ANSV Investigation Report: AS 350 B2 Helicopter Accident at Riscone di Brunico (I-)

Incident Overview and Aircraft Details On 18 February 2003, at 08:40 UTC (09:40 local time), an Aerospatiale-Matra AS 350 B2 helicopter, registration I-EQUR, was involved in an accident at Riscone di Brunico (BZ). The aircraft, operated by Elifriulia s.r.l. of Ronchi dei Legionari (GO), was on a repositioning flight for public passenger transport. The helicopter was a 1991-built monorotor model with a maximum takeoff weight of 2,250 kg, powered by a Turbomeca Arriel 1D1 engine rated at 721 hp. ## Flight Operations and Personnel The pilot, a 54-year-old male, held a valid commercial helicopter pilot license with IFR rating and was qualified on multiple helicopter types, including the AS350. He had a total of 8,406 hours and 30 minutes of flight experience, with over 4,000 hours on the type. His last medical examination was conducted on 21 November 2002, and he was required to wear corrective lenses during flight. ## Accident Sequence and Damage During the final approach to a grass area in front of a hotel, the helicopter's lower vertical tail plane collided with the power cables of the Brunico-Bolzano line. The impact caused the lower vertical plane to detach and become entangled in the cable, while the upper vertical plane and tail rotor also separated from the airframe. The pilot, who felt a sudden jerk, attempted to correct the rotation but lost control as the helicopter spun around its yaw axis and crashed to the ground. The aircraft sustained extensive damage, including a collapsed cabin floor, detached pilot seat, broken right pillar, deformed fuselage, and a destroyed tail rotor. The pilot sustained a mild head trauma, multiple contusions, and vertebral compression. The power line between poles 98 and 99 was also damaged. ## Investigation Findings and Cause The investigation determined that the primary cause of the accident was the pilot's failure to see the power cables, which were obscured by the sun and reflections from the snow-covered ground. A contributing factor was the pilot's decision to land into the sun, which further reduced visibility. The investigation also noted that the pilot should have inferred the presence of overhead cables from the clearly visible support pylons at the edges of the landing area. No technical defects were found that could have contributed to the accident.