What happened
On January 12, 2020, at approximately 15:19 local time, a dangerous proximity event occurred on the apron of Saanen Airport (LSGK) in Switzerland. The incident involved two separate helicopters operating under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) for commercial purposes.
The first aircraft, an Eurocopter AS 350 B3 with registration HB-ZLV, was performing a flight that both originated and concluded at Saanen Airport. The second aircraft, another Eurocopter AS 350 B3 registered as HB-ZSE, had departed from Geneva Airport (LSGG) with Saanen Airport as its intended destination.
The investigation
The Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board (SUST) has opened an investigation into the close approach of the two helicopters while they were positioned on the airport apron. As this is a preliminary report, the investigation is ongoing to determine the exact circumstances surrounding the encounter.