Aircraft and Operator
The accident aircraft was a Robinson R-66 helicopter, registered S2-AIB, manufactured by Robinson Helicopter Company. The operator was Meghna Aviation Ltd (MAL), a commercial helicopter operator based at Hazrat Shah Jalal International Airport (HSIA), Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Accident Sequence
On 16 September 2016, the helicopter departed from VGHS (Dhaka) at 0130 UTC for Inani Helipad. It landed at Inani, near Cox's Bazar, at approximately 0315 UTC. After disembarking the initial passengers, four new passengers boarded for a return flight to Dhaka with a planned refueling stop at VGEG.
At 0320 UTC, during takeoff from Inani Helipad, the captain noticed that the front-left cockpit door was open and being held by the front-left passenger. The captain decided to land on the sea beach to close it. During the approach at 10–15 ft height, the passenger opened the door again to take a photograph. The captain instructed him to shut the door, which he did with a bang, causing his camera to fall. In attempting to retrieve the camera, the passenger inadvertently pulled the cyclic control with his right hand toward the left. The captain lost control of the helicopter, and it crashed at the sea shore.
Injuries and Damage
There were one flight crew and four passengers on board. One of the four passengers died from injuries sustained in the accident. The helicopter was substantially damaged.
Communications
The captain communicated with Dhaka Control Tower during departure and with Chittagong Control Tower en route to Inani. The Cox's Bazar control tower (VGCB) was not on watch at the time of the accident (its watch hour started at 0400 UTC).
Rescue
After the crash, surrounding people rushed to the wreckage. The captain exited the wreckage and helped rescue all passengers.