Heli Crash near Rotterdam
 

Today at 13.00 a EC-130 from Heli Holland with 5 pax crashed. 4 fatalities.
R.I.P.
4 doden bij helikopter-ongeval Maasvlakte - Binnenland - de Volkskrant

A tragic loss RIP.

Quick and dirty translation of the above referenced article:

A helicopter carrying five people crashed today around 13:00 near North Sea Boulevard in Rotterdam.

According to police, four of the five on board have lost their lives. A total of five people were on board; four passengers and one pilot.

The accident occurred around 13:00 in an area near North Sea Boulevard. The cause of the crash is as yet unknown.

According to a police spokesperson, various services responded to the crash: "Aviation Police units, Coast Guard, Port Police, an EMS helicopter and of course the Rotterdam Police".

The Dutch ATC have no information on the accident: "The aircraft was not under ATC control" according to an ATC spokesperson.

The aircraft was owned by Heli Holland Services. It was a Eurocopter EC130. This was confirmed today by Heli Holland Services.

The aircraft in question is a turbine helicopter, built five years ago. According to a Heli Holland Services spokesperson, this is quite new by aviation standards. Heli Holland Services is one of the few companies in Holland offering helicopter services.

The helicopter took off from Rotterdam The Hague airport. The Dutch NTSB has started an investigation. The Aviation Police unit will remove the wreckage of the crashed aircraft this Sunday evening, relocating it elsewhere for further investigation, according to a police spokesperson.

Thoughts with all family's, including the HH team who must also be devastated,

According to other news reports the passengers were 3 photographers and an employee of the harbour on a photo mission (with a bicycle tour going on at the moment of the crash).

Participants of the tour on the ground reported the helicopter dropped from 50m like a stone.

EC130 Technical Question
 

Thoughts and condolences to the families and Next of Kin.

Aside from potential piloting issues here, vortex ring etc,

has the EC130 ever suffered a main rotor hub problem similar to the EC120 (that I fly) - see EASA AD 2010-0026-E.

The eC120 was one recent incident we know off and the AD demands a precautionary one time inspection and then the 15hr visual checks. Don't know of anymore hubs were found cracked during the subsequent inspections. Anyone know of more?

The hub used by the 130 is exactly the same as the 350 and very similiar to the 365. This principle have accumulated millions of flight hours by now with the starflex. What is interesting to see here is that there is 1.5 MR blades it seems remaing on the aircraft and they have spread to equality ie 206 head. Very sad accident.