Date:	Sunday 1 December 2019
Time:	20:47
Type:	Eurocopter EC 145
Owner/operator:	Securité Civile
Registration:	F-ZBPZ
MSN:	9056
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Category:	Accident
Location:	between Rove and Pennes-Mirabeau, Bouches-du-Rhône 13 -   France
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Ferry/positioning
Departure airport:	Nîmes-Garons Airport (FNI/LFTW)
Destination airport:	Le Luc-Le Cannet Airport (LFMC)
Investigating agency:	BEA-E
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
Eurocopter EC 145 (BK 117C-2) callsign Dragon 30, impacted terrain between Rove and Pennes-Mirabeau near Marseilles. The 3 occupants died.

Causes of the event:
The accident was caused by an inadvertent re-entry into a cloud layer, which combined with too high a speed and too low an altitude to detect the terrain in time to avoid it.
In addition to the speed and height of flight, a number of other deviations made the collision with the terrain unavoidable, including the setting of the radio altimeter alarm at 300 ft and the failure to apply the backup procedure for unintentional re-entry into the cloud layer.
The lack of topographical knowledge of the area overflown and incomplete navigation preparation resulted in the pilot's incorrect situational awareness. The pilot did not carry out the operational adaptation of the Marignane base.
The overload of work for the pilot in the seconds before the accident probably made him unable to monitor the radio altitude and to use the Euronav 7 navigation system.
The choice to conduct the flight under VFR is not appropriate, as the VMC conditions were not met at Marseille Provence. However, the conditions allowed for a special VFR clearance to be requested, but the pilot did not request it from ATC.

These decisions reflect an internal time pressure on the crew, probably caused by the high motivation for the upcoming rescue missions, as well as an operational culture favouring VFR flight in marginal conditions.
The Marseille Provence control displays a laissez-faire attitude with the non-compliance of the Dragon 30 with VFR flight rules.
The crew displayed a transponder code corresponding to urgent hospital transport, inducing a false perception of emergency for the controller.
The controller's encouragement to cross the runway centrelines quickly may have created a sense of urgency for the helicopter pilot, encouraging him to maintain high speed despite the deteriorating weather conditions.
The pilot's extensive aviation experience may have led to a sense of risk control on his part and generated an overconfidence in him on the part of the MOB, resulting in the observed perseverance and lack of relinquishment.
The MOB repeatedly questions the pilot's decisions but in a non-argumentative way, not allowing for any questioning of the actions. The two flight crew members' awareness of the situation was divergent.
The overload of work in the moments preceding the accident can be explained by the pilot's extensive experience in multi-pilot operations in the military.
On the documentation side, several irregularities were found in the GHSC operational documentation.
They contributed to the accident by not allowing the pilot to assess whether the conditions were suitable for visual flight. GHSC crews based their decisions regarding the flight regime on incomplete or outdated texts.
Finally, the operations manual of the Marseille Provence control agency does not sufficiently cover the special procedures and exemptions granted to civil security helicopters.

https://www.laprovence.com/actu/en-direct/5786070/info-la-provence-trois-morts-dans-le-crash-dun-helicoptere-de-la-securite-civile-au-rove.html
https://www.france24.com/en/20191202-three-french-flood-rescuers-killed-in-helicopter-crash
https://m.20minutes.fr/amp/a/2665251
http://aerossurance.com/helicopters/ec145-iimc-cfit-night/
_____________________
http://img1.pictaero.com/2016/12/29/s/260653.jpg (photo)
http://www.hervegirard.fr/spotting/f_zbpe.htm (photo)
https://fr.calameo.com/read/002915133844b7abbb3ff

After abandoning an inland routing, the crew of a #SAR EC145 headed to the coast but fly into high ground after an Inadvertent entry into Instrument Metrological Conditions (IIMC). https://t.co/dtIXITmQv5 #searchandrescue #helicopter #accident #flightsafety #aviationsafety pic.twitter.com/ALG4Cq6Zx1

— Aerossurance (@Aerossurance) May 1, 2021

France - Crash d'un hélicoptère EC-145 de la Sécurité civile au Rove : "le brouillard" en partie en cause pour la maire des Pennes.
https://t.co/2IQdV9oeso pic.twitter.com/pfpjGsdNmr

— PLANES OF LEGEND (@PlanesOfLegend) December 3, 2019

⚫️ Ce soir, la famille de la Sécurité civile a perdu 3 des siens. Le DG et les personnels apportent tout leur soutien aux familles et aux collègues du pilote, du mécanicien et du sapeur-pompier décédés dans l'accident de leur hélicoptère.
Nous rendons hommage à leur #engagement. https://t.co/SFoselZMxZ pic.twitter.com/yIc9Q8zDT1

— Sécurité Civile Fr (@SecCivileFrance) December 2, 2019

L'impact du lieu du crash pic.twitter.com/mVwpRGhbLk

— Frequence-Sud.fr (@frequencesud) December 2, 2019

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
02-Dec-2019 06:40	Iceman 29	Added
02-Dec-2019 06:43	Iceman 29	Updated [Embed code, Photo, ]
02-Dec-2019 06:44	Iceman 29	Updated [Date, Time, Embed code, ]
02-Dec-2019 06:45	Iceman 29	Updated [Operator, ]
02-Dec-2019 06:49	Iceman 29	Updated [Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative, ]
02-Dec-2019 06:54	Iceman 29	Updated [Embed code, ]
02-Dec-2019 06:57	Iceman 29	Updated [Embed code, Narrative, ]
02-Dec-2019 07:06	Iceman 29	Updated [Narrative, ]
02-Dec-2019 07:11	Aerossurance	Updated [Nature, Destination airport, Narrative, ]
02-Dec-2019 07:12	Aerossurance	Updated [Source, ]
02-Dec-2019 11:29	Iceman 29	Updated [Location, Destination airport, Narrative, ]
02-Dec-2019 15:09	Iceman 29	Updated [Embed code, ]
02-Dec-2019 15:09	Iceman 29	Updated [Embed code, ]
02-Dec-2019 17:59	Iceman 29	Updated [Phase, Embed code, ]
03-Dec-2019 00:54	Iceman 29	Updated [Embed code, ]
03-Dec-2019 01:01	Iceman 29	Updated [Embed code, Narrative, ]
03-Dec-2019 08:23	Iceman 29	Updated [Date, Time, Source, ]
03-Dec-2019 19:55	Iceman 29	Updated [Registration, Cn, Operator, Source, Narrative, ]
03-Dec-2019 22:00	Iceman 29	Updated [Source, ]
04-Dec-2019 01:32	RobertMB	Updated [Aircraft type, Location, Source, Narrative, ]
15-May-2020 11:04	harro	Updated [Registration, Cn, ]
15-Apr-2021 18:23	harro	Updated [Operator, Nature, Destination airport, Embed code, Narrative, Category, Accident report, ]
17-Apr-2021 14:25	Aerossurance	Updated [Time, Embed code, Narrative, ]
01-May-2021 09:39	Aerossurance	Updated [Source, ]
01-May-2021 09:44	Aerossurance	Updated [Embed code, ]
14-Nov-2023 15:49	harro	Updated [Other fatalities, ]
02-Jul-2025 09:03	Anon.	Updated [Departure airport, ]