Accident Details
On 30 December 2017 at 17:42 local time, a Bell 412SP helicopter, registration EC-MMC, operated by Babcock International Group PLC, and a CASA 1131 biplane (a Bucker Bü 131 Jungmann), registration N1950M, collided while on final approach to runway 30 at the aerodrome of Mutxamel (Alicante, Spain). The helicopter was returning from firefighting activities; the biplane was on a private flight in the vicinity.
During the approach, the rear of the helicopter was struck, causing loss of its tail rotor. The helicopter destabilized but the crew executed an emergency landing in a level attitude with a clockwise yaw motion. The biplane lost its right wings upon impact, causing the pilot to lose control and the aircraft to crash inverted.
Injuries and Damage
The pilot of the biplane died as a result of injuries sustained in the accident. Of the ten occupants on the helicopter, two sustained minor injuries and eight were uninjured. The helicopter sustained damage including loss of tail rotor; the biplane was destroyed.
Cause
The investigation by the Civil Aviation Accident and Incident Investigation Commission (CIAIAC) determined that the cause of the accident was the failure of the biplane’s pilot to detect the helicopter on the final approach to runway 30 at the Mutxamel aerodrome, while the biplane was further back in the approach to land on the same runway. Contributing to the accident were deficient or zero use of communications, as well as a failure to adhere to the aerodrome traffic circuit by the biplane pilot.