2015 Eurocopter AS350 B3 accident at Cima di Zocca (I-CMCM)

Overview and Event Description On 31 July 2015, at approximately 11:30 UTC, a Eurocopter AS350 B3 helicopter with registration I-CMCM impacted a rock face at Cima di Zocca in Valmasino, Sondrio, at an altitude of 3,100 meters. The aircraft was destroyed, and the pilot and two technicians on board died. The accident occurred during a visual flight rules (VFR) operational transfer from Passo Marinelli in Lanzada to Val Codera in Novate, roughly halfway along the route. The impact point was about 15 meters from the line connecting the crest of Cima di Zocca to Passo di Zocca. ## Aircraft and Operator The aircraft was a Eurocopter AS350 B3, a light multirole helicopter with a maximum takeoff mass of 2,250 kg, built in 2007 with serial number 4210. It was powered by a Turbomeca Arriel 2B1 engine and had a three-blade rotor with a diameter of 10.69 meters. The operator was Elitellina srl, based in Sondrio. The flight was classified as aerial work, specifically positioning for a subsequent passenger transport flight. ## Personnel The pilot was a 51-year-old Italian male holding a valid commercial pilot license (CPL) for helicopters, with type ratings for the AS350/EC130 and English radiotelephony. He also held mountain aerial work and paradropping ratings. His instrument rating (IR) was expired as of 7 May 2015. He had completed a type rating proficiency check on 6 March 2015 and an operator proficiency check on 10 June 2015. He held a valid class one medical certificate with a VNL limitation. The pilot held the positions of Flight Operations Post Holder (FOPh) and Crew Training Post Holder (CTPh) within the company. He had over 8,500 hours of flight time, including approximately 260 hours in 2015, 145 hours in the preceding 90 days, and 5 hours 32 minutes on the day before the accident. ## Flight Operations On the day of the accident, the pilot had completed approximately 40 rotations and about 108 minutes of flight time across five aerial work activities. The operator's daily program had planned 124 rotations and 12 hours 50 minutes of operations, from 06:30 local mean time (LMT) to 18:50 LMT. The operator stated that the 15:30 LMT task from Cava to San Giuseppe, involving 60 rotations, had been assigned to another operator due to logistical timing issues. The 11:15 LMT task had been moved to 13:10 LMT and completed by I-CMCM as the last leg before the accident. The 12:30 LMT task was performed around 15:00 LMT by another helicopter of the same company, I-CAVA, which had returned from a secondary base to assist with searches. ## Aircraft Maintenance The aircraft's technical and operational documentation was in order, with the Airworthiness Review Certificate (ARC) valid until 22 February 2016. As of 30 July 2015, the helicopter had 3,560 total flight hours and had flown approximately 79 hours since its last 100-hour inspection on 16 July 2015. The last maintenance activity was on 27 July 2015, involving the application of Service Bulletin 292-722861 for an accessory inspection.