ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 236625
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| Date: | Sunday 31 May 2020 |
| Time: | 17:15 LT |
| Type: |  Eurocopter AS 350B3 Ecureuil |
| Owner/operator: | Helibravo |
| Registration: | D-HAUO |
| MSN: | 3342 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Góis -
 Portugal
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Fire fighting |
| Departure airport: | Lousã |
| Lousã | |
| Investigating agency: | GPIAAF |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On May 31, 2020, a pilot accompanied by an instructor pilot, began the pre-flight procedures for a training session with an AS350B3 helicopter for the forest fire fighting season that would begin the following day.
The training session included the accomplishment of several water collections and releases in the assigned mountain training area, that was already known by the instructor pilot, used in two similar training sessions on the same day.
During the fifth scooping cycle, the instructor pilot decided to take over the controls and demonstrate to the pilot the water scooping and take-off procedure aiming to make some corrections on the performed routines.
With the Bambi Bucket filled with water, while starting the transition flight (from hover), the helicopter initiated a leftward rotation and the instructor pilot tried unsuccessfully to counteract immediately applying RH pedal to maintain the heading. The instructor pilot mentioned that he needed to apply unusual force on the controls and there was no appropriate response from the helicopter.
After having made a circular descent of approximately 360º, the bucket dragged through the vegetation, forcing the helicopter into a deeper nose down attitude and crashed. The pilot sitting on the right with access to the Bambi Bucket opening and emergency release controls, didn’t make use of any of those systems, having the bucket hit the ground still filled with water.
The following factors may have contributed to the event:
− Inadvertent activation of the hydraulics “HYD” cut-off switch at very low speed,
− The incorrect aircraft wiring configuration related to the accomplishment and the lack of post application checks of SB 29.00.07 that allowed to energize the tail rotor load compensator solenoid, losing all hydraulic assistance with the “HYD” switch activation,
− Incorrect aircraft preload of three in four hydraulic accumulators.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.time24.news/2020/06/firefighting-helicopter-crashes-in-gois.html
https://expresso.pt/sociedade/2020-05-31-Helicoptero-cai-em-Gois.-Acidente-faz-um-ferido-leve
https://www.bea.aero/les-enquetes/evenements-notifies/detail/event/collision-avec-le-sol-lors-dun-exercice-de-lutte-anti-incendie-1/
http://aerossurance.com/helicopters/as350-hydraulics-miswiring/
Location
Images:
Figure: GPIAAF
Media:
Investigators uncovered a latent maintenance error that had inexplicably remained undetected for 16 years, despite numerous opportunities to detect it. https://t.co/tA9raWG7GF #helicopter #accident #flightsafety #aviationsafety #airworthiness #aviationmaintenance #humanfactors pic.twitter.com/hwDy71kWRq
— Aerossurance (@Aerossurance) December 27, 2020
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 01-Jun-2020 19:38 | Mark | Added |
| 01-Jun-2020 19:41 | harro | Updated [Aircraft type, Total fatalities, Other fatalities, Source, Narrative] |
| 05-Jun-2020 08:18 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Total occupants, Location, Phase, Source, Narrative] |
| 27-Dec-2020 11:10 | Aerossurance | Updated [Phase, Source, Embed code, Accident report] |
| 02-Mar-2021 20:11 | harro | Updated [Embed code] |
| 07-May-2021 18:02 | rudy | Updated [Category] |
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