This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative: The Alouette II, registered TU-HAH, departed for a technical test flight immediately east of the Abidjan Airport, at an altitude of 500ft. (150m). Two people were on board, the pilot and a non-flying engineer's aid, for a fixed point and handling flight, after a lengthy period of inactivity of the helicopter, which was recently equipped to spray agricultural products.
At approximately 11:31 a.m., the TU-HAH took off from runway 21 with a left turn, as instructed by the Control Tower, heading eastward and climbing to 500ft. The aircraft parameters were judged satisfactory by the pilot, and the pilot returned to base. A few moments later, the pilot observed a drop in the engine rpm. He immediately made a right turn towards the beach and then noted the complete stop of the engine. The helicopter collided with houses in an autorotation after hitting some electrical wires. One person on the ground was killed.
Cause of the accident: The accident, which occurred on 14 December 2017, involving an Alouette II helicopter, registration TU-HAH, resulted from the loss of engine power until shutdown, probably caused by a total lack of fuel in the Alouette II tank at the time of the accident. The gauge failure associated with the random indication of the fuel gauge, and the non-functioning of the low-level light, may have given the pilot erroneous information about the actual amount of fuel remaining in the tank when preparing for the flight.
SE-313 Helicopter crashes in Port Bouët, near Abdijan, Côte d'Ivoire, 4 injured - Côte d'Ivoire: Crash d'un hélicoptère en plein cœur d'un quartier populaire de Port Bouët, 4 blessés https://t.co/9R0GQgkRU7pic.twitter.com/YUrOhSvQ2K