What happened
On January 27, 2006, at approximately 12:55 local time, a Robinson 44 II helicopter, registration EC-JOG, crashed in the vicinity of Lorca, Murcia. The aircraft had departed from Almería Airport at 11:59 for a private flight to Bullas, carrying the pilot and two passengers.
While flying over the Sierra de la Tercia at a low altitude, the aircraft climbed over a ridge and then performed a series of erratic maneuvers, including two 36/0-degree turns, before striking a mountainside at the "llano del Zarcico." During the impact, one of the rotor blades struck a pine tree, severing its top. A post-impact fire broke out, destroying the cabin, the main rotor, and part of the tail cone. The three fatalities were confirmed at the scene.
The investigation
Investigators examined the wreckage and analyzed radar tracks and witness testimonies. Witnesses located near the site reported seeing the helicopter flying very low and observed it turning back toward the ridge after passing over it. Meteorological data confirmed that while conditions were suitable for Visual Flight Rules (VFR) at departure, weather had significantly degraded by the time of the accident, with low clouds, rain, and near-zero visibility.
Technical analysis of the wreckage showed no evidence of mechanical failure in the tail rotor mechanisms or the transmission. The aircraft was nearly new, having received its first airworthiness certificate only one month prior to the accident. Radar data corroborated the witnesses' accounts, showing an unstable flight path with increasingly sharp turns immediately preceding the impact.
Findings
- The pilot was operating with 105 total flight hours, with 81 hours in the type.
- The flight transitioned from VFR conditions to instrument conditions as the cloud ceiling dropped, prompting the pilot to descend to lower altitudes to attempt to maintain visual contact with the terrain.
- The pilot likely executed a sharp maneuver at low altitude in an attempt to find a navigable route through the mountainous terrain, which led to a loss of control.
- Contributing factors included the degradation of meteorological conditions and the potential pressure to reach the destination for a scheduled event, which may have discouraged the decision to divert or return to base.