ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 228755
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| Date: | Thursday 5 September 2019 |
| Time: | 15:24 UTC |
| Type: |  Aerospatiale AS 350B2 Ecureuil |
| Owner/operator: | Helibravo |
| Registration: | CS-HFT |
| MSN: | 2097 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Sobrado, Valongo -
 Portugal
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Fire fighting |
| Departure airport: | Valongo - private helipad |
| Valongo - private helipad | |
| Investigating agency: | GPIAAF |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
A Eurocopter AS 350B2 helicopter, registered CS HFT, carried out wild firefighting operations at Sobrado, in the Valongo municipality of Portugal.
On the approach to perform the second water dump over the fire line, when crossing an obstacle made up of high voltage powerlines, the suspended bucket and the aircraft tail rotor touched the power cables, leading to the helicopter loss of control and crashing few meters.
After the ground collision, an immediate fire broke out that consumed the aircraft and caused fatal injuries to the pilot and sole occupant.
Probable causes:
The cause for the accident was determined as Bambi bucket and tail rotor strike with high-voltage powerline while flying at low altitude during firefighting operations.
Contributed to the accident:
- the wildfire location and advancing through hilly terrain and passing near and below powerlines that were crossing a canyon;
- the water discharge path chosen by the pilot with a relative position almost perpendicular to the powerlines;
- the powerline cables relative position and arrangement on its supports with vertical configuration on the pilot's right and horizontal on the left;
- the pilot’s focus on completing the firefighting mission, relativizing the imminent collision risk of flying close to powerlines within a complex orography terrain.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/wires/ap/article-7432297/Portugal-Private-firefighting-chopper-crashes-pilot-dies.html
https://www.portugalresident.com/2019/09/05/one-dead-as-firefighting-helicopter-explodes-after-colliding-with-overhead-cables/
https://www.publico.pt/2019/09/05/sociedade/noticia/acidente-helicoptero-combatia-incendio-valongo-1885652 .
https://algarvedailynews.com/news/16966-one-firefighter-dead-in-helicopter-accident-whilst-fighting-fire-in-valongo
https://www.cmjornal.pt/portugal/detalhe/alerta-cm--aeronave-de-combate-a-incendios-cai-em-valongo?https://observador.pt/2019/09/05/aviao-de-combate-aos-incendio-cai-em-valongo/
ref=DET_Relacionadas
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/web_db_edit.php?id=228755
https://www.dn.pt/DNMultimedia/DOCS+PDFS/i007115.pdf
https://www.airliners.net/photo/Helibravo/Aerospatiale-AS-350B-2-Ecureuil/1634705/L (photo)
http://www.htahelicopteros.com/as350b2
Location
Media:
One firefighter dead in helicopter accident whilst fighting fire in Valongohttps://t.co/9Q5GXPxp9R#portugalnews #portugal #bombeiros
🇵🇹Portugal - Near Valongo. AgustaWestland AW109 firefighter helicopter crashes. 1 fatality.
— PLANES OF LEGEND (@PlanesOfLegend) September 5, 2019
Peças do helicóptero do INEM que caiu em Valongo à venda no OLX.
ASN: https://t.co/87zcsXOYkm
Press: https://t.co/5I5KTrij8K pic.twitter.com/QINgJvZqDK
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 05-Sep-2019 17:42 | gerard57 | Added |
| 05-Sep-2019 18:00 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Source, Narrative] |
| 05-Sep-2019 19:27 | TB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Operator, Source, Narrative] |
| 05-Sep-2019 20:10 | RobertMB | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator] |
| 05-Sep-2019 20:20 | Captain Adam | Updated [Aircraft type, Source, Narrative] |
| 05-Sep-2019 20:39 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 05-Sep-2019 20:40 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Embed code] |
| 05-Sep-2019 22:13 | RobertMB | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Embed code] |
| 06-Sep-2019 05:54 | JFigueiredo | Updated [Source, Embed code] |
| 06-Sep-2019 09:27 | greenironfist | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Operator] |
| 06-Sep-2019 10:09 | RobertMB | Updated [Aircraft type, Cn, Operator, Source, Narrative] |
| 12-Sep-2019 12:35 | RobertMB | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 13-Sep-2019 13:00 | Zanik | Updated [Departure airport, Destination airport, Source] |
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