Accident Airbus Helicopters H125 F-HMFA, Monday 30 May 2022

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Date:	Monday 30 May 2022
Time:
Type:	Airbus Helicopters H125
Owner/operator:	Héli Béarn
Registration:	F-HMFA
MSN:	8779
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Substantial
Category:	Accident
Location:	Borce - France
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:
Destination airport:
Investigating agency:	BEA
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
At the end of a navigation flight to familiarize himself with the sites operated by the aerial work company Héli Béarn, the pilot carried out a high vertical descent speed approach with a tailwind. The helicopter entered a vortex and the pilot lost control.

Contributing factors:
The following factors may have contributed to the entry into and maintenance of the vortex condition:
* failure to take into account the effects of the tailwind when managing the approach and descent;
* too high a vertical descent speed;
* the surprise and stress induced by the situation, which may have increased the pilot's reaction time and led to late action on the collective pitch control;
* the absence of any attempt to exit the vortex conditions so as not to endanger the people on the ground; the pilot did not wish to use the cyclic control so as not to bring the helicopter closer to their position and endanger them.

Accident investigation: