The TSB Releases Report into the December 2010 Hard Landing of a Bell 206B Helicopter near Cap-Chat, Quebec

GATINEAU, QC, July 4, 2012 /CNW/ - The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) today released its investigation report (A10Q0218) into the 9 December 2010 engine failure and hard landing Bell 206B Helicopter, operated by Essor-Hélicoptères Inc., near Cap-Chat, Quebec.

The helicopter left Matane, Quebec with the pilot and 4 passengers on board. Approximately 27 minutes after take-off, it experienced an engine failure. The pilot did an autorotation with a right turn. The aircraft landed hard on the beach, breaking the landing gear, and came to rest on its belly. One of the occupants sustained serious injuries, 2 sustained minor injuries and 2 were unarmed. The investigation determined that the failure of a bearing assembly caused the engine to lose power causing a hard landing.

The report is available on the TSB website at www.tsb-bst.gc.ca.

The TSB is an independent agency that investigates marine, pipeline, railway and aviation transportation occurrences. Its sole aim is the advancement of transportation safety. It is not the function of the Board to assign fault or determine civil or criminal liability.

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