SE-JGX

Information

This helicopter was constructed by Robinson Helicopter Company back in 1994. It was purchased by a German owner, which operated the aircraft in two years (reg. D-HLAX) before selling it to the Norwegian company Helikopterdrift AS. D-HLAX was registered LN-OTG on 14 January 1997. Helikopterdrift, which is Norway's leading R44 operator, mainly used the aircraft for traffic- and news reporting for the P4 radio channel. It was painted yellow with P4 markings all over the body.

LN-OTG was purchased by the Swedish maintenance company AeroService i Karlskoga AB in January 2003, and was registered SE-JGX on 1 August 2003. AeroService did a major overhaul, including a total make-over, which made the machine as good as new again.

SE-JGX was leased by Westhelicopter AB during the winter of 2003/04, while Westhelicopter was waiting for the delivery of its new R44 Raven (SE-JLE). A few months after it was returned to AeroService the machine entered leasing-service with the new helicopter company Copterflyg AB. Copterflyg used the aircraft for passenger transports, inventories and some aerial works.

The accident
SE-JGX was lost in a tragic crash at Katrineholm on 30 October 2006. The helicopter was on a routine ferry flight to a worksite on 30 October 2006 when it suddenly crashed without any mayday call. The sole occupant onboard, a 49 years old 13.000+ hrs commercial pilot, lost his life in the accident.

The Swedish Accident Investigation Board considers it likely that an engine failure - possibly caused by icing in the carburetor – forced the pilot to commence an autorotation and turn toward a designated site for an emergency landing. However, in the final stage of events the autorotation failed and the helicopter crashed to the ground at a steep angle, with a hard crash and a post-impact fire as the result. The board states that medical factors may have been a contributing factor to why the autorotation could not be completed in a successful manner.

This sequence of events is considered the most likely, but the evidences available have not proved sufficient enough to provide a safe analysis of causes in the investigation. The Accident Investigation Board left no recommendations.