BEA - Office of Investigations and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety of the French Republic

02/13/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 02/13/2026 00:37

Accident to the Airbus AS350 registered F-OXMH operated by Mafate Hélicoptères on 08/02/2026 at Le Tampon (Réunion island)

Accident to the Airbus AS350 registered F-OXMH operated by Mafate Hélicoptères on 08/02/2026 at Le Tampon (Réunion island)

Entering IMC flight conditions, loss of control, collision with ground

Responsible entity

France - BEA

Investigation progression In progress
Progress: 50%

The translation below is for information only:

During the flight, the pilot entered the cloud layer. He momentarily lost control of the helicopter, which collided with the ground.

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General information
Local date 08/02/2026
Responsible entity France - BEA
State or area of occurrence France - 974 Réunion
Location Le Tampon
Human consequences Serious
Number of serious injuries 2
Number of minor injuries 5
Aircraft consequences Destroyed
Occurrence class Accident
Occurence category LOC-I: Loss of control - inflight, UIMC: Unintended flight in IMC
File number BEA2026-0050
Flight Information
Aircraft category Helicopter - Small Helicopter
Operator France - Mafate Hélicoptères
Manufacturer / Model AEROSPATIALE - AS350
Aircraft Registration F-OXMH
State of registry France
Last departure point La Réunion (French) - FMEP (ZSE) : Saint-Pierre-Pierrefonds
Planned destination La Réunion (French) - FMEP (ZSE) : Saint-Pierre-Pierrefonds
Flight phase En route
Serial number 8434
Operator Type AG
Operation Type Commercial Air Transport - Passenger - Sightseeing

BEA is the French air safety investigation authority for civil aviation. The sole objective of the investigation is to improve air safety. It is intended neither to apportion blame nor to assess responsiblity.

BEA - Office of Investigations and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety of the French Republic published this content on February 13, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on February 13, 2026 at 06:37 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]