WEEK 35
H2F brings you the ‘helicopter mayday of the week’ with a short accident report summary. I tell you what happened. You think more about why it happened. We all learn from it. Because that’s what accident reporting is for.
TITLE
Power bank causes collective control restriction leading to ground impact.
WHAT?
A single-pilot operated Eurocopter EC155 lost control while transitioning from forward flight to the hover. An unsecured portable power bank became lodged beside the collective lever, preventing the pilot from raising it sufficiently to arrest descent while in the landing flare.
WHERE?
Shannon Airport, Ireland.
WHEN?
15 September 2022. Final report published 11 November 2025.
HOW?
The helicopter departed at 05:05 on a positioning flight to Shannon. Before departure, the pilot had placed paperwork and other items in the cockpit, including a portable power bank on the centre console. It was still dark, and a torch was used while stowing the items.
Aware of another aircraft inbound to the arrival airport, the pilot chose to expedite. Flight-recorder data showed the helicopter maintained a 74 kt groundspeed as the helicopter aligned with the taxiway intersection.
While air-taxiing along Delta 1 taxiway towards the light-aircraft parking area, the pilot began flaring to reduce speed and transition into a hover, but when he attempted to raise collective to support the helicopter its movement was severely restricted.
The loose power bank had slipped into the gap between the collective lever’s friction-lock adjuster sleeve and the centre-console housing, effectively wedging the control near its fully lowered position, and leaving insufficient collective authority to arrest the descent.
The helicopter struck the taxiway with substantial downward force and forward momentum. It remained upright, continued along the taxiway and eventually stopped on the east apron.
CONDITIONS?
The flight began in early-morning darkness, affecting visibility while cockpit items were being stowed. The accident occurred during a low-level deceleration over an airport taxiway. The pilot was also conscious of inbound traffic and had voluntarily expedited the arrival.
OUTCOME?
The helicopter remained upright but sustained substantial damage. There was no fire, and the sole occupant was uninjured.
The power bank measured 185 × 125 × 20 mm and weighed 622g. Its dimensions allowed it to lodge between the collective friction-lock sleeve and console, leaving only approximately 20–25 mm of movement at the obstruction. The pilot identified its position after shutdown.
WHY?
The AAIU determined that the probable cause was restricted collective movement resulting from the unsecured power bank.
An everyday carry-on item was placed where it could migrate into a primary flight-control mechanism. The obstruction remained unnoticed until the pilot needed substantial collective movement during the transition to hover.
The pilot’s decision to expedite the arrival reduced the opportunity for a more measured deceleration.
The accident exposes the importance of securing loose equipment and ensuring unrestricted control movement, particularly where cockpit geometry permits objects to lodge beside controls.
Aerodrome procedures for helicopters were found to present a wider systemic vulnerability. Despite Shannon having no designated helicopter landing area, direct helicopter approaches to taxiways and parking areas had become accepted practice.
The central HF lesson in this incident is that an unsecured object can remain unnoticed throughout an otherwise normal flight, only revealing its presence when full control authority is urgently required. Cockpit housekeeping therefore should be considered a fundamental flight-control protection measure.
REFERENCE?
Air Accident Investigation Unit. (2025). Accident involving a Eurocopter EC 155 B, registration EI-XHI, at Shannon Airport, Co. Clare, Ireland, on 15 September 2022 (Final Report 2025-009).
Note:
Accident reports selected from the following open source databases: US NTSB; UK AAIB; Flight Safety Foundation’s Aviation Safety Network; Australia’s ATSB. Ireland’s AAIU; Taiwan’s TTSB; France’s BEA; Spain’s CIAIAC. Germany’s BFU.
