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| Date: | Sunday 25 September 2022 |
| Time: | 08:20 |
| Type: |  Eurocopter AS 350B3 Ecureuil |
| Owner/operator: | Mongolian Airways |
| Registration: | JU-6888 |
| MSN: | 7096 |
| Engine model: | Turbomeca Arriel 2D |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 6 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Argalant district, Tov province, 78 km from Ulaanbaatar -
 Mongolia
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Passenger |
| Departure airport: | Bayanzurkh district, Gatsuurt's Black Water Spring |
| Uvurkhangai | |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB Mongolia |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
AS350B3 JU-6888 crash landed approximately 78 km west of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Early reports indicate tail rotor failure but no official cause determined yet.
Probable causes for the accident involving an AS350 B3 helicopter, serial number 7096, include the lack of installation of any device for recording conversations or flight data, complicating definitive cause determination.
The French aviation accident investigation agency (BEA) requested the manufacturer to test the ARRIEL 2D engine, serial number 51065, but Mongolian Airways has not yet resolved this due to inability to fund engine transportation and testing costs.
The BEA's laboratory analysis of the fractured tail rotor drive shaft suggests potential loss of aircraft control. Circumstances leading to this situation might have been influenced by the pilot not performing specific maneuvers according to flight instructions during a phase when the helicopter was flying about 10-15 meters high from the west towards a grain field (crash site), then initiating a hover maneuver which led to the helicopter turning left and starting to lose altitude. The pilot attempted to initiate the second flight, increasing collective pitch without success, causing continued rotation and descent. The helicopter's inability to stabilize and recover from this rotation likely led to the final crash. The investigation notes that during attempts to ascend in high altitude and heavy load conditions, engine performance was reduced, diminishing the lift and causing the helicopter to lose significant altitude rapidly. The rotation was likely exacerbated or insufficiently corrected during maneuvers, potentially due to overcompensation or insufficient adjustment of the tail rotor during flight.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://tac.mn/post/112744
Location
Images:
Photo: AAIB Mongolia
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 27-Sep-2022 14:45 | URO | Added |
| 27-Sep-2022 14:56 | URO | Updated [Departure airport, Destination airport, ] |
| 19-Feb-2025 08:57 | ASN | Updated [Time, Total occupants, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Narrative, Accident report, Photo, ] |
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