An amateur-built aircraft accident near Eggschwand, Ch, May 24, 2012
On May 24, 2012 at about 3:45 pm local time, a an amateur-built aircraft, registered HBXPQ, was destroyed in an accident near Eggschwand. It was an instructional flight under non-U.S. private rules. 3 people were killed.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 24, 2012 · about 3:45 pm local time
- Place
- Eggschwand, Switzerland · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- An amateur-built aircraft
- Registration
- HBXPQ · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · non-U.S. private rules
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On May 24, 2012, about 1545 UTC, an Agusta-Bell 206B Swiss registration HB-XPQ, owned and operated by Heliswiss, was destroyed when it collided with a cable and crashed in a mountain forest, near Eggschwand, Switzerland. A post-impact fire ensued. The two pilots and one passenger on board were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The foreign, non-scheduled local training flight departed Bern, Switzerland at an undetermined time. The helicopter's engine was examined at Rolls-Royce North America, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, on April 17, 2013. The examination revealed no mechanical damage that would prevent normal engine operation. This investigation is under the jurisdiction of the government of Switzerland. Any further information regarding the investigation can be obtained from the Swiss Accident Investigation Board at: Swiss Accident Investigation Board Aviation Division Aeropole 1, Route de Morens, 1530 Payerne Switzerland Telephone: +41 26 662 33 33 Facsimile: +41 26 662 33 01 E-mail: info@sust.admin.ch
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Bern
- Destination: Bern
- Flight plan: not recorded
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.