Helicopter accident in Saint-Julien-Molhesabate (F-GZFJ)

Overview and Circumstances On 17 January 2013 at 15:40 local time, a privately operated Eurocopter AS350 B, registration F-GZFJ, was involved in an accident at Saint-Julien-Molhesabate (43), at an altitude of 1,050 m. The pilot was accompanied by three passengers. During the day, the pilot had made several flights to different sites to follow a car rally. After the third flight, the pilot performed a visual reconnaissance of the landing site and began the approach on a heading of 020°. ## Accident Sequence A few metres above the ground, before completing the flare, a cloud of snow raised by the main rotor downwash caused the pilot to lose external visual references. The pilot continued the landing. The helicopter struck the snow-covered ground hard in a nose-down attitude. The pilot had landed at the same site in the morning when the snow cover was compact. ## Weather and Site Conditions Estimated weather at the accident site included wind from 340° at 15 to 20 kt with gusts to 28 kt, visibility of about 1,000 m, and scattered clouds between 1,000 and 1,200 m altitude, with the cloud base sometimes merging with the ground. Between the two landings at the site, showers had added several centimetres of powder snow. The pilot reported a ceiling of about 1,000 ft and visibility near 4,000 m at the time of landing, and stated that weather conditions did not hinder him. The accident site was a large field uniformly covered with snow, and the chosen landing area was in the centre of the field. ## Pilot Experience and Landing Techniques The pilot had 1,028 total flight hours, including 700 hours on type, 14 hours in the preceding three months, and 2 hours in the preceding 24 hours. He was accustomed to mountain flying and landings on snow-covered surfaces. Recommended techniques for landing on snow include arriving with some speed on a flat surface to remain ahead of the snow cloud, using a ground reference ahead of the helicopter for the flare, and using a lateral reference if a powder snow cloud forms. The pilot may wait for the cloud to dissipate or abort the landing and select another landing area. ## Conclusion The accident was due to an unsuitable landing technique on a snow-covered surface. The previous landing at the same field a few hours earlier may have contributed to reducing the pilot's vigilance.