ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 89574
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| Date: | Tuesday 8 June 2004 |
| Time: | 09:55 LT |
| Type: |  Aérospatiale AS 350BA Ecureuil |
| Owner/operator: | Héli Air Monaco |
| Registration: | 3A-MIK |
| MSN: | 1091 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1979 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | 2.16 km off Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Alpes-Maritimes 06 -
 France
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | Nice Côte d'Azur Airport (NCE/LFMN) Nice, France |
| Monte Carlo Heliport (MCM/LNMC) | |
| Investigating agency: | BEA |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The helicopter was on a flight from Nice to Monaco. A few minutes after takeoff, the helicopter was in cruise flight between 300 ft and 500 ft above the sea, when it suddenly descended and hit the surface of the sea. All five persons on board (a French pilot, a British man and two other foreigners – were still missing. It is believed the other passengers on board were from Indonesia and Germany) were killed. A passenger - later identified as being a British woman aged 63 - was ejected during the impact.
The other occupants were found strapped into the helicopter, at a depth of 285 metres off Cap Ferrat.
Delayed identification or reaction regarding engine failure. A contributing factor was the pilot's limited experience on the helicopter type. There was a lawsuit initiated as a direct result of this accident, in order to apportion blame, and sue for damages. The lawsuit has continued for ten years (2004-2014) - see below
In a press report dated 6 April 2012:
"After 7 years of investigations and closed hearings by a Nice judge, experts are split over the cause of a helicopter crash that killed 5 people. A Heli Air Monaco Squirrel AS350 flying from Nice to Monaco plummeted into the sea off Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat on 8 June 2004 at 09.55 killing the French pilot and its four passengers (1 Indian, 1 German and 2 British). One group of experts attribute blame to the helicopter turbine manufacturer Turbomeca and the flight operator Heli Air Monaco, whilst a second group blame pilot error. The experts who blame the Turbomeca & Heli Air Monaco claim the accident could have been avoided if a known engine problem had been dealt with."
According to a further press report dated 31 January 2014:
"Monaco: Verdicts reached over fatal helicopter crash on the Côte d’Azur - Helicopter crash operator and manufacturer found guilty.
After a decade of painstaking enquiries, a court in Nice has found the manufacturer and operator of a helicopter that plummeted from the sky off St Jean Cap Ferrat in June 2004, killing all five people on board, guilty. Two British people, Gerald Finch aged 67 and his companion Angela Smith, 63, were among those who lost their lives.
Operator Héli Air Monaco and Turbomeca, the company which manufactures the Squirrel AS 350 involved in the tragedy, were ordered to pay fines of 50,000 euros and 100,000 euros respectively. An association representing the victims was awarded 35,000 euros and it's reported that it may now proceed through the civil courts to claim compensation with interest from a number of parties involved."
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
1. http://www.bea.aero/docspa/2004/3a-k040608/pdf/3a-k040608.pdf
2. https://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/133392-nice-monaco-shuttle-down-five-killed.html
3. http://web.archive.org/web/20140919121647/http://www.nicematin.com/faits-divers/bataille-dexperts-autour-du-crash-dun-helicoptere.845371.html
4. http://www.riviera-press.fr/insider/index.php/monaco-article/items/copter-crash-operator-and-manufacturer-found-guilty.html
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heli_Air_Monaco
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 26-Jan-2011 14:23 | harro | Added |
| 13-Jul-2014 20:52 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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