Helicopter Crash Near Sehmatal—Pilot Struck an Obstacle

Two months after the fatal helicopter crash during limestone mining operations in the Ore Mountains, an interim report on the accident has been released. According to the report, the helicopter pilot struck an obstacle—presumably a tree—while approaching the site. The 29-year-old reportedly attempted to land. In the process, the rotor blades struck additional trees in the spruce forest, and the helicopter crashed. The pilot died at the scene of the accident near Sehmatal.

Several media outlets had previously reported on the preliminary report.

Witnesses heard the pilot swearing

In its preliminary report, the Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation in Braunschweig lists several statements from workers who were on the ground helping to load lime. According to the report, none of the three men directly witnessed the crash. However, they heard the pilot swearing over the radio: “I hit a tree, the light’s on, I’m going down.” The radio communication was not recorded.

Rotor blades pierced tree trunks

According to the report, the helicopter’s rotor blades pierced several tree trunks at a height of about 16 meters. The aircraft reportedly crashed to the ground and caught fire. Rescuers rushed to the crash site and pulled the seriously injured pilot from the burning helicopter. The 29-year-old suffered severe head injuries and died.

Helicopter Was Supposed to Spread Lime

The accident occurred on the morning of August 14 under clear skies and with good visibility. The helicopter was supposed to pick up lime from the ground using an attached container and spread it over the forest area while in flight. Using this method, known as soil protection liming, the state-owned enterprise Sachsenforst has been attempting to neutralize acidified forest soils for four decades.

Pilot had held a helicopter license since 2020

Specialized helicopter companies are contracted to carry out the lime application work. According to the official report, the pilot departed from Dreieich, Hesse, around 3:00 a.m. on the day of the accident to drive to Saxony. The man had held a commercial helicopter pilot’s license since 2020. He had a total of approximately 2,800 hours of flight experience.

This year, soil-protection liming operations were carried out in the forest districts of Adorf, Plauen, Eibenstock, Neudorf, Marienberg, Bärenfels, and in Saxon Switzerland. According to the state-owned enterprise Sachsenforst, approximately 21,000 metric tons of magnesium lime were to be spread over 6,900 hectares of forest.