Final report after Bell 47 accident in Fällfors
Aug 22, 2014
The Swedish Accident Investigation Board (Statens Haverikommission, SHK) has published its final report following an accident that occurred in Fällfors, northeast of Skellefteå, on 23 August 2013.
The aircraft, a Swedish Bell 47 G-2 with the registration SE-HEO, had been flying to an outdoor exhibition centre in order to visit the show and to take some photos. The pilot and his passenger had removed one of the helicopter’s doors and left it at a nearby field, and following completion of the photo shoot the aircraft returned to the field in order to pick the door up again. Upon landing the helicopter ended up in an uncontrolled state and hit the ground at an impact estimated to be equivalent to 550 ft per minute or more. The aircraft was severely damaged by the accident and an extensive post-impact fire. The two occupants were seriously injured, but they both survived.
The SHK found that the main rotor blade fixings had traces of the blades being bent upward and forward, which meant that the rotor blades had probably coned. The investigation of the wreckage revealed no other errors or malfunctions relating to engine or flight controls. The Board concluded that the cause of the accident was that the pilot, for unknown reasons, lost control of the helicopter at the final stage of the landing. SHK left no recommendations following the report.