What happened
On May 27, 2000, an Eurocopter AS 350 B1 (registration F-GKCN) was performing aerial work involving sling load operations within the Corsica Regional Natural Park. The pilot was conducting a series of rotations to transport equipment between various sites. After landing at the Carrozzode refuge, the pilot stabilized the aircraft in a hover to allow a ground worker to attach a large "big bag" containing waste and empty gas bottles to the sling.
Shortly after takeoff, the pilot transmitted a distress message, indicating a potential issue with the tail rotor or a strike, and expressed an intention to perform an emergency landing in the valley. Witnesses observed the aircraft flying at high speed in a nose-down attitude. While attempting to clear a ridge near the Figarella valley, the aircraft was seen performing several left-hand yawing maneuvers before disappearing behind the terrain. The helicopter subsequently struck a rocky slope, resulting in two fatalities (the pilot and one passenger) and the destruction of the aircraft.
The investigation
Investigators examined the flight path and the area surrounding the takeoff site. They identified that the transport bag had struck a dead tree trunk, approximately two meters high, located roughly 300 meters from the takeoff area. This obstacle sat about 30 meters above the takeoff elevation. The impact caused the bag to rupture and discharge its contents.
Physical evidence showed that fragments of the bag, along with the sling straps and the load rope, were found entangled in the tail rotor gearbox, which had been torn from the tail boom. A technical examination of the wreckage revealed no mechanical malfunctions that could have contributed to the accident. The aircraft was operating within the manufacturer's defined limits at the time of the incident.