What happened
On March 5, 2008, an Aerospatiale AS-350B2 helicopter, registration EC-FJV, was conducting aerial photography for a commercial automobile advertisement near Yaiza, Lanzarote. The mission involved filming a vehicle traveling along a closed 2 km stretch of the LZ-7 and road. The aircraft was equipped with a specialized camera mount on the right side of the fuselage.
During the ninth filming take, the helicopter was flying at a very low altitude, following the path of the vehicle. As the aircraft maneuvered along the road, the anti-torque rotor struck a traffic sign warning of dangerous curves. The impact caused the tail rotor to detach from the aircraft. Following the loss of the tail rotor, the helicopter began to rotate rapidly around its central axis and traveled approximately 100 meters before impacting the ground. All three occupants on board—the pilot, a camera operator, and a director—sustained serious injuries.
The investigation
The investigation examined the aircraft's flight path, wreckage, and eyewitness accounts. Radar data from the Canaries Control Center confirmed the aircraft had been maneuvering in the area, often flying at low altitudes that caused intermittent radar signal loss.
Physical examination of the wreckage revealed that the tail rotor had detached due to the breakage of the tail gearbox fittings, the drive shaft, and the pitch control linkage. The traffic sign was found bent at a 60-degree angle, consistent with being struck by the rotor. Analysis of the wreckage distribution and the condition of the signpost suggested that the aircraft was maintaining a level flight path with a slight slip to the right at the moment of impact, placing the tail rotor over the edge of the road.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the impact of the tail rotor with a traffic sign.
- The aircraft was operating at a very low altitude over the road during the filming process.
- A slight lateral slip to the right placed the anti-torque rotor in direct contact with the roadside signage.
- The impact resulted in the immediate detachment of the tail rotor and subsequent loss of directional control.