Final Report: Eurocopter flight controls malfunctioned

Eurocopter AS 350B2, Kamarang, Guyana, Feb. 6, 2005–The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) determined that the cause of the Canadian-registered AS 350 accident was a flight control malfunction and the pilot’s inability to control the helicopter before it hit the ground. Although the TSB did not determine the cause of
the malfunction, the agency said it was probably a loss of hydraulic pressure.
The helicopter, with a 120-foot longline attached, hovered out of ground effect to begin coiling the longline onto the ground. As the pilot descended, about 10 feet agl, he experienced a “significant binding in the flight controls.” He was unable to correct, and the helicopter hit the ground and bounced, causing considerable damage.