Incident
On December 1, 2005, at 12:17 local time, a Bell 206 L4T twin-engine helicopter with registration EC-HCT crashed during takeoff from the bullring in Móstoles, Madrid. The helicopter was operated by Helisureste, S.A. and was being used for public service support flights with the Autonomous Community of Madrid (CAM). The pilot had earlier performed two flights from the same location, including a practice flight and a fuel-burning leg. After shutting down engines and waiting, the engines were restarted at 12:15 with six persons on board: the pilot, an auxiliary crew member (a municipal police officer), and four passengers. Two and a half minutes later, the takeoff began. The helicopter rose vertically, initiated a right turn, and reached an altitude of about 8 meters with a heading of 150°. It then ceased climbing and turning, began forward movement to exit the ring between a light tower and a stage section. While turning right over the stands, the rate of turn increased. After crossing the stands, the helicopter rapidly descended, impacting the exterior wall of the ring and then the ground. It came to rest on its left side. The pilot shut off fuel and electricity; no fire occurred. All occupants had their safety belts or harnesses secured. They evacuated with assistance; no serious injuries were reported. Two passengers sustained slight cuts and bruises.
Aircraft
The helicopter was a Bell 206 L4T, serial number 52062, built in 1994. It had two Allison 250-C20R engines. The maximum takeoff weight was 2,063.5 kg. The aircraft held a valid airworthiness certificate and was owned and operated by Helicópteros del Sureste, S.A. (Helisureste). Maintenance records were in compliance with the established program. The main rotor rotates counter-clockwise when viewed from above. The modification to the twin-engine configuration was performed under supplemental type certificate SR0036SE.
Crew
The pilot was a 39-year-old Spanish commercial helicopter pilot with 2,475 total flight hours, including 1,507 hours on the Bell 206 and 96 hours 35 minutes on the Bell 206 L4T. He had completed a transition course for the Bell 206 L4T in February 2004. His licence was valid until December 1, 2005. He had 2 days of experience with the BESCAM service and had just completed a proficiency check for his rating renewal on the Bell 206L4T on November 29, 2005. The auxiliary crew member was a Móstoles municipal police officer with about 40 flight hours on the helicopter.
Injuries and Damage
All six persons on board (2 crew, 4 passengers) were not seriously injured. Two passengers suffered minor injuries (cuts and bruises). The aircraft was destroyed: landing skids, tail cone, rotor, and main rotor head and blades detached; the main fuselage and compartment remained mostly intact with minor breakage and deformation. Slight damage was noted on the outside wall of the bullring and one door from impact with the landing skids and main rotor blades.
Meteorological Information
At the time of the accident, weather conditions reported at nearby aerodromes included wind from 250° at 12 knots at Getafe at 12:00, and from 260° at 7 knots at Cuatro Vientos at 12:30. Visibility was 8,000 m or more. Temperature was 2°C. The average wind direction at the head of Cuatro Vientos runway 28 shifted around 11:40 and stabilized near 240°, with maximum speeds around 17 knots.