Final report after engine failure in Dovre, Norway
Sep 17, 2015
The Norwegian Accident Investigation Board (AIBN) has published its final report following an accident that occurred at Hjerkinn, in the Norwegian Dovre Municipality, on 24 July 2014.
The helicopter involved in the accident was a brand new commercially operated Eurocopter AS350 B3e registered LN-OSY. The company was conducting transport missions for the Norwegian Armed Forces as part of the decommissioning of a local artillery range, and the helicopter was just taking off for a reconnaissance flight with a group of people when the engine quit. The 6600-hour pilot was left with no other choice than to make a forced emergency landing from a relatively low altitude and low speed, ending up with forward speed and low rotor RPM in an uneven terrain. The helicopter tilted forward upon impact and came to rest on its left side. All five occupants survived the accident, but the pilot sustained spinal injuries.
The Accident Investigation Board concluded that the accident was caused loss of engine power due to a blockage of the fuel supply to the engine. It was not, however, possible to find a clear explanation of what caused this blockage. The AIBN concluded that the cockpit warning system failed to provide the pilot with appropriate information regarding the severity of the onset malfunction. This has now been addressed by AIBN in a safety recommendation to the manufacturers of the engine and the helicopter.