Bell 206 Accident at Corneville-sur-Risle (F-BSGB)

Incident Overview and Context On June 1, 2000, a privately operated Bell 206 helicopter with the registration F-BSGB was involved in a fatal accident near Corneville-sur-Risle, France. The incident occurred at 18:15 UTC (20:15 local time) and resulted in the destruction of the aircraft. Four individuals were on board: the pilot and three passengers. The pilot, aged 55, had 111 hours of flight experience, all on the same aircraft type. The flight was a navigation flight that originated from a private helipad in Boucquelon. The pilot first traveled to Le Havre for refueling, a journey that took approximately 15 minutes. After departing Le Havre at 17:31 UTC and passing through Étretat and Fécamp, the pilot intended to return to Boucquelon but first made a stop near a friend's house in Corneville-sur-Risle. Weather conditions at the time, based on an observation from Évreux 60 km away at 20:00 UTC, indicated winds from 220 degrees at 6-10 knots, visibility greater than 10 km, clear skies (CAVOK), a temperature of 21 °C, and a QNH of 1019 hPa. The helicopter's estimated total weight at the time of the accident was 1,402 kg, close to its maximum limit of 1,450 kg.