Description

On 25 March 2003, the crew of a Bell 412 lost control of the aircraft as a result of pilot mishandling associated with the development of a Vortex Ring State.

Summary

This is the Summary from the report published by the Swedish Accident Investigation Board:

"During the concluding Swedish Army exercise for 2003…a military ambulance helicopter based on the Karlsborg base took part. In connection with a rescue exercise, air-sea rescue open water (LÖV), the helicopter performed repeated sorties to assist simulated emergency cases in lakes in the vicinity of Karlsborg. In the final phase of the ninth sortie, the pilots lost control of the helicopter which, with a high rate of descent, struck the ice on Bottensjön lake. The ice broke on impact, the helicopter turned over onto its back and sank nose-first towards the bottom of the lake and with the rear of the fuselage against the edge of the ice at water level.

Three crew members were able to leave the helicopter and make their way up to the surface of the water and onto the ice. A fourth crew member drowned in the accident…

…Investigation revealed no technical faults or shortcomings that could have caused the accident.