What happened
On June 12, 2004, an AEROS 40B SKYDRAGON airship, registration N820AG, was returning to the Espinho Aerodrome following a scheduled aerial filming mission for the Euro 2004 football championship. The aircraft, operated by Airship Management Services Europe, was carrying a pilot and a passenger.
Upon arrival, the aerodrome was experiencing heavy fog and wind. During the approach to the mooring mast, the aircraft was drifted by the wind toward the mooring structure. Due to the dense fog, the pilot was unable to visually identify the mast, and the ground crew only noticed the proximity of the aircraft when it was very close to the structure.
As the pilot attempted a corrective maneuver to the left, one of the steel mooring cables trailing from the nose of the airship became entangled with a guy wire securing the mooring mast. This sudden tension caused the airship's envelope to rupture, leading to a loss of helium. Simultaneously, the trailing cable was drawn into the right-hand propeller, causing the engine to fail.
With the loss of lift and one engine inoperative, the pilot attempted an emergency landing on a nearby beach. The airship ultimately crashed into the sea approximately 150 meters from the coast, resulting in the total loss of the aircraft. Both the pilot and the passenger managed to exit the submerged gondola and were rescued from the water; both survived without injury.
The investigation
The GPIAAF investigation examined the flight history, the aircraft's technical condition, and the meteorological circumstances at the time of the accident. The investigation reviewed the operational requirements for the airship's mission, which involved high-profile aerial coverage for a major sporting event. The investigators also analyzed the ground handling procedures, noting that the mooring process required a 12-person ground crew and specific infrastructure.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was deficient operational planning regarding the mooring infrastructure. The requirement for a specific mooring mast and a large ground crew meant that the aircraft could not easily divert to an alternative aerodrome, forcing the pilot to attempt a risky landing under deteriorating conditions.
- Adverse meteorological conditions, specifically dense fog and wind, significantly reduced visibility, preventing the pilot from maintaining visual contact with the mooring mast.
- The entanglement of the trailing cable with the mast'igu wire created an unexpected mechanical shock that ruptured the envelope and caused the engine failure.