Bell 212 Helicopter Accident in Olivar, Chile

Incident Overview and Flight Details On January 27, 2021, a commercial helicopter pilot was operating a Bell Helicopter Textron Model 212 on a transfer flight. The aircraft departed from the Auquil sector in the comuna of Pelarco, Región del Maule, at 10:00 local time, with the destination being Aeródromo Eulogio Sánchez (SCTB) in the Región Metropolitana. The helicopter was operating without passengers on board. ## Emergency Descent and Impact Approximately 40 minutes into the flight, while the aircraft was overflying the comuna of Olivar in the Región del Libertador General Bernardo O’Higgins, a sudden drop in the main rotor RPM occurred. At the time of the event, the helicopter was at an altitude of 1,600 feet above the terrain and traveling at a speed between 95 and 100 knots. Upon observing the failure and noting that the aircraft was beginning to descend over a populated area, the pilot initiated an autorotative emergency descent. The pilot extended the descent trajectory toward a cleared sector to the north of the aircraft's position. According to the pilot's account, upon reaching the selected area, the pilot noted that the aircraft was carrying excessive speed and decided to perform the flare at a higher altitude than intended. The helicopter ultimately impacted the terrain abruptly. ## Consequences and Investigation Scope As a result of the accident, the pilot sustained serious injuries, and the aircraft sustained damage. The official investigation, designated as Accident Investigation No. 1935-21, was conducted in accordance with the standards and methods recommended in Annex 13 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation and the Chilean regulation DAR-13. The investigation focused on determining the causes of the event for the purpose of accident prevention, including the examination of the main driveshaft and the functional testing of the main rotor RPM indication system.