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| Date: | Wednesday 1 July 2020 |
| Time: | 10:20 LT |
| Type: |  Guimbal Cabri G2 |
| Owner/operator: | Swiss Helicopter |
| Registration: | HB-ZDQ |
| MSN: | 1051 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2013 |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-360-J2A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Minor |
| Category: | Serious incident |
| Location: | near Vaulruz -
 Switzerland
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | Gruyères Airfield (LSGT) |
| Gruyères Airfield (LSGT) | |
| Investigating agency: | STSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
During an instructional flight, the the instructor demonstrated to the student the behaviour of the helicopter at high speed, i.e. close to Vne equivalent to 119 kt at a pressure altitude of 5500 ft.
At a speed of 110 knots the cockpit windscreen broke.
It appeared that the suction cup mountaing for an on-board camera, created additional stresses on the one-piece canopy and consequently weakened it.
Cause:
The serious incident was caused by the shattering of the canopy during a flight near the Vne. The installation of a of an on-board camera attachment system contributed to the unexpected breakage of the canopy.
The helicopter manufacturer decided to issue a service letter, SL 20-001 A, informing owners to refrain from using a suction cup mounting system on the canopy.
Neither the instructor nor the student pilot was wearing a helmet with a visor. Fortunately, in this incident the injuries were only superficial and did not affect the instructor's vision.
In this regard, Airbus Helicopters issued the safety promotion notice on 7 December 2020, No. 3587-P-00, for the systematic use of a helmet.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.sust.admin.ch/inhalte/AV-berichte/HB-ZDQ_SumB_F.pdf
http://aerossurance.com/helicopters/cabri-canopy-implosion/
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 15 June 2022 | HB-ZDQ | Swiss Helicopter AG | 0 | Epagny-Gruyères Airfield (LSGT) | |
sub |
Location
Media:
A suction cup mounted camera weakened the canopy so that it failed during a high speed handling exercise. https://t.co/A9jDqEqZdx #helicopter #accident #flightsafety #aviationsafety pic.twitter.com/UjJaMfaGxB
— Aerossurance (@Aerossurance) October 30, 2021
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 02-Jun-2021 15:24 | harro | Added |
| 30-Oct-2021 09:52 | Aerossurance | Updated [Source, Embed code, ] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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