What happened
On the evening of June 16, 2002, a Robinson R22 Beta, registered F-GGDQ, was conducting a local flight departing from the Saint-Crépin-et-Carlucet airfield in the Dordogne region. After approximately thirty minutes of flight at an altitude of 1,500 feet, the pilot initiated a descent toward the Dordogne River valley to locate a suitable landing area on one of the riverbanks.
During this low-altitude maneuver, the helicopter struck medium-voltage electrical cables at an altitude of approximately 35 meters. The impact caused immediate vibrations throughout the aircraft. As the helicopter became difficult to control and descended to within two meters of the water's surface, the pilot instructed the passenger to evacuate by jumping into the river. The pilot subsequently managed to perform an emergency landing on a sandy bank approximately 200 meters away from the initial impact site.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the circumstances leading to the contact with the electrical infrastructure. Investigators examined the visibility conditions, noting that while the sun was setting, the pilot was not blinded by the light. The investigation also assessed the visibility of the obstacles, finding that the utility poles supporting the lines were largely obscured by dense vegetation.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the failure to detect the electrical lines during a low-altitude flight phase.
- The electrical poles were difficult to identify due to being masked by surrounding vegetation.
- The collision resulted in the severing of three electrical cables.
- The aircraft sustained significant damage, including impacts to the windshield and damage to the rotor mast protection cowling and the underside of the main rotor blade.
- There were no fatalities among the two persons on board.