What happened
On May 17, 2019, at approximately 17:20 UTC, an Airbus Helicopters AS 350 B2 was performing a heavy-lift transport operation near Schneebergdörfl, Austria. The aircraft, operated by a German commercial operator, was returning from the Fischerhütte at an altitude of 2,049 meters after delivering a load of ten beer kegs (approximately 675 kg) to the site.
During the return flight toward the valley, the pilot experienced a loud bang and significant vibrations. Following a second impact, the pilot lost all pedal control, indicating a failure of the tail rotor system. The pilot immediately released the empty seven-meter-long external sling from the cargo hook and initiated an emergency landing.
To manage the loss of anti-torque control, the pilot executed a wide left turn to bleed off altitude. As the aircraft approached the ground at a height of only 1 to 1.5 meters, the pilot reduced the collective. However, the aircraft could not counteract the resulting torque, leading to a rapid rotation around the vertical axis. This centrifugal force caused the landing skids to collapse, resulting in the tail boom striking the ground and separating from the main fuselage.
The investigation
The Austrian Federal Safety Investigation Board (SUB) examined the flight path, aircraft technical data, and environmental conditions. Investigators analyzed data from the ETM1000 flight recorder, which captured spikes in torque and engine gas temperature (MGT) coinciding with the moment the tail rotor issues began. The investigation also reviewed the pilot's use of a shorter 7-meter sling, chosen due to difficult visibility at the offloading site, and the aircraft's flight parameters, including sink rate and airspeed during the period of the incident.