ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 185245
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| Date: | Friday 11 May 1962 |
| Time: | 10:53 |
| Type: | Agusta-Bell 47J-3 |
| Owner/operator: | Agusta |
| Registration: | I-243 |
| MSN: | 2014 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Passo de la Gotardo -
 Switzerland
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Ferry/positioning |
| Departure airport: | Zurich Airport |
| Investigating agency: | BFU Switz. |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Agusta supplied the 1962 Hannover Air Show with two Agusta-Bell 47 helicopters. On its return flight, the unit took off from Zurich Airport at 09:39 CET. The leader flew with a mechanic in the front helicopter.
In the second helicopter - I-243 - the pilot flew with a translator.
Although other flight paths would have offered better conditions, the pilots chose the direct route over the Gotthard. At 10:30, the formation entered the Schöllenen gorge just below the low-lying cloud bank at an altitude of about 100-150 m AGL, with a separation between the two helicopters of about 50-100 meters. In the gorge, at an altitude of about 50 m the pilot suddenly saw a high-voltage line in front of him. To warn the second pilot, he lowered his helicopter about 20-30 meters. The pilot of the second helicopter initiated an analogous maneuver, but he was not able to stop the descent before a rotor blade hit a rock face, rendering the helicopter uncontrollable and - at 10:35 - it fell hard onto a boulder. The pilot was slightly injured, and the passenger was killed.
The leader of the group flew on and landed in Andermatt.
The fact that the pilot was not able to stop the descent in time was due to the low power reserve of the helicopter at this altitude.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
ABC (Madrid) 13 May 1962, p111
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 09-Mar-2016 09:59 | TB | Added |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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