What happened
On June 28, 2025, at approximately 12:00 local time, an Airbus Helicopters AS 350 B3 helicopter, registration HB-ZNR, was engaged in a work flight near the Gross Fusshorn in the Valais region of Switzerland. The aircraft, operated by Air-Glaciers SA, was performing a maneuver involving hovering close to a slope. During this process of maintaining a hover near the terrain, the pilot lost control of the aircraft. The resulting impact caused heavy damage to the helicopter. While the pilot and flight assistant escaped without injury, one passenger sustained fatal injuries, and the flight assistant suffered minor injuries.
The investigation
The Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board (SUST) initiated an inquiry into the event. The investigation focused on the flight parameters during the work operation, specifically the aircraft's proximity to the mountainside and the sequence of events leading to the loss of control while the helicopter was in a hover near the terrain.