Accident to the helicopter AS350 registered OE-XTM on 08/20/2017 at Armamar base [Investigation led by GPIAA / Portugal]

Preliminary data based on the notification from the Portuguese authorities:

Forest terrain collision after possible main rotor touch in the power line during firefighting operation, with the impact the helicopter caught fire.

General information
Local date	20/08/2017
Responsible entity	Portugal - GPIAA
State or area of occurrence	Portugal
Location	Cabril, Castro Daire
Human consequences	Fatal
Number of death	1
Aircraft consequences	Destroyed
Occurrence class	Accident
File number	BEA2017-0499

Flight Information
Aircraft category	Helicopter - Small helicopter
Operator	Portugal - Private Operator
Manufacturer / Model	AEROSPATIALE - AS350
Aircraft Registration	OE-XTM
State of registry	Austria
Last departure point	Portugal - Unknown
Planned destination	Portugal (Armamar base)
Flight phase	Manoeuvring
Serial number	7148
Operator Type AG
Operation Type	Nationally Regulated Operations - Firefighting

BEA is the French air safety investigation authority for civil aviation. The sole objective of the investigation is to improve air safety. It is intended neither to apportion blame nor to assess responsiblity.