ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 242912
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| Date: | Saturday 17 June 2017 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Eurocopter AS 350B3 |
| Owner/operator: | Sky Helicópteros, lsf H2i |
| Registration: | F-HETH |
| MSN: | 7108 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Garrovillas (Cáceres) -
 Spain
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Fire fighting |
| Departure airport: | |
| Investigating agency: | CIAIAC |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On Saturday, 17 June 2017, a Eurocopter AS350 B3+, registration F-HETH, took off from the helicopter base of Hoyos, in Cáceres, at approximately 20:30 to take part in fighting a fire in the town of Garrovillas de Alconétar (Cáceres), 30 miles south of the helicopter base.
Earlier, the Regional Operations Center for the Infoex Plan in Cáceres had contacted the pilot, who was on a rest period after having taken part in fighting another fire. After finishing his rest period, he was mobilized to participate in the efforts to combat the new fire.
While flying to the fire in Garrovillas de Alconétar, the pilot’s area of operations was changed several times, as a result of which he calculated that he would only have time to make two water drops by the time he reached the area of activity, which he reported.
Once in the area of operations, he dropped off the firefighting squad at 21:25 and flew to a nearby reservoir to pick up water. After making an initial drop without problems, he returned to the reservoir to pick up more water, but while doing so, the pilot suddenly saw power lines in front of him. He made an evasive maneuver in an unsuccessful effort to avoid striking the power lines. The impact took place at around 21:29.
After hitting the power line, the pilot made an emergency landing to check the damage to the helicopter.
Unsure of the potential damage that may have been caused to the helicopter, it was decided not to board the firefighting squad, which returned to the base on a land vehicle.
The next day, following a check by the company’s mechanic, the helicopter was flown from the accident site to the Serradilla helicopter base, which was the closest one, for a more thorough check.
Later, on 20 June, after having operated normally since the day of the accident, the company’s mechanic saw some marks on one blade (the blue blade) that seemed to have been caused by the impact with the lines. These impact marks had not been detected earlier. The maintenance mechanic concluded that the blade had to be replaced, and the helicopter was grounded.
The pilot was not injured, but the aircraft sustained heavy damage.
The investigation has concluded that this accident was caused by the execution of a water loading maneuver in an area that had not been previously reconnoitered.
The following are deemed to have contributed to this accident:
1. The low visibility at the accident site.
2. The failure to reconnoiter the water loading area.
3. The absence of lights on the power lines in the reservoir, which was likely to be used in water loading operation
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
CIAIAC Ref. A-011/2017
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Sep-2020 08:39 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
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