Incident
On 12 January 2020 at 15:19 local time, a serious incident involving a dangerous approach occurred on the apron of Saanen Airfield (LSGK) in the canton of Bern, Switzerland. Two helicopters were involved in the event.
Aircraft
Helicopter 1, registered as HB-ZLV, was a Eurocopter AS 350 B3. It was owned and operated by Heli-TV SA, based at Aeroporto in Lodrino. The flight was conducted under visual flight rules (VFR) for commercial purposes, with one crew member on board. The flight departed from and was destined for Saanen Airfield.
Helicopter 2, registered as HB-ZSE, was also a Eurocopter AS 350 B3. It was owned and operated by Swift Copters SA, based at Case postale 168 in Geneva Airport. This flight also operated under VFR for commercial purposes, with one crew member. It had departed from Geneva Airport (LSGG) and was destined for Saanen Airfield.
Investigation
The Swiss Safety Investigation Board (SUST) opened an investigation into the serious incident. This preliminary report provides a brief and provisional overview of the occurrence without claiming completeness and without conclusions.
Further details regarding the circumstances or causes of the dangerous approach were not included in the preliminary report.