Report after power line collision released
Mar 14, 2012
The Swedish Accident Investigation Board (Statens Haverikommission, SHK) has published its final report after an accident that occurred on 6 November 2008 near Sulsjö, close to Åre, involving a helicopter with the registration SEJNZ.
The aircraft, a Robinson R44 Raven II, was en route to Åre from the village Frankrike in reduced visibility when it struck a power line and went down in a marsh. The pilot, who was the sole occupant, managed to evacuate the wreckage and crawl to a safe distance before he could alert the rescue services.
The Investigation Board has determined that the accident was caused by the fact that the helicopter, which was operated in decreased visibility and dusk, was flown in too high speed in respect to the actual altitude to avoid collision with obstacles in the flight direction. The Board published seven recommendations in the report, including the desire for a more stringent supervision of instances that may have safety deficits and several improvements of the emergency services.