ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 301442
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| Date: | Friday 25 November 2022 |
| Time: | 12:31 |
| Type: |  Airbus Helicopters H130 |
| Owner/operator: | Monacair Helicopters |
| Registration: | 3A-MVT |
| MSN: | 8203 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2016 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3020 hours |
| Engine model: | Turbomeca Arriel 2D |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Plateau de la Justice near Col d’Eze, Alpes-Maritimes 06 -
 France
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Passenger - Non-Scheduled/charter/Air Taxi |
| Departure airport: | Lausanne-La Blécherette Airfield (QLS/LSGL) |
| Monte Carlo Heliport (MCM/LNMC) | |
| Investigating agency: | BEA |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On Wednesday, November 23, the Monacair company received a request to transport passengers for a return flight from Monaco to Lausanne (Switzerland). The next day, in response to this request, the pilot of helicopter 3A-MVT took off from the Monaco heliport with two passengers, and spent the night with a stopover in Lausanne.
On Friday, November 25, the pilot, accompanied by a single passenger, took off from Lausanne airport at 11:02 a.m. bound for Monaco under VFR flight regime. It takes a south-facing route, flies in a cruise at an average indicated speed of 115 kt, at a variable flight height above terrain while respecting VFR flight rules.
At approximately 12:09 p.m., at an altitude of 10,000 ft, near the town of Allos, it turned left towards heading 135° and began the descent towards Nice with an indicated speed of 130 kt. At 12:27 p.m., at a height of 4,000 ft, it headed towards Beaulieu-sur-Mer at heading 120°.
The helicopter flew over the Oli viaduct at 12:29:48 and slowed down to reach a speed of 105 kt. At 12:30:05, the helicopter encountered the first clouds and at 12:30:21, it entered a cloud layer. The helicopter's indicated speed was 100 kt.
At 12:30:55 p.m., the ground was visible for a brief moment, the helicopter then banked 50° to the left. The pilot then suddenly banked the helicopter up to 16° to the right. The pilot's sudden action on the controls causes the LIMIT2 light to come on.
Ten seconds later, at 12:31:05 p.m., the pilot banked the helicopter to the left more than 90° and took a steep climb. At the top of the climb, the amber SERVO3, HYD 1, HYD 2 lights then the red MGP P and ENG P lights came on; the helicopter was inverted and rotated 180° around its yaw axis.
The helicopter then again entered horizontal flight with a nose-down attitude of 60°. The video and GNSS recording ended at 12:31:11 p.m. The helicopter collided with the ground one to two seconds later.
Contributing Factors
Several factors could have contributed to the loss of control in the absence of external visual references:
• Lack of training on the risk of inadvertently entering a cloud layer and the associated exit procedure, as well as insufficient practical training in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). The investigation revealed that the pilot had only been trained in maintaining flight parameters (attitude, altitude, airspeed, turns) without being exposed to IMC situations, providing him with no means of recovery;
• Limited time allocated in practice for IMC training and checks;
• Impairment of the pilot's abilities due to drug influence;
• Wearing sunglasses that reduced the ability to read instruments and interpret indications under low-contrast conditions.
Contributing factors to flying under the influence of drugs could include:
• A perception of the harmlessness of certain drugs such as cocaine, contrasting with the performance requirements for high-risk activities. The pilot, like most drug users, prioritized his consumption experience and the short-term positive effects of such drugs despite prohibitions, awareness of associated risks, and preventive messages;
• An ineffective drug testing system for detecting concealed users who manage their substance use and realize they can violate rules without a significant risk of testing positive.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://news.mc/2022/11/25/local-helicopter-crash-kills-three/
https://monacolife.net/monacair-helicopter-crashes-kills-pilot-and-passenger/
https://www.nicematin.com/faits-divers/un-helicoptere-se-crashe-entre-eze-et-villefranche-au-moins-deux-morts-les-dernieres-infos-en-direct-810324
https://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/alpes-maritimes-au-moins-deux-morts-dans-le-crash-dun-helicoptere-25-11-2022-Q2QLNSOIL5GJLOZZ3GHRQE6KUU.php#xtor=AD-1481423553
https://www.varmatin.com/faits-divers/deux-morts-une-victime-de-nationalite-russe-ce-que-lon-sait-sur-le-crash-dun-helicoptere-a-eze-810344
https://news.mc/2022/11/26/passenger-victim-of-helicopter-tragedy-named
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11480711/Russian-billionaire-53-killed-helicopter-crash-near-Monaco-latest-crypto-mystery-death.html
______________
https://monacair.mc/helicopter-charter-fleet/
https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=4d4030&lat=46.241&lon=6.512&zoom=14.0&showTrace=2022-11-25
https://www.instagram.com/p/CiZ_u7tjY8g/
https://cdn.jetphotos.com/full/6/56671_1647429996.jpg Photo
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 20 June 2017 | 3A-MVT | Monacair | 0 | Goult, Vaucluse 84 | |
min |
Location
Media:
ALPES-MARITIMES : Deux morts dans le crash d'un hélicoptère, de la société MonacAir, sur la commune d'Èze. L'appareil a décollé de Lausanne, en Suisse, en direction de Monaco (Monaco-Matin). pic.twitter.com/Fj1xNlPMfc
— Infos Françaises (@InfosFrancaises) November 25, 2022
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 21-Nov-2022 06:57 | Ron Averes | Added |
| 26-Nov-2023 10:52 | harro | Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Narrative, Accident report] |
| 26-Nov-2023 10:53 | harro | Updated [Other fatalities, Embed code] |
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