Preliminary Report: Heli-Skiing Flight Proves Fatal

Bell 206B JetRanger, Sirnach, Switzerland, March 26, 2005–The pilot and three passengers were killed when the Swiss-registered Jet-Ranger they were using for heli-skiing crashed into a mountain. The local Heli Partner flight had departed Sirnach, Switzerland, to take skiers to the Steingletscher Glacier.

According to the Swiss Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, the helicopter struck mountainous terrain at an elevation of 10,400 feet and was destroyed. The wreckage was fragmented, and the debris field was scattered across, and perpendicular to, the fall line of a steep snow- and ice-covered slope. The site was foggy and cloudy, with mountain peaks obscured by clouds. The Swiss government is investigating.