ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 275138
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| Date: | Friday 4 February 2022 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Airbus Helicopters H135 T3 |
| Owner/operator: | Heeresflieger |
| Registration: | D-HABS |
| MSN: | 1275 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Heidehöfe -
 Germany
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Faßberg |
| Investigating agency: | BFU |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On the event day, two military pilots were to perform a flight with a civilian-registered EC135 T3 helicopter as part of their advanced pilot training. Helicopter-specific basic procedures, cross-country flight and navigation along the regimental "Low Level Route East" (LLR East) and in the "Heidehöfe" and "Kohlenbissen" training areas were to be practiced. According to the flight order, the pilot in command sat in the cockpit on the left during this flight.
The helicopter took off at about 08:36 and left the control zone of the military airfield Faßberg in the north. From here on, the helicopter flew along LLR-East. At about 10:15 a.m., the helicopter reached the "Heidehöfe" training area, which is located in the restricted area Munster North (ED-R 32B).
According to the pilots' statements, the cockpit voice recorder recordings, the flight data recorder data and the cockpit camera recording, they planned to perform an approach here followed by a landing on sloping ground (slope landing). In the "Heidehöfe" training area, in a field adjacent to the planned landing site, an NH90 military helicopter was operating at the same time. The pilots had both radio and visual contact with this helicopter. The pilot in command, seated on the left, was in command at this time.
After a full circle to the left, the pilot in command reduced forward speed for the approach. The approach was initiated approximately heading 270° from an altitude of approximately 190 ft AGL at a speed of 40 kt. The right-seated pilot-monitoring had previously addressed the passing of Vtoss and performed the pre-landing check. The helicopter's autopilot was in what was called "basic mode." On approach, Pilot-Monitoring noted, "coming in a little high, ne." Starting at an altitude of approximately 100 ft AGL, the pilot in command reportedly planned to descend vertically, without forward speed, to the targeted landing point.
Without forward speed, with the fuselage nose lifted about 10° and FLI2 power of about 6.5, the helicopter first yawed a few degrees to the left and then suddenly accelerated to the right. In the initial rotation around the vertical axis, the fuselage nose lowered to about -20° within about 90° of right rotation. At the same time, the engine power was increased to FLI 10.3. The pilot in command reduced and increased the power and tried to control the attitude in space. Within about 12 s, the helicopter completed about 5.5 rotations around the vertical axis. At approximately 10:20, the helicopter struck the grassy area at an angle to the left. During the turns, the pilot in command sent an emergency call to Faßberg-Tower.
During the impact, both pilots were seriously injured and the helicopter was severely damaged. Both pilots were able to leave the wreckage on their own.
The crew of the NH90 operating nearby heard the bar tone of the activated emergency radio transmitter of the crashed helicopter. They flew in the direction of the suspected accident site and recovered the two pilots.
Conclusions
The flight accident, the impact of the helicopter on the ground during the uncontrolled rotation around the vertical axis, occurred as a result of an approach error with loss of control in hover flight outside the ground effect.
The cause was an insufficient corrective pedal input at the beginning of the onset of the right turn with a simultaneous erroneous reaction by means of power increase.
Contributing factors were:
- Training and experience deficits about the control of the helicopter around the vertical axis and emergency procedures concerning uncontrolled turning.
- Overlapping of manual and automatic control inputs with respect to the vertical axis of the helicopter
- Unclear feedback for the pilot about the necessary counter-torque control of the helicopter due to different and partly overlapping design solutions
- Increased control effort during the transition from forward to hover flight
- Variable crosswind from the left, which forced increased control effort around the vertical axis
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.tag24.de/nachrichten/politik/deutschland/militaer-und-verteidigung/unfall-von-bundeswehr-hubschrauber-bei-uebungsflug-2318198
https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/verteidigung-hannover-unfall-bei-uebungsflug-von-bundeswehr-hubschrauber-dpa.urn-newsml-dpa-com-20090101-220204-99-977127
https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/d-habs#2ab48e29
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/DHABS/history/20220204/0737Z/ETHS/L%2053.01443%2010.24695
https://www.helis.com/database/cn/48640/
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 04-Feb-2022 15:38 | gerard57 | Added |
| 04-Feb-2022 15:54 | Anom | Updated [Location, Narrative] |
| 04-Feb-2022 15:54 | harro | Updated [Aircraft type] |
| 04-Feb-2022 17:11 | RobertMB | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Operator, Location, Source, Embed code, Damage, Narrative] |
| 04-Feb-2022 17:34 | Anon. | Updated [Operator] |
| 04-Feb-2022 17:48 | RobertMB | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Location, Source, Embed code, Damage, Narrative] |
| 04-Feb-2022 19:01 | TB | Updated [Operator, Location, Embed code] |
| 04-Feb-2022 20:27 | Fighter | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Narrative] |
| 04-Feb-2022 20:29 | harro | Updated [Registration, Cn, Source, Narrative] |
| 05-Feb-2022 13:43 | Aerossurance | Updated [Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 10-Aug-2022 13:31 | harro | Updated [Registration, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Damage, Narrative] |
| 08-May-2023 12:37 | harro | Updated [[Registration, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Damage, Narrative]] |
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