EC-GJL helicopter crash in Lleida

The EC-GJL crash was an aviation accident that occurred on 14 June 2002 in Lleida when the UH-1N helicopter with registration EC-GJL broke apart in mid-flight, bursting into flames and killing its 8 occupants

Accident

The flight departed from Sabadell airport, in Barcelona, at around 9:40. It travelled to Lleida, where it landed and picked up 4 more occupants. On board were the pilot, co-pilot and six technicians specialising in aerial work and inspection of high-voltage power lines. While they were checking the power lines on the way to Sabadell, at 13:45 the helicopter began to go out of control and a few seconds later the tail cone separated. The rear part came loose, spun on its own axis and separated from the helicopter. The front part, where the occupants were, entered autorotation as it fell and struck the ground hard, bursting into flames and instantly killing all the occupants. Witnesses called the Mossos d'Esquadra, who quickly activated the rescue services. The impact area was difficult to access, which caused a notable delay in the arrival of the teams. When the firefighters arrived they used water with foam and put out the fire within minutes. A couple of hours later, an investigation team from the Civil Aviation Accident and Incident Investigation Commission was already on the ground.