ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 76379
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| Date: | Tuesday 17 August 2010 |
| Time: | 15:59 UTC |
| Type: |  Aérospatiale AS 350BA Ecureuil |
| Owner/operator: | Heli-Excel |
| Registration: | C-GIYR |
| MSN: | 2299 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1989 |
| Engine model: | Turbomeca ARRIEL 1B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | 22 nm N of Sept-Îles, Quebec (50'34.52"N, 06'60.509"W) -
 Canada
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Executive |
| Departure airport: | Sept-Iles, Quebec (CYZV) |
| Poste Montagnais, Quebec | |
| Investigating agency: | TSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities |
At 11:11 EDT, Eastern Daylight Time, the Eurocopter AS350-BA (registration C-GIYR, serial number 2299), operated by Héli-Excel Inc., departed from Sept-Îles (Quebec) under visual flight rules for Poste Montagnais (Quebec), approximately 100 nm north of Sept-Îles. Fifty minutes after take-off the company’s flight-following system indicated that the helicopter was 22 nm north of Sept-Îles (at approximate coordinates (50'34.52"N, 06'60.509"W) and was not moving. A search was conducted, and the wreckage was found on a plateau. There was no fire but the aircraft had been destroyed on impact. The pilot and the 3 passengers aboard were fatally injured. No distress signal was received from the emergency locator transmitter.
The TSB concluded in its report that loss of visual reference with the terrain and then loss of control of the aircraft were factors that contributed to the accident. The TSB also highlights in this report that the risk of an accident increases when a pilot experiences operational pressures. For example, pressure from passengers to bring excess baggage could lead the carrier and the pilot to allow an overloaded flight. When a helicopter is carrying a large amount of baggage that has not been weighed, it is impossible to calculate take-off weight precisely, and the helicopter risks taking off with more than the authorized weight, as was the case in this accident. The pilot had also reduced the fuel load to accommodate the large amount of baggage, which meant he had less fuel at his disposal to deal with unforeseen circumstances. This decreased fuel endurance could have prompted the pilot to try to take a shortcut through the mountains even as the aircraft was flying in marginal weather conditions. The pilot finally lost visual contact with the terrain and lost control of the aircraft, resulting in the impact with the ground.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
1. CADORS Number:2010Q1805
2. TSB Final Report A10Q0132 and http://www.tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/aviation/2010/a10q0132/a10q0132.pdf
3. http://web.archive.org/web/20100820081808/http://www.cbc.ca:80/canada/montreal/story/2010/08/17/qc-helicopter-crash.html?
4. http://web.archive.org/web/20100819222014/http://www.cbc.ca:80/canada/montreal/story/2010/08/18/qc-helicopter-crash-investigation.html?ref=rss
5. https://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20100817/quebec-helicopter-crash-100817/
6. http://www.kathrynsreport.com/2013/03/aerospatiale-as-350ba-ecureuil-c-giyr.html
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 18-Aug-2010 02:49 | peterj | Added |
| 18-Aug-2010 07:26 | Anon. | Updated [Aircraft type] |
| 18-Aug-2010 08:51 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Other fatalities, Phase, Nature, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 19-Aug-2010 00:22 | peterj | Updated [Time, Registration, Cn, Source] |
| 19-Aug-2010 04:50 | Anon. | Updated [Aircraft type, Cn, Embed code] |
| 04-Aug-2014 05:15 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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