History of the Flight
On 12 January 2021, a privately operated Schweizer 269C-1 helicopter, registered F-HAGO, departed from its base helipad for a VFR flight in the mountainous Val d'Ese area. The pilot, accompanied by a passenger, was in radio contact with Ajaccio flight information. After crossing the Bocca della Calle pass, the pilot turned around. During the return leg, while flying at an altitude of 7,200 ft (2,200 m), the main rotor speed decreased and the helicopter lost altitude. The pilot was unable to counter this trend and crossed the pass in descent, making a forced landing on a snow-covered slope. Upon touchdown, the helicopter tipped forward and the main rotor struck the snow.
At 14:18, the ARCC Lyon was alerted by the Cospas-Sarsat system of an emergency locator transmitter activation from F-HAGO. The wreckage was located at around 15:30 on the Scaldasole ridge. The occupants were found at 15:49 and airlifted by helicopter.
Additional Information
Site and Wreckage
The wreckage was at an altitude of 1,937 m, oriented south-southwest. Marks in the snow extended about 10 meters before the airframe. The tail boom was broken, and the rear stabilizer and tail rotor were detached. Main rotor blades were bent, with evidence of power on one blade. Flight control linkages were continuous. No technical anomaly was found to explain the rotor speed decrease.
Meteorological Information
Météo-France estimated wind at 340° to 360° at 4 to 16 kt, low turbulence, visibility 10 km, clear sky, temperature -4°C, with horizontal and vertical wind shear at the pass.
Helicopter Information
The helicopter was a Schweizer 269C-1 with a Lycoming HIO-360-G1A engine (180 hp at 2,700 rpm). The instrument panel included a red "Rotor - Low RPM" warning light coupled with an aural alarm. The flight manual stated that to counter rotor speed decrease, the pilot must increase power and/or lower collective pitch. The helicopter had conventional skids, not skis.
At the time, the helicopter weighed about 745 kg. At -4°C, its hover ceiling IGE was approximately 7,000 ft (2,135 m) at maximum power.
Pilot Experience
The pilot held a PPL(H) since February 2017 and a HU269 type rating. He had over 200 flight hours, with about 12 hours in the previous 12 months. He had no mountain flying training but regularly performed mountain flights. He had not landed on snow before.
Statements
The pilot reported feeling vibrations crossing the pass perpendicularly with a tailwind. After rotor speed decreased, the helicopter lost about 300 ft at -500 ft/min. He initially pulled collective but then lowered it to regain rotor speed. He opted to land after the pass. The "Rotor - Low RPM" aural warning sounded just before landing. After landing, skids sank into unpacked snow, causing the helicopter to tip forward. No emergency call was made due to lack of phone signal and a fuel leak; the pilot and passenger walked to a ridge to call Ajaccio. They did not take the personal locator beacon.
Survival Aspects
The fixed ELT activated automatically but was not registered on the French register (RFBD). The portable PLB was not activated or taken. The occupants walked for nearly two hours to reach phone coverage.