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| Date: | Wednesday 16 March 2022 |
| Time: | 10:47 |
| Type: |  Eurocopter AS 350B3e Ecureuil |
| Owner/operator: | Heli-TV SA |
| Registration: | HB-ZTV |
| MSN: | 7409 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2012 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 8921 hours |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Gordola, Ticino -
 Switzerland
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | External load operation |
| Departure airport: | Gordola |
| Valle del Carcale | |
| Investigating agency: | STSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
A Eurocopter AS 350B3e Ecureuil was transporting materials by underslung load (HESLO) when it collided with a conductor of a high voltage power line and crashed.
The pilot died and the helicopter was destroyed by a post-crash fire.
Cause
The accident was caused by the collision of the helicopter’s main rotor with a conductor of a high-voltage power line in operation, as the pilot failed to perceive in time the helicopter's approach to the obstacle above it.
The following factors, in combination, contributed to the occurrence of the accident:
* The difficulty in correctly estimating the distance between the conductors and the helicopter's rotor.
* The absence of effective risk mitigation measures at the worksite.
* Stress caused by inadequate personal scheduling on the part of the pilot.
The investigation identified the following systemic risk factors, which, although they did not influence the occurrence and development of the accident, nonetheless represent safety risks:
* The failure of aerial operators to consider, in their risk analyses, the effects of electromagnetic interference that may arise near live power lines.
* The lack of integration of air transport companies into the planning and risk management processes at worksites.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://swiss.dayfr.com/local/70905.html
https://www.srf.ch/news/panorama/unfall-im-tessin-helikopter-bei-gordola-abgestuerzt
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/HBZTV/history/20220314/1009Z/LSZA/LSZA
https://www.facebook.com/helitv/photos/7115417941833981
https://www.sust.admin.ch/inhalte/AV-berichte/HB-ZTV_VB_I.pdf
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 16-Mar-2022 14:36 | gerard57 | Added |
| 16-Mar-2022 15:04 | Aerossurance | Updated [Aircraft type, ] |
| 16-Mar-2022 15:08 | Aerossurance | Updated [Time, Nature, Source, Embed code, Narrative, ] |
| 16-Mar-2022 15:08 | Aerossurance | Updated [Phase, Embed code, ] |
| 16-Mar-2022 15:58 | harro | Updated |
| 16-Mar-2022 16:02 | RobertMB | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 16-Mar-2022 16:12 | RobertMB | Updated [Narrative, ] |
| 16-Mar-2022 16:36 | RobertMB | Updated [Narrative, ] |
| 16-Mar-2022 17:46 | PolandMoment | Updated [Narrative, ] |
| 16-Mar-2022 19:20 | rotorspot | Updated [Time, Registration, Country, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 16-Mar-2022 19:20 | harro | Updated [Country, Narrative, ] |
| 21-Mar-2022 19:36 | Aerossurance | Updated [Narrative, ] |
| 31-Mar-2022 09:15 | harro | Updated [Time, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 16-May-2025 08:56 | ASN | Updated [Narrative, Accident report, ] |
| 16-May-2025 09:02 | ASN | Updated [Embed code, ] |
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