An investigation by the Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) of the Department of Transport has concluded that an incident involving a helicopter at Shannon Airport in 2022, was probably caused for ‘loss of control in flight’.
The ‘carriage of an unsecured item in the cockpit’ has been cited as a ‘contributory factor.’
The Eurocopter EC 155 B helicopter was landing at Shannon Airport early in the morning on September 15th 2022 when the incident occurred.
“Following a flight from Loughrea in Co. Galway and while flying along Taxiway Delta 1 enroute to the Light Aircraft Parking area at Shannon Airport, control of the Eurocopter EC 155 B helicopter was lost when an attempt was made to flare the helicopter and transition from forward flight to a hover,” the report states.
“The helicopter impacted the taxiway surface with significant downward force and forward momentum. It sustained substantial damage but remained upright and continued along the taxiway before coming to a stop at the airport’s east apron. There was no fire, and no injuries were reported.”
The report also states: “EINN (Shannon) ATC (air traffic control) was initially unaware that an accident had occurred and therefore did not raise the alarm with the APFS (Airport Police Fire Service).
CCTV footage shows that an APFS patrol car arrived at the helicopter at 05:23hrs followed by a second APFS patrol car at 05:24 hrs. The APFS, whose station was located adjacent to the final position of the disabled helicopter, first became aware of the severity of the accident at 05:26 hrs and its understanding was that the helicopter had landed hard, had nosewheel damage and had suffered an oil leak.”
The report continued: “The APFS had also confirmed in a call to ATC that ‘Operations are there and we have a van over there, everything is ok, and everyone is safe’. At 05:31 hrs and following a verbal alert from another operator’s ground crew member who ran to the station from the helicopter, the APFS learned that the event was potentially more serious than previously thought and deployed their fire tenders as a precaution. This was notified to ATC accordingly.
The APFS deployment time, from being verbally informed by the ground crew member regarding the severity of the event, to the attendance of three fire tenders at the accident site, was less than two minutes. There was however, an APFS presence at the helicopter in the form of a patrol car(s) from 05:23 hrs.”
The Investigation determined that the probable cause of the occurrence was loss of control in flight during transition from forward flight to hover due to the collective pitch lever movement being restricted by a portable power bank device which was unsecured in the cockpit.
The report adds: “The accident occurred as a result of an obstruction of the helicopter’s collective lever. Notwithstanding this, the accident highlights that the absence of specific procedures and guidance regarding the handling and movement of helicopters within the airport environs presents a safety risk. This safety risk is particularly acute when helicopters travel along taxiways at significant speeds, when in close proximity to aircraft stands and at parking areas.
The modes of transition for helicopters from the runway to a stand or parking areas are significantly different to that of fixed wing aircraft which dissipate their forward momentum during landing on the runway which is remote from the apron and terminal areas of an airport.:
The report has made three recommendations including that: “The Shannon Airport Authority DAC should, in conjunction with the relevant stakeholders, consider augmenting the existing infrastructure for helicopter operations at Shannon Airport, to mitigate the identified safety risks.”
