SE-HIM

Information

This helicopter was constructed by Bell Helicopter Textron back in 1978 and was imported to Sweden by the legendary Bell dealer Ostermans Aero in the spring of 1979. It entered service with the Swedish National Police Wing in August the same year. The machine, which was given the callsign POLIS 949, was the most modern Jet Ranger in the police fleet at that time.

The life of the machine came to a sudden end in an immense hangar fire on February 7, 2002. It was temporary based at the Stockholm base at Tullinge airfield - resting in the hangar for the night together with a second Jet Ranger (SE-HPH) and a brand new EC 135 (SE-HPR). At approx 02:00 a fire broke out in the building. It spread rapidly and as the fire fighting units arrived a half an hour later it proved too late to save the helicopters. The entire building was destroyed, together with the three helicopters and a Cessna airplane. The cause of the fire has never been fully determined.

The Jet Ranger was a part of a vanishing generation. Seven Eurocopter EC 135s had been ordered and the Jet Rangers were about to get sold together with three Police Long Rangers. However, this very aircraft, SE-HIM, was meant to remain in the new Eurocopter-lead organization as a crew trainer due to its NVG capacities and a new main rotor transmission. As SE-HIM was destroyed the sister ship SE-HPK was kept instead.