SE-HRU

Information

This helicopter was constructed by the newly established Eurocopter group, formerly Aérospatiale, at its French Marignane plant in 1992. The B2 model of the popular Ecureuil was replacing the B1, and it was quite new on the market. The B2s were blooming in Sweden, with about six aircraft delivered prior to SE-HRU. The first ones were SE-JAN, SE-JAF and SE-JAZ. The Aérospatiale/Eurocopter dealer Nyge Aero (later a part of Saab Helikopter) imported SE-HRU to Sweden in August 1992. It only spent a few days in the country prior to being exported to England the same month.

SE-HRU spent about five years in England, registered G-OCWT, before it was sold to the United States, where it got the callsign N513TS. The helicopter was operated by a few different companies, including Schuff Aviation and Westcore Aviation.

Accident
The helicopter ended its career in July 2004, when it was post-impact fire following a non-fatal accident in Arizona. The aircraft was performing a maintenance check flight near the Scottsdale Airport when the collective lock got stuck during a descent. The helicopter, which was fresh out from a 12-year inspection, had just been equipped with an after-market avionics console that altered the relationship of the collective pitch lever to the locking latch. The stuck collective pitch forced the helicopter to the ground, while the mechanic crewman tried to release the lock, but as time ran out the pilot managed to manoeuvre the aircraft to a high-speed run-on landing in the desert. The pilot and his mechanic obtained serious injuries, but they could evacuate the wreckage prior to the post-impact fire destroyed the helicopter.