Date:	Monday 14 February 2022
Time:	c 15:15
Type:	Bell-Garlick UH-1H Iroquois
Owner/operator:	Richmond Valley Aviation
Registration:	VH-UHX
MSN:	4572
Year of manufacture:	1965
Engine model:	Lycoming T53-L-703
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Category:	Accident
Location:	near Pipers Brook, Lebrina, TAS -   Australia
Phase:	Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.)
Nature:	Fire fighting
Departure airport:
Destination airport:
Investigating agency:	ATSB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
A UH-1H helicopter was supporting the Tasmania Fire Service (TFS) by providing aerial firebombing support to the Lebrina bushfire, in northern Tasmania. The pilot was requested by TFS to provide firebombing assistance to combat a spot fire that had flared up on the western flank of the fireground and at 15:09 local time the pilot departed the TFS staging area. After transiting to a nearby dam and loading water into the underslung bucket, the pilot tracked toward the spot fire.
Witnesses observed the unexpected early release of water from the underslung bucket prior to reaching the target, before the helicopter tracked away from the location of the spot fire toward an open paddock. As the helicopter approached the paddock, the helicopter was observed to rotate rapidly before pitching steeply nose-down and descending. The helicopter collided heavily with terrain in a tail low, upright orientation before coming to rest on its left side. A post‑impact fire started in the engine bay, destroying the helicopter. The pilot received fatal injuries.

Contributing factors
- During the conduct of firebombing operations, the helicopter’s engine-to-transmission main KAflex drive shaft partially failed due to fracture of a flex frame attaching bolt, or a flex frame element and entered fail-safe mode. It is probable this resulted in the pilot jettisoning the water load from the underslung bucket and diverting toward clear ground.
- As the helicopter was slowed during a descent over clear ground, the main drive shaft decoupled, probably at about the time the longline and underslung bucket were released. The failure resulted in an instantaneous loss of drive to the rotor system.
- Following loss of drive to the main rotor system, the pilot was unable to complete a survivable autorotative descent and landing, probably due to a critical reduction in main rotor speed.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-14/aircraft-lebrina-paddock-crash-northern-tasmania/100829148
https://www.theage.com.au/national/pilot-dies-in-helicopter-crash-while-fighting-tasmanian-bushfires-20220214-p59wf6.html
https://www.police.tas.gov.au/news-events/media-releases/man-dies-following-helicopter-crash-in-northern-tasmania/
https://www.examiner.com.au/story/7620234/helicopter-crashes-near-lebrina-bushfire-emergency-services-responding/
https://www.news.com.au/national/helicopter-fighting-bushfires-crashes-in-tasmania/news-story/b2d006e28b36dfe453b5d7f936e9f438
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/VHUHX/history/20220213/2138Z
http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2022/aair/ao-2022-006/


https://cdn.jetphotos.com/full/5/42962_1573720050.jpg (photo)

ex 64-13865, AMARC-XA0459, N454BB, N2777W.

Other occurrences involving this aircraft


15 November 2019

VH-UHX

GBR - Great Barrier Reef Helicopters

near Tully Aerodrome, QLD

unk

Emergency services are on the scene of a helicopter crash near Lebrina @7tasnews pic.twitter.com/CgNmdfojGK

— Garth Burley (@garthburley1) February 14, 2022

The ATSB has launched an investigation into a fatal helicopter accident involving a UH-1H helicopter near Pipers Brook, Tasmania, on 14 February.

— ATSB (@atsbgovau) February 15, 2022

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
14-Feb-2022 06:45	gerard57	Added
14-Feb-2022 07:56	gerard57	Updated [Total fatalities, Source, Narrative, ]
14-Feb-2022 08:28	Aerossurance	Updated [Operator, Location, Embed code, Narrative, ]
14-Feb-2022 08:30	Aerossurance	Updated [Source, Embed code, ]
14-Feb-2022 08:31	Aerossurance	Updated [Narrative, ]
14-Feb-2022 09:35	RobertMB	Updated [Time, Location, Source, Narrative, ]
14-Feb-2022 18:18	Aerossurance	Updated [Time, Source, Narrative, ]
15-Feb-2022 06:41	Aerossurance	Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Location, Source, Narrative, ]
15-Feb-2022 06:41	Aerossurance	Updated
15-Feb-2022 07:31	RobertMB	Updated [Aircraft type, Cn, Operator, Source, Narrative, ]
15-Feb-2022 08:41	Aerossurance	Updated [Embed code, Narrative, ]
15-Feb-2022 09:27	A.J.Scholten	Updated [Source, Embed code, Narrative, ]
15-Feb-2022 13:19	Aerossurance	Updated [Operator, Source, ]
16-Feb-2022 13:38	Captain Adam	Updated [Source, Narrative, ]
17-Feb-2022 20:37	harro	Updated [Source, ]
16-May-2022 06:11	harro	Updated [Time, Source, Narrative, ]
12-Mar-2024 07:04	ASN	Updated [Narrative, Accident report, ]
12-Mar-2024 07:38	ASN	Updated [Narrative, ]