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| Date: | Saturday 24 August 2024 |
| Time: | 14:30 |
| Type: |  AgustaWestland AW139 |
| Owner/operator: | Global Vectra Helicorp |
| Registration: | VT-GVI |
| MSN: | 41015 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2008 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Paud Village, near Pune -
 India
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Ferry/positioning |
| Departure airport: | Juhu, Mumbai |
| Hyderabad-Begumpet Airport (BPM/VOHY) | |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB India |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities |
On 24.08.2024, an AW139 helicopter bearing registration VT-GVI belonging to M/s GVHL was planned to operate a sortie from Juhu -Begumpet with 2 crew, 1 AME and 1 technician on board at 0630 UTC. The purpose of flight was to ferry the helicopter to Vijaywada with a halt at Begumpet airport
However, due to inclement weather and rain at Juhu, the departure was delayed. After the weather improved and visibility increased to 2100 m, the helicopter took off at about 0830 UTC. The helicopter was cleared for K151 route till Pune (VAPO), with planned changeover to from VFR to IFR at Karnala.
The PIC was Pilot Flying and the Co-Pilot was Pilot Monitoring. Initial departure at 1000 ft was uneventful though there were intermittent clouds & rain. About 02 NM from Karnala, the crew asked permission to climb and changeover to IFR from VFR. The ATC initially cleared the helicopter to 5500 ft and thereafter gave clearance till 7000 ft. On reaching 7000 ft, the helicopter levelled off and the crew performed cruise checks satisfactorily.
Crew stated to have experienced helicopter swinging left and right excessively on selecting LNAV mode. HDG mode was selected and the swinging reduced to some extent. They also stated that the ALT mode was getting disengaged repeatedly causing helicopter to climb to 7200 feet and ALTA was selected to retain altitude.
About 20 NM from Pune, the crew stated to have encountered weather in front. In order to avoid the weather, they turned to the left. The PIC stated that the helicopter entered left bank and the bank angle kept increasing and crew suddenly experienced the helicopter entering a spiral dive.
Crew stated that the helicopter was in clouds and they did not have any visual reference while the helicopter was descending rapidly. As they broke cloud, the helicopter was observed to be at 500 ft on RA and 80 kts speed. The PIC decided to land immediately. As helicopter was flared to arrest the rate of decent, the helicopter tail hit a tree and got dislodged. The helicopter impacted the ground about 30 feet ahead and toppled on left side.
Both crew were partially incapacitated due to impact with ground. The PIC suffered a head injury with accompanying bleeding. The AME came out of the helicopter and rescued both flight crew after breaking the cockpit window. The technician was able to come out on his own. The AME switched off the engine and battery. He also operated a fire extinguisher to arrest some smoke he had observed from the engine.
The helicopter was manufactured in 2008 and had a valid Certificate of Airworthiness (CoA) and Certificate of Registration (CoR). The helicopter was under scheduled maintenance from 26 Jun 2024 to 22 Aug 2024. During this period, helicopter underwent 04 yearly Inspection and 1200 hrs Inspection. The helicopter had flown 9200:26 hrs till the date of accident. The helicopter was equipped with two PT6C-67C engines. Both Engines had undergone 900 Hrs/01 Yearly inspection on 20 Aug 2024 and 600 Hrs Inspection on 22 Aug 2024. LH Engine had accumulated 8112:12 hrs and RH engine had accumulated 7609:52 hrs till the date of accident
Crew had valid licenses and were current to operate this flight.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.deccanherald.com/india/maharashtra/private-helicopter-carrying-4-people-crashes-in-punes-paud-village-3163028
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/pune-rains-helicopter-with-4-on-board-crashes-amid-heavy-rain-in-pune-6407982
https://cdn.jetphotos.com/full/5/12713_1535196127.jpg(photo)
History of this aircraft
Ex N339JR
Location
Media:
Global Vectra AW-139 makes an emergency landing due to technical defect near Pune. Excellent work by the pilots and all on board safe. #punenews pic.twitter.com/bKOq45IXy8
— आनंद آنند مینی Aanand (@aanandmani) August 24, 2024
A helicopter has crashed near Paud in Pune district amid heavy rainfall in the region. The technical cause of the accident is yet to be determined. However, the local Superintendent of Police has confirmed that all occupants of the helicopter are safe. Rescue operations are… pic.twitter.com/aq9ssAuMj4
— Pune Mirror (@ThePuneMirror) August 24, 2024
Maharashtra | A private helicopter crashed near Paud village in Pune district. The helicopter belongs to a private aviation company. It was going from Mumbai to Hyderabad. Among the 4 people who were in the Helicopter, the captain sustained injuries and is hospitalised. The rest… https://t.co/Z2MkvvXi91 pic.twitter.com/kF5qg7HOV2
— ANI (@ANI) August 24, 2024
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Aug-2024 10:37 | gerard57 | Added |
| 24-Aug-2024 10:40 | gerard57 | Updated [Aircraft type, ] |
| 24-Aug-2024 12:03 | ASN | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Phase, Nature, Source, Embed code, ] |
| 24-Aug-2024 13:10 | Aerossurance | Updated [Embed code, ] |
| 24-Aug-2024 13:39 | RobertMB | Updated [Location, Phase, Nature, Source, Embed code, Narrative, Category, ] |
| 25-Sep-2024 17:49 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Location, Nature, Destination airport, Embed code, Narrative, ] |
| 26-Sep-2024 11:30 | ASN | Updated [Accident report, ] |
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