History of the Flight
On 29 November 2017, the AS 350 B3 Écureuil helicopter, registered YR-DEX, operated by S.C. Dunca Expediții S.A., was planned for a VFR flight from Caransebeș to Muntele Mic and back. After approximately 30 minutes of flight, the helicopter landed near an inoperative chairlift at the top of the Borlova Slope to deliver construction materials. The pilot stopped the engine, placed materials in two of the three cargo compartments, and then re-entered the cockpit intending to take off. After starting the engine, he moved the twist grip to the "FLIGHT" position and noticed the "DOOR" warning light illuminated.
Accident Sequence
Without securing the collective lever and with friction applied to the cyclic, the pilot left the cockpit to check the cargo compartment doors, beginning on the right side. While checking the left cargo door, the wind increased, causing the helicopter to lift off forward and bank to the right approximately 20 degrees. The main rotor blades struck the chairlift cable about 37 meters from the take-off point and at a height of about 5 meters. The helicopter then impacted the ground on its left side, the tail boom detaching about three-quarters of its circumference, and the canopy was destroyed. There were no victims. The chairlift cable broke as a result of the impact.
Pilot and Aircraft Information
The pilot was a 49-year-old male holding a valid Romanian PPL(H) license and a valid Class 2 medical certificate. He had 1,890 total flight hours, with 1,273 hours on the AS 350 B3. The helicopter, manufactured by Airbus Helicopters in June 2007 (serial number 4289), had a valid airworthiness certificate and had accumulated 3,694 flight hours and 9,623 landings. The engine was an Arriel 2B1 (serial number 46146).
Meteorological Conditions
No meteorological station existed at the Borlova Slope. The nearest station, at Cuntu Peak about 10 km away, recorded at 14:00 LT a maximum wind speed of 5 m/s from the south-southwest, an outside temperature of -1.7°C, and horizontal visibility greater than 50 km.
Examination of Equipment
The helicopter was equipped with an ELT that activated on impact. The first emergency message was received at 15:10 LT without coordinates; subsequent messages provided coordinates with increasing accuracy, the final one at 18:23 LT being 417 meters from the accident site. The portable AvMap GPS was sent to the manufacturer for data recovery. The Vehicle and Engine Monitoring Display (VEMD) was examined at Airbus Helicopters in Marignane, France. The last recorded flight (flight 6826) lasted 4 minutes (between 3 minutes 30 seconds and 4 minutes 29 seconds). The VEMD recorded four failures and one over-limit during the flight, including a left rudder pedal potentiometer failure at 21 seconds and a collective pitch potentiometer failure at 3 minutes 53 seconds, along with out-of-range engine oil temperature readings.