Date:	Thursday 5 September 2019
Time:	15:24 UTC
Type:	Aerospatiale AS 350B2 Ecureuil
Owner/operator:	Helibravo
Registration:	CS-HFT
MSN:	2097
Year of manufacture:	1988
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Category:	Accident
Location:	Sobrado, Valongo -   Portugal
Phase:	Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.)
Nature:	Fire fighting
Departure airport:	Valongo - private helipad
Destination airport:	Valongo - private helipad
Investigating agency:	GPIAAF
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
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.

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

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.
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

— PLANES OF LEGEND (@PlanesOfLegend) September 5, 2019

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, ]