Helitrans SA226-T(B) Skill-Test Accident in Bergen (LN-SFT)

Background and Training Context The aircraft involved was an SA226-T(B) Merlin operated by Helitrans, registered SA226-T(B). The flight was a skill test for a candidate hired as a first officer in early 2008. The candidate and one other were employed by the company and underwent ground school and flight training with the Swedish Type Rating Training Organisation (TRTO) Trafikkhögskolan. It later emerged that the Swedish Civil Aviation Authority did not accept skill tests limited to first-officer duties on a single-pilot-certified airplane, unlike the Norwegian CAA. This created uncertainty while the operator and the Norwegian CAA discussed how to conduct the tests, including whether to use a simulator or an actual airplane. After several months, an examiner was appointed, and limited slots became available on a Thursday and Friday at Bergen Airport Flesland. ## First Skill Test and System Change The first candidate completed the skill test on Thursday in weather unsuited for such exercises, with low ceiling, rain showers, winds up to 40 kt, and turbulence. During a slow-flight demonstration, turbulence activated the stick pusher. The commander pulled the circuit breaker for the Stall Avoidance and Stability Augmentation System (SAS), presumably to avoid nuisance activations. The candidate found the subsequent stall exercise frightening, reporting difficulty regaining normal flight with full power in IMC conditions. ## Accident Flight On Friday, weather was similar with even stronger winds, and the SAS circuit breaker was not reset, as confirmed during the start-up check. The examiner requested a similar program but asked for slow flight up to the first indication of stall rather than an actual stall, with callouts and a minimum loss of altitude recovery. The commander added power and retracted gear and flaps on the candidate’s request. The flight was in IMC. During the exercise, the crew lost control of attitude and airspeed. The stall warning activated, but airspeed continued to decrease despite full power. Radar data showed altitude increased 200–400 ft during the loss of control, airspeed fell to about 30 kt, and a sink rate of about 10,000 ft/min developed. The airplane struck the sea in a near-horizontal attitude about 37 seconds after control was lost. All three on board were fatally injured. ## Investigation Findings The accident aircraft had been used for coastguard duties and modified with external sensors and antennas. The AIBN performed a Computational Fluid Dynamics analysis and found that the modifications reduced overall performance but did not significantly degrade stability and control in the slow-flight and pre-stall regime. No investigation was conducted into their influence on fully developed stall characteristics. The AIBN stated the accident highlights the need to change current training on initial stall recovery techniques, particularly the emphasis on minimum loss of altitude at the expense of breaking the stall by lowering the nose to reduce angle of attack. The AIBN issued two safety recommendations to the Norwegian CAA: one on conducting skill tests for pilots in a multi-crew concept on single-pilot airplanes, and one on increasing focus on flight examiner tasks.