19 Aug 2011: AGUSTA AW139 — Senior Taxi Aereo Ltda. — AO, Brazil

4 fatalitiesAO, Brazil

An Agusta AW139 helicopter crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near an oil rig on August 19, 2011.

What happened

On August 19, 2011, at 19:48 UTC, an Agusta AW13МУ helicopter, bearing registration PR-SEK, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. The aircraft was operating near the P-65 oil rig at the time of the accident.

The helicopter was en route to the Macae Municipality in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, having just departed from the P-65 platform. Following the impact, the aircraft sank in waters with a recorded depth of 100 meters (328 feet).

The accident resulted in 4 fatal outcomes, as the two-person flight crew and two passengers have not been located and are presumed killed.

Probable cause

not provided

Contributing factors

Causes

Hydraulic, main system — Failure

Other contributing factors

Pilot