ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 137925
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| Date: | Monday 8 August 2011 |
| Time: | c. 10:33 LT |
| Type: |  Eurocopter Bo 105LS A-3 |
| Owner/operator: | Manolos Aviation |
| Registration: | P2-RUH |
| MSN: | 2050 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1993 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | 5 km S of Timini, Morobe -
 Papua New Guinea
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Passenger - Non-Scheduled/charter/Air Taxi |
| Departure airport: | Bulolo Airport (BUL) |
| Lae-Nadzab Airport (LAE/AYNZ) | |
| Investigating agency: | PNG AIC |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The Eurocopter-Canada Bo 105LS A3 helicopter, registered P2-RUH was being operated on a charter flight in support of mining operations around the Hidden Valley area of Papua New Guinea, PNG, about 90 km south west of Lae.
The pilot was unable to land at Hidden Valley due to low cloud and poor visibility and so diverted to Bulolo. About 90 minutes later he reported that he had departed Bulolo for Lae, tracking via Timimi, cruising not above 2,000 ft.
The last transmission from the helicopter heard by Air Traffic Services, was the pilot’s Bulolo departure report. Wreckage of the helicopter was subsequently located about 7.5 km south west of Timini. The impact of the crash was not survivable.
There was significant low cloud and rain along the track flown. Witnesses along the flight route confirmed hearing a helicopter flying overhead, but they were unable to see the helicopter because of fog and mist on the ridges and in the valleys, and areas of rain. It is likely that in-flight visibility was marginal for visual flight.
Contributing factors
The reason the aircraft impacted terrain could not be determined. However, it is likely that the pilot continued flight into marginal visual, or instrument flight conditions. The pilot may have become disoriented, lost situational awareness, and lost control of the helicopter at a height that was insufficient to effect recovery.
3.3 Other factors
The following concern was identified during the course of the investigation. While not causal to the accident, it is addressed with the aim of safety improvement.
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority of PNG (CASA) safety oversight of the operator’s maintenance procedures did not detect that the operator’s facilities in Rabaul and Lae were not CASA approved Part 145 facilities.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2011/aair/ae-2011-099.aspx
https://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/460352-png-helicopter-crash-8th-august-2011-a.html
http://www.aic.gov.pg/pdf/Preliminary_Report%20%20P2%20RUH%20Morobe.pdf
http://www.aic.gov.pg/pdf/FinRpts/2011/FINAL%20P2-RUH%20AIC%2011-1008.pdf
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 12-Aug-2011 03:20 | angels one five | Added |
| 12-Aug-2011 04:17 | Anon. | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn] |
| 28-Mar-2012 13:30 | harro | Updated [Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 22-Oct-2012 10:33 | TB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 22-Oct-2012 10:38 | TB | Updated [Time, Narrative] |
| 30-Oct-2012 05:05 | TB | Updated [Aircraft type] |
| 30-Aug-2014 18:20 | Aerossurance | Updated [Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 26-May-2015 20:20 | TB | Updated [Location, Narrative] |
| 29-Jul-2020 05:35 | KagurazakaHanayo | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 29-Jul-2020 05:43 | harro | Updated [Nature, Narrative, Accident report, ] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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