S55B/T Helicopter Water Landing in Saskatchewan

Operational Context and Event Description The helicopter was performing its second flight of the day on contract missions for the Fire Management and Forest Protection Branch of the Province of Saskatchewan. The pilot was conducting bucketing operations on a nearly extinguished fire, making right-hand circuits between the fire line and a nearby lake. He estimated having completed 10 to 15 bucket drops before returning to a bay in the lake to refill the bucket. The bucket was suspended on a 20-foot line below the aircraft while the pilot, with his head out the side window, monitored the fill progress rather than the engine gauges. While hovering 10 to 15 feet above the water with the throttle fully open, the pilot observed the engine spooling down. The helicopter could not maintain altitude, and despite attempts to arrest the descent and reduce main rotor revolutions per minute, the aircraft struck the water. The helicopter settled onto its left side, causing substantial damage to the main rotor blades. The pilot exited the sinking aircraft and swam to shore, sustaining a head blow and neck soreness. He did not retrieve his overhead life jacket. Shoreline witnesses reported a stable hover and a resting bucket before the engine noise decreased and the aircraft settled into the water.