Accident to the Airbus AS350 registered F-GJRP on 06/07/2022 at La Vieille lighthouse

On arriving at the Trépassés bay DZ for a mission to deposit and pick up loads at two lighthouses, the operator's pilot and task specialist were surprised to learn that the customer's operating agents were already present at the lighthouses. They also realised that the task specialist would not be able to get to the lighthouses because of the tides, and that during the flights there would be no possible means of communication between the pilot and the agents. The pilot decided to undertake the mission. In these conditions, the customer’s operating agents had to assume the role of external task specialist without having been informed in advance by the pilot and the task specialist of the operator's working methods, communication aspects and safety measures as provided for in HBG France's operations manual.

The external sling load flights between the two lighthouses and the DZ were interrupted in the middle of the day due to the arrival of mist. The wind then strengthened and the pilot expressed doubts to the site manager about the conditions for recovering the loads from the top of Vieille lighthouse. After discussions with the site manager, the pilot decided to continue with the operation. During the flight to retrieve the first load from the terrace at the top of the lighthouse, the pilot flew overhead the lighthouse before turning to face the continent rather than into the wind, in order to maintain external visual references and ensure coordination with the task specialist installed at the rear of the helicopter with the left side door open. Because of the location of the load, this choice meant the pilot was operating with a tailwind component averaging 9 kt (gusting to 14 kt) and a crosswind component of around 12 kt (gusting to 14 kt), downwind of the lighthouse, in probably disturbed air conditions.

The pilot checked the cargo safety mirror and then the window to see if the load had been attached to the sling by the customer's operating agent. He observed at a late stage that the helicopter had begun to descend and drift. For his part, the operating agent on the ground, observing that the sling was starting to become taut horizontally, unhooked two of the three straps from the hook of the helicopter's sling. The third and final strap, which he was unable to unhook for lack of time, then became taut, moving the load against the lighthouse parapet and crushing the operating agent, before breaking. The helicopter tipped forward. The pilot was able to maintain control of the helicopter and avoid the sling coming into contact with the tail rotor. The pilot also activated the emergency flotation gear before carrying out a pull-out and returning to the DZ.