A pilot without recent underwater escape training was trapped inside an EC135 that crashed into the water during a marine pilot transfer operation, the ATSB says.
A newly hired pilot was receiving instruction in nighttime marine pilot transfer (MPT) operations when, during the second approach to land on a bulk carrier off the coast of Australia, the Airbus Helicopters EC135 descended into the water, rolled over, floated briefly and then sank. The instructor exited the flooded cabin, but the new pilot was unable to escape; his body was later found in the submerged wreckage.
The Bell 206B pilot knew of the engine problem before takeoff, the TSB says.
The board cited a June accident involving separation of a tail boom during a sightseeing flight in Hawaii.
2010 FSF Press Releases, Accident Investigation, Helicopter Safety, News
The TSB cited a weak steel pin in the fatal crash tied to the separation of a Bell 212’s rotor blades and assembly.
