What happened
On November 17, 2021, at approximately 18:30 UTC, a Robinson R-22 Beta helicopter, registration LV-ZRH, was engaged in a recreational flight from Tolosa aerodrome toward Tandil. After roughly two hours of flight in visual meteorological conditions, the aircraft was flying at a low altitude when it struck an electrical power line. The impact caused the helicopter to strike the ground approximately 70 meters from the initial collision point. The subsequent impact triggered a fire that completely destroyed the aircraft. Although a nearby worker managed to extract the pilot from the wreckage before the fire spread, the pilot succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
The investigation
The investigation conducted by the JST examined the aircraft's condition and the pilot's credentials. While the post-crash fire made a detailed inspection of the wreckage difficult, investigators found no evidence of mechanical failures occurring prior to the impact. However, the investigation revealed significant regulatory discrepancies. The pilot's medical certificate had been expired since March 2010. Furthermore, the aircraft was not in an airworthy condition due to a lack of updated maintenance records. The last recorded annual inspection for the helicopter dated back to 2008. Additionally, the pilot's documented flight experience was notably low, with only 10 hours of flight time recorded as of October 2019.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the collision with an electrical power line during low-altitude flight.
- The pilot was operating with an expired medical certificate.
- The aircraft was not maintained in an airworthy state, lacking required maintenance documentation and recent inspections.
- The investigation could not definitively determine the specific operational reasons why the aircraft was being flown at such a low altitude.