What happened
On July 6, 2006, a Beriev BE-200ES amphibious aircraft, registration RF-21512, was conducting a flight evaluation mission at the Aguieira Dam in Portugal. The mission was intended to assess the aircraft's capabilities for future forest fire suppression operations.
During the mission, the crew attempted a water scooping maneuver to collect approximately 6,200 liters of water. While performing the maneuver, the aircraft's climb path intersected with eucalyptus trees located along the shoreline. The collision caused the aircraft to strike the treetops, leading to the ingestion of branches into the engines. This resulted in an overheat warning and a subsequent drop in RPM for the number one engine. The crew responded by shutting down the affected engine, dumping the onboard water, and continuing the flight to Monte Real Air Base on a single engine. All five crew members and four observers on board escaped without injury.
The investigation
The GPIAAF investigation focused on the discrepancy between the planned operational distances and the actual terrain constraints. The investigation revealed that the mission planning was based on erroneous data. The Beriev delegation had used non-certified maps and digital projections (Google Maps) to estimate available scooping distances, leading them to believe a distance of 3,800 meters was available for the maneuver. However, verified charts from the Portuguese Army Geographical Institute showed the actual available distance in that sector was less than 2,550 meters.
Furthermore, the investigation examined the crew's performance during the critical phase of the maneuver, specifically looking at how the collision was not avoided despite the crew's attempt to adjust the aircraft's pitch and bank.