View source for Copterline Flight 103

{{Short description|2005 helicopter accident}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2014}}
{{Refimprove|date=July 2009}}
{{Infobox aircraft occurrence
| occurrence_type = Accident
| name            = Copterline Flight 103
| image           = Copterline accident.jpg
| image_upright   = 
| alt             = 
| caption         = The helicopter being recovered from the bay
| date            = 10 August 2005
| type            = Servo failure
| site            = [[Tallinn Bay]], Estonia
| coordinates     = {{coord|59|32.546|N|024|43.852|E|type:event_region:EE}}
| occupants       = 14
| passengers      = 12
| crew            = 2
| fatalities      = 14
| survivors       = 0
| plane1_image    = Copterline Sikorsky S-76C+ (OH-HCI) at Helsinki Malmi.jpg
| plane1_image_upright = 1.15
| plane1_caption  = OH-HCI, the helicopter that crashed, photographed in 2002.
| aircraft_type   = [[Sikorsky S-76C+]]
| tail_number     = OH–HCI
| operator        = [[Copterline]]
}}

'''Copterline Flight 103''' ('''AAQ103''') was a [[Copterline]] helicopter flight en route to [[Helsinki]], Finland from [[Tallinn]], Estonia that crashed into the [[Tallinn Bay]] on 10 August 2005, at 12:45 local time.

The [[Sikorsky S-76]]C+ crash occurred three to five minutes after taking off. On board were two Finnish crew members and twelve passengers: six Finns, four Estonians and two Americans. There were no survivors.

== Crash == 
{| class="wikitable sortable floatright" style="font-size:85%; text-align:right; margin:0 0 1.5em 1.5em;"
|+ '''People on board by nationality'''
|-
! style="text-align:left;" | Nationality
! style="text-align:left;" | Passengers
! style="text-align:left;" | Crew
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | Finland
| 6
| 2
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | Estonia
| 4
|
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | United States
| 2
|
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:left;" | '''Total'''
| '''12'''
| '''2'''
|}

The crew members were 41-year-old Captain Peter Fredriksson, he had 7,068 hours of flight time, with 173 of these on the Sikorsky S-76; and First Officer Seppo Peurala, aged 56, had accumulated 7,618 hours of helicopter flight time, of which just over 258 hours were on the Sikorsky S-76.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Tanner |first=Jari |date=2005-08-12 |title=Body Retrieved From Baltic Sea |url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/archive/body-retrieved-from-baltic-sea |work=The Moscow Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2008-08-06 |title=Aircraft Accident Investigation Commission Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications Estonia - FINAL REPORT AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION COPTERLINE OY SIKORSKY S-76C+ In Tallinn Bay, Estonia on 10 August 2005 |url=https://www.turvallisuustutkinta.fi/material/attachments/otkes/tutkintaselostukset/en/ilmailuonnettomuuksientutkinta/2005/b42005l_tutkintaselostus/b42005l_tutkintaselostus.pdf |website=Finland Safety Investigation Authority}}</ref>

The helicopter was flying at an altitude of about {{convert|500|m|ft}} when it suddenly lost its steerability and plunged into the sea. The emergency floats didn't inflate in time and the wreck sank quickly. All those on board perished by drowning.

The Sikorsky S-76C+ emergency pontoons for [[water landing]]s were deployed but couldn't inflate in time, no [[distress signal]]s were heard, although it later emerged that the pilots had tried to send an emergency message shortly before the crash.

Rescuers reached the site in less than 10 minutes to find just one main rotor blade and an oil slick on the water. The wreckage of the helicopter itself was located by [[sonar]] operators on the [[Estonian Maritime Administration]] vessel EVA-320, who indicated that the aircraft was intact at a depth of roughly {{convert|43|m|ft}}. Two Estonian deep-sea divers following an earlier unmanned robotic vehicle reported that the bodies of the passengers were inside the craft. Thirteen bodies were retrieved, with one pilot missing.  The recovery mission was hindered by rough weather conditions. The wreckage of the aircraft was lifted on 13 August 2005 and transported to Tallinn for investigation.  The missing pilot was not found in the initial searches performed by the Estonian and Finnish authorities, but the body was finally located on 25 August and retrieved by volunteer divers some distance away from the accident site. The [[post mortem]] indicated that the victims died from [[drowning]].

== Investigation ==

The Estonian authorities refused to send the [[flight data recorder]] of the helicopter to the United States because the aircraft was manufactured there, thus possibly creating a [[conflict of interest]]. The technical investigation was instead performed in the United Kingdom. The voice recording indicated that the pilots realized that something was wrong only 35 seconds before the helicopter hit the sea, and that they did attempt to send a [[Mayday (distress signal)|Mayday]] message.

The accident investigation board published a preliminary report on 14 September 2005, in which they ruled out most possibilities of physical damage before the helicopter hit water, including sabotage and collision with a flock of birds. As the helicopter was manufactured in the United States, the U.S. [[National Transportation Safety Board]] (NTSB) has taken part in the investigation. In November 2005, the NTSB issued an "urgent" recommendation to the [[FAA]] to require all S-76 operators to carry out "immediate visual and laboratory examinations" of main rotor servos for plasma flakes and other contamination. The helicopter manufacturer, [[Sikorsky Aircraft]], rejected these findings, saying it and servo manufacturer [[HR Textron]] "do not agree that the servo caused the mishap". In December 2005 the company, however, issued an all-operators letter recommending that operators carry out internal leakage tests of all S-76 main rotor servos, at the same time emphasizing that testing with an intentionally degraded servo "has not identified any safety of flight issues".

The talks between Copterline and Sikorsky Aircraft about how to divide damages arising from the crash broke down in December 2006, and Copterline sued Sikorsky Aircraft in a U.S. court in New York for damages of 60 million US dollars.

In August 2007 it was announced that the cause of the crash was a failure of the hydraulic flight control system, caused by coating flaking off from servo pistons. The loosened plasma coating flakes blocked the return valves of the servos, causing the aircraft to abruptly lose its maneuverability.<ref>[http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Loosened+servo+piston+plasma+coating+confirmed+as+cause+of+Copterline+crash/1135229348440 Helsingin Sanomat 8.8.2007 ''Loosened servo piston plasma coating confirmed as cause of Copterline crash'']</ref> Copterline did not have the authority to service or even open these components. However, in the final report, Copterline was criticized for omitting a periodic leak test of the hydraulic flight control system that could have revealed the problem. The Finnish authorities were also criticized for insufficient supervision.

==References==
{{More footnotes|date=July 2009}}
{{reflist|2}}
* {{cite web |url= http://www.mkm.ee/doc.php?322962 |title= Final Report. Copterline Oy. Sikorsky S-76C+. In Tallinn Bay, Estonia on 10 August 2005 |accessdate= 2008-08-11 |date= 2008-08-06 |format= PDF |publisher= Aircraft Accident Investigation Commission, [[Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications]], Estonia |language= en |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20081115141351/http://www.mkm.ee/doc.php?322962 |archivedate= 15 November 2008 |url-status= dead |df= dmy-all }}
* {{in lang|et}} [https://www.ojk.ee/et/system/files/fail/manus/sikorsky_s-76_oh-hci_tallinn_10.08.2005.pdf Lennuõnnetus Copterline OY helikopteriga Sikorsky S76 C+ Registritähis OH – HCI Tallinna lahel,  10. augustil 2005 6. august 2008 Tõlge] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518230650/https://www.ojk.ee/et/system/files/fail/manus/sikorsky_s-76_oh-hci_tallinn_10.08.2005.pdf |date=18 May 2021 }} (accident report) - On the website of the [[Estonian Safety Investigation Bureau]] (ESIB). [https://www.ojk.ee/et/sisu/tallinn-sikorsky-s-76-oh-hci-aruanne Profile].
* {{cite web | url=http://www.mkm.ee/index.php?id=8451 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060114142642/http://www.mkm.ee/index.php?id=8451 | url-status=dead | archive-date=2006-01-14 | title=Preliminary report of Aircraft Accident involving helicopter Sikorsky S76 C+ | publisher=Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications | date=2005-09-14 | accessdate=2006-10-16 }} - Also see: [https://www.ojk.ee/et/system/files/fail/manus/sikorsky_s-76_oh-hci_tallinn_10.08.2005_preliminary_report_eng.pdf Document] on the ESIB website ([https://www.ojk.ee/et/sisu/tallinn-sikorsky-s-76-oh-hci-preliminary-report-eng Profile]) and [https://web.archive.org/web/20110716112256/http://www.mkm.ee/doc.php?10248 .doc version of this report] at the ministry website.
* {{in lang|et}} [https://www.ojk.ee/et/system/files/fail/manus/sikorsky_s-76_oh-hci_tallinn_10.08.2005_esialgne_aruanne.pdf Preliminary accident report] on the ESIB website. [https://www.ojk.ee/et/sisu/tallinn-sikorsky-s-76-oh-hci-esialgne-aruanne Profile].<!--
*[http://ftp.aso.ee/pub/incoming/OH-HCI-vahearuanne-20070806.pdf Preliminary accident investigation report (in Estonian)] {{Dead link|date=September 2015}}-->

Press releases:
* Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications (2006-02-15). "[https://web.archive.org/web/20070107202612/http://www.mkm.ee/index.php?id=11016 The helicopter accident investigation commission got together today]." Press release.

==External links==
* {{cite news | title=Estonia helicopter 14 feared dead | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4138170.stm | publisher=[[BBC News]] | date=2005-08-10 | accessdate=2006-10-16}}
* {{cite news | title=Fourteen passengers and crew dead after helicopter crashes in the sea off Estonian coast  | url=http://www.hs.fi/english/article/1101980551645 | publisher=[[Helsingin Sanomat]] | date=2005-08-11 | accessdate=2006-10-16}}
* {{cite news | title=Helicopter crash victims to be brought to surface today if weather allows | url=http://www.hs.fi/english/article/1101980567038 | publisher=[[Helsingin Sanomat]] | date=2005-08-11 | accessdate=2006-10-16}}
* {{cite news | title=Post mortem results indicate helicopter crash victims died from drowning | url=http://www.hs.fi/english/article/1101980643479 | publisher=[[Helsingin Sanomat]] | date=2005-08-17 | accessdate=2006-10-16}}
* {{cite news | title=Crew of ill-fated helicopter tried to send emergency message | url=http://www.hs.fi/english/article/1101980702516 | publisher=[[Helsingin Sanomat]] | date=2005-08-23 | accessdate=2006-10-16}}
* {{cite news | first=Julian | last=Moxon | title=Fatal August 2005 Copterline S-76C+ crash controversy deepens as Sikorsky rejects NTSB verdict of main rotor servo failure | url=http://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2006/08/29/Navigation/177/208702/Fatal+August+2005+Copterline+S-76C++crash+controversy+deepens+as+Sikorsky+rejects+NTSB+verdict+of.html | publisher=[[Flight International]] | date=2006-08-29 | accessdate=2006-10-16}}
* {{cite news | title=Copterline and Sikorsky disagree on cause of August 2005 crash | url=http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Copterline+and+Sikorsky+disagree+on+cause+of+August+2005+crash/1135222346569 | publisher=[[Helsingin Sanomat]] | date=2006-10-16 | accessdate=2006-10-16}}
* {{cite web | url=http://today.reuters.com/News/CrisesArticle.aspx?storyId=L31798123 | title=Finnish Copterline seeks damages from Sikorsky | publisher=Reuters | date=2006-12-31 | accessdate=2007-01-05 }}{{dead link|date=January 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
{{Aviation incidents and accidents in 2005}}
{{Aviation accidents and incidents in Finland}}
[[Category:2005 disasters in Europe]]
[[Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in Estonia]]
[[Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in Finland]]
[[Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in 2005]]
[[Category:Accidents and incidents involving the Sikorsky S-76]]
[[Category:2005 in Estonia]]
[[Category:2005 in Finland]]
[[Category:August 2005 in Europe]]