel/154500/
https://www.blick.ch/news/schweiz/bern/pilot-tot-mehrere-passagiere-verletzt-helikopter-stuerzt-bei-kandersteg-be-ab-id6673936.html
https://www.lacote.ch/articles/suisse/berne-un-accident-d-helicoptere-fait-un-mort-et-cinq-blesses-au-petersgrat-670646
Location
Images:
Media:
#Helikopterunfall an der Walliser Kantonsgrenze: #Pilot stirbt bei #Landeunfall auf dem #Petersgrat https://t.co/NJvFvaJLuE
— 1815.ch (@1815_online) 14 mai 2017
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 14-May-2017 10:03 | geni | Added |
| 14-May-2017 10:04 | harro | Updated [Aircraft type, Source, Narrative] |
| 14-May-2017 10:30 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Total occupants, Source, Embed code, Narrative, Photo, ] |
| 14-May-2017 12:05 | geni | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Embed code] |
| 14-May-2017 12:05 | harro | Updated [Aircraft type] |
| 15-May-2017 15:31 | harro | Updated [Registration, Cn, Operator, Source] |
| 19-May-2017 05:28 | geni | Updated [Source] |
| 21-May-2017 12:20 | Aerossurance | Updated [Time, Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative] |
| 18-Feb-2019 19:40 | Anon. | Updated [Departure airport] |
| 20-Nov-2023 11:09 | harro | Updated [Other fatalities, Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
| 07-Dec-2023 21:02 | harro | Updated [Other fatalities] |
| 08-Dec-2023 09:58 | harro | Updated [Other fatalities] |
| 08-Dec-2023 10:04 | harro | Updated [Other fatalities, Source] |
| 08-Dec-2023 11:02 | harro | Updated [Other fatalities] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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