What happened
On the night of June 17, 2011, an AS 350 B2 helicopter, registration PR-OMO, crashed into the sea near Itapororoca Beach, Bahia. The aircraft had departed from Porto Seguro (SBPS) at 18:41 UTC, carrying the pilot and six passengers, with the intended destination being the Jacumã Ocean Resort helipad.
Approximately eight minutes after takeoff, the aircraft disappeared from radar. The wreckage was later located submerged six meters deep, approximately 143 meters from the shoreline. The impact with the water resulted in seven fatalities (the pilot and all six passengers) and the total loss of the aircraft.
The investigation
CENIPA's investigation established that the flight was conducted under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) at night, flying at a low altitude of 500 feet AGL. At the time of the accident, meteorological conditions were deteriorating, with reports of light rain and fog in the area.
The investigation revealed significant regulatory violations regarding the pilot's credentials. The pilot was operating the aircraft with an expired technical qualification (CHT) for the specific model, which had been expired since 2005, and an expired medical certificate (CCF) since 2006. Furthermore, the pilot had used the ANAC identification code of another pilot to facilitate the operation.
Findings
- Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT): The primary cause was the pilot's decision to fly at night and low altitude under adverse weather conditions, which led to a loss of situational awareness and a collision with the sea surface.
- Pilot Performance: The pilot's decision-making was compromised by self-imposed pressure to fulfill commitments to passengers and a lack of adequate training for instrument flight in such conditions.
- Regulatory Non-compliance: The pilot was operating without valid qualifications or medical certification and had bypassed regulatory oversight by using another pilot's credentials.
- Operational Oversight: The operator/owner failed to provide adequate managerial supervision, and the lack of effective inspection by civil aviation authorities allowed the irregular operation to proceed.