Full information note:
“On August 30, 2024, at 11:131, the Armamar Aviation Resource Center received orders to carry out a firefighting mission in the Baião area of Porto District. At 11:20, the pilot and a five-person team of the UPR Emergency Protection and Assistance Unit (UEPS) departed on board an AS350B3+ helicopter with registration EC-LBV.
While flying over the city of Fojo, Bayan, after assessing the scenario by the head of the UEPS group on board, at 11:30 a decision was made to return the aircraft to
is based on the fact that the use of the agent in a fire with the perimeter already described is not justified.
On the way back to the Armamar base, the plane began a smooth descent, where it flew over the left (southern) bank of the Douro River in the direction of the city of Peso da Regua.
During this descent, according to the pilot’s testimony, he noticed a medium-sized bird at the same altitude and on the helicopter’s flight path, which forced him to veer to the right, returning back.
route immediately.
Based on the data collected to date, it was not possible to independently determine the point of execution of this maneuver.
Then at 11:32, maintaining a descent towards the river and turning left, the aircraft at speed about 100 knots (185 km/h) for reasons yet to be determined.
As the energy dissipated during the collision, the pilot in the right seat and the passenger in the left seat of the cockpit were ejected from the aircraft.
The helicopter suffered cabin deformations incompatible with the survival of its occupants due to the violent impact with the water. The structural integrity was compromised, resulting in the loss of some of the composite skin elements. These low-density components remained
surface, and the remaining debris settled on the riverbed at a depth of 4 to 6 meters over an area of about 3,600 square meters.
As a result of the collision, five members of the UEPS were fatally injured, and the pilot was seriously injured, but managed to surface and be rescued by people at the scene.
Local fire crews and security forces arrived at the scene to provide assistance to the passengers of the plane.
At the time of publication of this briefing note, the components of the plane’s instrument panel had not yet been collected from the river due to difficulties in locating them.
The relevant conclusions from the briefing note:
The pilot was properly qualified and certified to perform the flight.
The aircraft was cleared for flights in accordance with current regulations.
Available evidence suggests that the plane’s engine was running at the time of the collision.
The meteorological conditions in the area were suitable for the flight described: skies with few clouds, a light north wind and a temperature of about 26 ºC.”
Author: Thiago Virgilio Pereira
Source: CM Jornal
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