ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 242816
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| Date: | Saturday 11 August 2012 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Eurocopter AS 350B3 Ecureuil |
| Owner/operator: | TAF Helicopters |
| Registration: | EC-KTU |
| MSN: | 4520 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2008 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Guils de Cerdanya (Girona) -
 Spain
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Fire fighting |
| Departure airport: | |
| Investigating agency: | CIAIAC |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities |
The helicopter with registration EC-KTU was taking part in fighting a forest fire that was burning bushes, dry grass and a few scattered trees on the west face of the Pregón Ravine, located some 2 km southwest of the town of Guils de Cerdanya (Lleida).
The helicopter was equipped with a firefighting system that consisted of a belly tank for transporting water and a hose with a suction pump hanging down from the side of the tank. Part of the hose and the pump were hanging 3.25 m below the right skid.
The helicopter took part in two firefighting flights, the first lasting one hour and fifteen minutes, during which the crew took on water 17 times and made an equal number of drops. Forty minutes after landing, the crew resumed operations, taking off at 16:55 to continue assisting with the firefighting efforts.
One hour and forty-eight minutes into this final flight, while making pass number 23 to drop water on the fire, the crew heard a noise that sounded like an impact, followed by a slight destabilization of the aircraft and growing vibrations. The pilot was able to continue flying for about thirty seconds before making a power-on landing nearby.
Once on the ground, the crewmembers, who were uninjured, noticed that the hose for the suction pump on the firefighting system was resting on the engine exhaust nozzle. The suction pump was broken and there was damage to the helicopter frame and to the main rotor blades.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
CIAIAC Ref. A-032/2012
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Sep-2020 07:58 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
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