Flight History
On 5 August 2017, a Bell 206B3 helicopter, registration D-HHMP, operated by Rotorsun, departed from the Sueca heliport to spray rice paddies near Pego, Alicante. A ground support team prepared a landing and refueling site adjacent to the fields. The area was flat, at sea level, with crop height around 1.2 meters and no power lines. After flying for about 1 hour and 30 minutes, during the sixth takeoff of the day, the aircraft landed to refill chemicals. During the subsequent initial takeoff phase, before reaching effective translational lift, the helicopter lost altitude. The right part of the spray boom struck the crop field, leading to a dynamic rollover and impact with the ground.
Injuries and Damage
The pilot, who exited the aircraft unaided, was not injured. The helicopter sustained significant damage to its spray booms, landing gear, main rotor, tail cone, engine compartment, and other components.
Aircraft and Personnel Information
The Bell 206B is a single-engine turbine helicopter with two-bladed main and tail rotors. The accident aircraft, serial number 3823, was manufactured in 1984 and had accumulated 6058 flight hours at the time of the accident. The engine was a Rolls-Royce Allison 250-C20-J. The owner was Agrarflug Helilift GmbH & Co KG (Germany), and the operator was Rotorsun (Spain). The pilot, aged 26, held a commercial helicopter license and a Bell 206 rating valid until April 2018. He had 1365 total flight hours, with 908 on type. In the 30 days prior, he flew 71 hours on type. His work schedule included aerial spraying, firefighting, and other activities.
Probable Cause and Contributing Factors
The investigation determined that the accident was most likely caused by the execution of a takeoff maneuver without maintaining suitable external visual references. Contributing factors included applying less power than necessary to avoid altitude loss before reaching effective translational lift, maintaining a curved flight path instead of a straight one over terrain during takeoff, and the improper implementation of reduced flight periods specified in the operator’s Operations Manual for pilots with little experience in aerial spraying.