Paula Lima / Lusa
Helicopter taken from the Douro River
There was no technical failure: pilot disregarded minimal altitude. Two weeks before the accident, the same pilot made two flights in the same area, when he violated the minimum flight altitude.
The helicopter that fell into the Douro River in August 2024 disrespected the minimum altitude, these being deviations, with no operational motives and in landscape zones, oils Over the years by those involved in air combat to the fires.
The conclusions are contained in the final report of the Aircraft and Rail Accident Prevention and Investigation Office (GPIAAF), to which Lusa had access to the accident with the fire fighting helicopter on August 30, 2024, in Cambres, Lamego, Viseu District, that five military personnel from the GNR/ Emergency Protection and Relief Unit (UEPs).
According to the investigators, there is “the normalization of deviations and widespread acceptance Among those involved in the air combat activity to the fires of the overfound practices of certain areas at low altitude, without operational reason, by aircraft affecting the Special Device to Combat Rural Fire ”, distributed across the country.
The investigation found the existence of “cancellations of missions with deviations to trajectories in their return to their basis without apparent justification”, on several operational bases throughout the country.
“Relaxing procedures or simply the acceptance of deviations such as low altitude flights without mission, coincidentally about areas of landscape interestThese are practices observed often and, if avoided, could have prevented the occurrence, ”says GPIAAF.
This organism has found that, “although with data available, these deviations over the years will not have been detected or signaled by any of the entities intervening in the process, namely operators, GNR/UEPs, the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (APPEC) and the Portuguese Air Force (FAP) as a service contractor.”
About the accident, GPIAAF maintains that “the pilot’s decision to choose the trajectory Base to the Base ”by Armamar, district of Viseu, after canceled the mission to combat a fire in the municipality of Baião, district of Porto, by flying over the Douro River“ the high speed and low altitude, considerably increasing the risk of flight ”, contributed to the fall of the AS350 – icureuil.
The absence of supervision of this type of flights by the operator, HTA helicopters, FAP and the National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC) is also pointed out as a contributory factor for the accident.
Two weeks before the accident, the same pilot made two flights in the same area, when he violated the minimum flight altitude. “The flight of 15 August was recorded on video, to which the investigation had access, where a pass a few meters from the water surface (approximately two meters in vertical distance) is observed. [ocorreu] On the 16th with a mission canceled on flight and return of the helicopter by the same route, after reversing the sense of flight, ”reads in the report.
O pilot did not present an explanation for the flights performed at low altitude.
“The pilot failed to explain, and the investigation could not find out, what is the reason for the deviation from the direct route of return to the various flights that occurred, including the accident flight, following the winding Valley of the Douro River to low altitude,” the investigation said. GPIAAF adds that the pilot’s testimony, as well as information collected from other pilots allocated to other bases in different years, “confirms the deviations with their consent to fly over specific locations, including those performed at the request of the military from the Helitransported Teams (GNR/UEPs)”.
“The pilot said that, for several, has often agreed to requests for UEPs elements for deviations on the way to overcome specific places outside the scope of the mission, noting that this is an accepted practice among pilots and UEPs for several years. This information has been corroborated by other pilots and other brigade elements of various bases of the country,” says GPIAAF.
