Airbus Helicopters has issued an Emergency Alert Service Bulletin (EASB) following a recent incident involving an H160 helicopter in Brazil. On January 2, 2026, the aircraft experienced significant vibrations during cruise flight, prompting the pilots to perform a controlled water landing. The emergency flotation system was deployed as designed, and all eight people on board evacuated safely to life rafts and were rescued.
An official investigation into the incident is being conducted by the Brazilian investigation board (CENIPA), with assistance from the French investigation board (BEA), in accordance with ICAO annex 13 requirements. After recovering the helicopter, damage was found on both the tail rotor drive line and main rotor, including a ruptured main rotor pitch rod.
As a precaution and without waiting for the outcome of the ongoing investigation, Airbus Helicopters has required replacement of main rotor pitch rod ends after a certain number of flight hours. The company stated it is working closely with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which has also issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive.
“Safety is paramount to us at Airbus Helicopters. It lies at the heart of all our activities and is our absolute priority. Our primary objective is to ensure the continued safe transportation of every person that flies in an Airbus helicopter. This is why we are mandating the replacement of this component while the root cause of the fracture remains under investigation,” said Airbus Helicopters.
The company added that it will support its customers throughout the process of replacing affected parts.
