Helicopter accidents, four victims in the Super Puma crash
The wreck of the AS332 that crashed in the seas of the Canary Islands on March 19th has been finally found. The problem now is how to recover the corpses
Four dead people, whose corpses still need to be found: this is the heavy toll of the accident of the AS332 Super Puma helicopter owned by the Spanish Army, which crashed down on March 19th, south of Fuerteventura. The aircraft was found more than 2000 meters below the sea, almost 1.6 km from the sinking point.
THE RECOVERY
Recovery operations, worth 3.2 million euros, were led by a drone of US EDT Ares Phoenix International Company, specialized in recoveries in the depths of the seas. A study on how to bring back the four corpses is currently being carried out. ‘According to the pictures provided by our drone, the corpses are still inside the aircraft – told Pedro Morenés Eulate, the Spanish Ministry of Defence -. The helicopter lies 2.300 meters below the sea level, making recovery operations difficult’.
THE ACCIDENT
When the accident took place, the helicopter, a Super Puma belonging to the 802 Squadron, based in Jandia (Gran Canaria), was training along with the offshore patrol vessel “Meteoro”. The crash took place at 10 p.m., almost 40 km from the air base. The crew members were five soldiers, one of whom was rescued by the same ship.
In the video: The last shots of the helicopter before the accident
THE INVESTIGATION
The causes of the accident still need to be cleared. The Spanish Ministry of Defence is investigating on the crash, trying to shine a light on its real causes. As for now, investigators cannot exclude human error or technical failures. The helicopter recovery will surely give more accurate answers.