Investigation Summary
The flight was a transport mission for the oil company Perenco, carrying personnel from Iquitos to a remote site known as Lot 67. While cruising at approximately 700 meters (2,300 feet), a luggage net that had been incorrectly placed in a rear fuselage compartment shifted. The net became entangled with the tail rotor's transmission shaft and control cables. The resulting mechanical stress caused the control cables to snap, leaving the crew with no way to manage the helicopter's yaw. The crew initiated an emergency autorotation to reach the ground. However, as they flared the aircraft over the dense jungle canopy, the pilot likely applied excessive control inputs. This caused the main rotor blades to flex downward and strike the tail boom, severing it completely. The fuselage then plunged into the forest near the Curaray River.
Final Conclusions
The Peruvian Aviation Accidents Investigation Commission (CIAA) concluded that the primary cause was the failure to properly secure equipment, specifically a luggage net, which interfered with critical flight control systems. The secondary factor was the structural failure of the tail boom during the emergency landing phase, triggered by main rotor blade contact during an aggressive flare maneuver.
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Systems & Failure Modes
Tail Rotor Transmission
The shaft and cables responsible for providing anti-torque and directional control; these were disabled by the entanglement of a luggage net.
Main Rotor System
During the emergency flare, the main rotor blades struck the tail boom, a phenomenon often caused by high-load maneuvers or low rotor RPM during autorotation.
Interesting Facts
- 01All 13 occupants were Peruvian nationals.
- 02The aircraft was cruising at an altitude of 700 meters (2,300 feet) when the failure occurred.
- 03The investigation was conducted by the Peruvian Comisión De Investigación De Accidentes De Aviación (CIAA) under report number CIAA-ACCID-003-2013.
- 04The aircraft (MSN 10833) was manufactured in 1987.
- 05The crash site was located near Lot 27 (Base Logística del Rio Curaray) of the Perenco site in the Loreto Region.
Safety Actions & Advisories
Cargo Securing Procedures
The investigation emphasized the critical importance of following standardized procedures for securing all loose equipment and cargo within fuselage compartments to prevent interference with flight controls.