2012 Bell 206L3 accident in Buriticá, Colombia (HK4871)

Incident Overview and Operation Details On August 18, 2012, a Bell 206L3 LongRanger helicopter, registration HK-4871, was involved in an accident in the rural area of Buriticá, Antioquia, Colombia. The aircraft, owned by AEROFIEET INC and operated by Compañía de vuelo de helicópteros Comerciales S.A.S HELIFLY, was conducting a commercial taxi flight involving external cargo operations. The helicopter departed from Olaya Herrera Airport in Medellín at 07:55 local time with a pilot and a load master on board. After arriving at the operational site and conducting a briefing, the pilot began external load flights at 09:00. Initial operations were suspended due to deteriorating weather conditions. Following a period of rest, the pilot resumed operations after 10:00, completing four flights between an extraction area at 3,000 feet and a drop-off site at 6,300 feet. The extraction zone did not permit helicopter landings, requiring ground operators to attach the cargo. ## Sequence of Events and Impact Operations resumed at 15:00. After completing three additional load flights, the helicopter returned with a white plastic tarp inside a backpack suspended from the external load hook. The aircraft was traveling at approximately 30 KIAS. At approximately 15:30, the pilot experienced a sudden pitch-down followed by a yaw to the right. The pilot observed the plastic tarp forming a parachute-like shape and shifting backward. The pilot immediately released the external load and initiated an autorotation. During the descent, the pilot avoided two power lines and altered the intended landing path, ultimately striking trees before contacting the ground. The pilot performed an emergency shutdown, activated the Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT), and evacuated the aircraft unassisted. The pilot was uninjured. ## Investigation Findings and Aircraft Damage The investigation determined that the backpack suspended on the load hook shifted backward, striking and severing the tail rotor while the helicopter was in flight. The aircraft sustained the complete loss of the tail rotor gearbox and system, along with fractures to the tail rotor blades. Additional damage included fractured front and lower cockpit windows, torsion damage to the tail boom, and a bent pitch control tube. The main rotor blades were damaged by contact with bushes, and the skid-type landing gear was fractured due to high vertical loads during the autorotation and the unprepared terrain. The aircraft had a maximum operational gross weight of 1,882 kilograms and was certified for one crew member and six passenger seats. The pilot, a 38-year-old Colombian national, held a valid medical certificate and had a total of 6,954 flight hours, including 3,987.3 hours on the Bell 206. The aircraft had a total of 10,972.5 flight hours and had completed its 100-hour and engine inspection on May 9, 2012. The accident occurred in daylight under visual meteorological conditions.