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| Date: | Thursday 9 June 2022 |
| Time: | 19:55 UTC |
| Type: |  Helibrás HB 350B Esquilo (AS 350) |
| Owner/operator: | Delta Aero Taxi |
| Registration: | PT-HMD |
| MSN: | 1582/HB-1040 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1982 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Bulk Carrier YM OPUS in the Bay of São Marcos -
 Brazil
|
| Phase: | Standing |
| Nature: | Offshore |
| Departure airport: | Bulk Carrier SM GEMINI 2 |
| Ivinhema-Fazenda Experimental Airport, MS (SSIV) | |
| Investigating agency: | CENIPA |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The helicopter rolled over on the deck of a bulk carrier after a precautionary landing.
The aircraft took off from the bulk carrier SM GEMINI 2 bound for SSIV (Delta Helipad, São José de Ribamar, State of Maranhão, on a ferry-flight. Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft emitted atypical sounds, prompting the pilot to perform a precautionary landing on the bulk carrier YM OPUS. After landing, control of the aircraft was lost, and it rolled over on the helideck, colliding with the vessel’s right-hand guardrail.
The aircraft sustained substantial damage. The pilot suffered minor injuries.
Contributing factors.
- Training – undetermined.
The lack of specific training for landings and takeoffs on offshore helidecks meant that the PIC was not qualified for this type of operation, which may have resulted in inadequate performance.
- Organizational culture – a contributor.
The PIC’s intention to get out of the helicopter while it was still running, without another qualified pilot on board, reflected informally institutionalized practices that weakened safety culture and exposed failures in the company’s operational risk management.
- Handling of aircraft flight controls – undetermined.
It is possible that the pilot, upon noticing the unexpected movement of the aircraft, may have acted inappropriately on the controls, pulling the collective pitch control in an attempt to regain stability. This action may have worsened the situation, given that the cyclic control had been locked after landing.
- Decision-making process – a contributor.
At the time the PIC detected the abnormal noise, he was 4.35 NM from the coastline of São Luís. Additionally, there were no indications of system failure or loss of controllability that would have prevented him from continuing to the coastline or returning to the origin helipad.
The decision to perform a precautionary landing on the vessel in question demonstrated difficulty in assessing and analyzing the situation, characterizing an inadequate decision-making process.
- Support systems – a contributor.
Since offshore operations were not included in the operator’s Operations Specifications (EO), the PTO did not prescribe any training for landings and takeoffs at offshore helidecks. Additionally, the helideck of the vessel where the passengers
disembarked was neither certified nor registered with the Directorate of Ports and Coasts (DPC) Helideck Division.
Thus, the lack of adherence to the regulatory requirements of RBAC-135, along with non-compliance with maritime authority regulations, resulted in an operation for which the PIC was not qualified, conducted on an offshore helideck that did not meet applicable standards. These circumstances contributed to the occurrence of the accident.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.facebook.com/mundoffshore1/posts/pfbid02MQFZJgKYBK9DC3SrkcGhYzzyCtMU98mwBZqNb9SnLMt3wjFEGX4mh2dirNegiX8Zl
https://aeroin.net/helicoptero-tem-problema-e-faz-pouso-de-emergencia-em-navio-proximo-de-sao-luis/
https://aerossurance.com/uncategorized/brazilian-helideck-rollover-after-precautionary-landing/
https://cdn.jetphotos.com/full/6/23189_1532733380.jpg (photo)
Location
Media:
Flying back from a bulk carrier the pilot suspected a seatbelt was stuck outside the door... aerossurance.com/uncategorize... #offshore #helicopter #flightsafety #aviationsafety
— Aerossurance (@aerossurance.bsky.social) July 1, 2025 at 8:00 AM
[image or embed]
Flying back from a bulk carrier the pilot suspected a seatbelt was stuck outside the door... aerossurance.com/uncategorize... #offshore #helicopter #flightsafety #aviationsafety
— Aerossurance (@aerossurance.bsky.social) July 1, 2025 at 8:01 AM
[image or embed]
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 11-Jun-2022 11:23 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 11-Jun-2022 13:58 | Aerossurance | Updated [Aircraft type, Location, Nature, Source, Embed code, ] |
| 05-Jun-2025 15:54 | ASN | Updated [Time, Location, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative, Category, Accident report, ] |
| 21-Jun-2025 16:51 | Aerossurance | Updated [Operator, Nature, Departure airport, Narrative, ] |
| 01-Jul-2025 06:32 | Aerossurance | Updated [Source, ] |
| 01-Jul-2025 06:33 | Aerossurance | Updated [Phase, ] |
| 01-Jul-2025 07:03 | Aerossurance | Updated [Embed code, ] |
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