Incident Overview
On January 22, 2004, at approximately 13:50 local time, an Eurocopter France/Aerospatiale SA315B Lama helicopter with registration HB-XRA crashed in the Mergoscia-Busada area of Ticino, Switzerland. The aircraft was operated by Heli-TV SA and was engaged in commercial material transport operations.
Operational Context
The pilot had completed fifty material transport flights earlier that day before proceeding to a loading site in Mergoscia. The objective was to deliver sand to a nearby construction site using 350-liter containers suspended from the helicopter's centerline sling hook. To reach the unloading point, the flight path required overflying two existing transport cables used for supplying mountain pastures.
Accident Sequence
During the final rotation of the delivery sequence, the sling hook attached to the sand container contacted one of the transport cables. The hook became entangled in the cable, causing a sudden and severe deceleration of the helicopter. This abrupt stop resulted in the main rotor blades striking the tail boom, which bent downward. The aircraft lost control, rotated counter-clockwise around its longitudinal axis, and impacted the ground between two structures known as "Rustici." The helicopter came to rest on its right side.
Contributing Factors
The investigation identified several factors contributing to the accident. The primary cause was the loss of control following the collision with a transport cable that was difficult to discern visually. At the time of the incident, the specific cable involved was rust-brown in color and obscured by shadows from the northern mountain, making it nearly invisible against the similar-colored winter forest background. Additionally, the pilot had not verified the flight trajectory sufficiently and was experiencing reduced concentration after a long day of operations. The pilot was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident.
Outcome
The helicopter was destroyed in the crash. The pilot, a Swiss citizen born in 1968 with over 4,200 hours of flight experience, sustained serious injuries and was trapped in the deformed cabin. He required rescue by a second helicopter to lift the wreckage for extraction. No other persons were injured.