What happened
On March 17, 2022, at approximately 09:00 local time, an Airbus AS 350B3 helicopter, registration TG-ERC, was performing a flight from Finca Pastoría in Palencia, Guatemala, to the Reforma 10 helipad in Guatemala City. The aircraft was operated by Compañía Proveedora de Servicios, S.A., and was carrying one passenger.
As the pilot was executing a northward approach to the helipad located at the Edificio Reforma, the aircraft experienced a sudden sink. This resulted in a landing that was significantly harder than normal. Following the impact, the passenger disembarked, and the pilot continued the flight to the Airbus (Franconaves) ramp to perform a post-flight inspection.
The investigation
The investigation conducted by the UIA focused on the mechanical state of the aircraft following the hard landing. During the post-flight inspection at the Airbus ramp, the crew identified physical irregularities on the airframe. Specifically, the inspection revealed surface roughness/abrasions located at the junction where the tail boom meets the fuselage.
There were no injuries reported among the two occupants during the event.