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Helicopter crashed into the water while landing on a superyacht

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Airbus AS-350B-3 helicopter crashed into the water of Bergen harbor, Norway, while landing on the helipad of Bacarella superyacht. Three people aboard the helicopter were injured. One of the victims was unconscious when he was picked up by a rescue boat. All three are British.

The cause of the accident was an improperly secured tarpaulin that had been used to cover the fuel dispenser located near the helipad. The downward flow of air blew the tarpaulin away and it was sucked into the helicopter's rotor blades.

The experienced pilot Quentin Smith managed to activate the emergency landing system that prevented the helicopter from sinking. Quentin Smith is the first man to circumnavigate the globe in a helicopter with a piston engine. He had already had to survive similar accidents when his helicopter went down in the waters of the South Atlantic.

Bacarella is a 60m superyacht built in 2009 by Trinity Yachts of America. She has a steel hull and aluminum superstructure designed by Geoff Van Aller. She can accommodate up to eight guests and 12 crew members. A pair of Caterpillar 3512B engines will propel the yacht to 16 knots.

As a result of the accident no one onboard was injured. There was no damage to the yacht either.

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