Security Camera Footage Reveals Critical Maintenance Mishap Before Omni Airbus H160 Ditching

RIO DE JANEIRO – High-tech aviation often finds its greatest vulnerability not in the clouds, but on the hangar floor. As of February 6, 2026, the investigation into the January 2 ditching of an Omni Táxi Aéreo Airbus H160 has taken a dramatic turn. Newly surfaced security camera footage from the operator’s maintenance facility has placed a harsh spotlight on ground procedures performed just days before the aircraft plummeted into the Atlantic.

The "unblinking eye" of the hangar’s CCTV captured a series of events on December 24, 2025, that may have sealed the fate of the state-of-the-art helicopter. According to a preliminary update released by the Aviation Accident Investigation and Prevention Centre (CENIPA), the footage appears to show a critical component, a main rotor pitch change rod, becoming jammed while technicians were performing a service.

The December 24 Maintenance Incident

The aircraft, registered as PR-OFB, was undergoing a Swashplate Bearing Functional Test on Christmas Eve. This specific procedure requires the immobilisation of flight control components, yet the video evidence suggests a deviation from mandatory safety protocols.

In its latest update, CENIPA noted:

“Images from the cameras showed that during maintenance services, the RH MGB fixed cowling was installed on the aircraft, and that the pitch change rods were neither secured nor immobilised while the main rotor blades were turning.”

The footage reveals a pitch change rod for the "white" blade becoming visibly stuck against the fixed cowling as the rotor was manually rotated. This mechanical interference is now the primary focus for investigators, who are working to determine if this event caused the plastic deformation and subsequent fatigue failure of the rod during flight.

Technical Rupture and Mid-Air Crisis

The January 2 flight was a routine offshore transfer from Cabo Frio (SBCB) to the Deep Blue Maritime Unit. The mission proceeded without incident until the aircraft reached a cruise speed of 130 knots at 4,500 feet. At that moment, the upper rod end of the white blade’s pitch change assembly ruptured.

The resulting vibrations were so violent that the flight crew reported they were "unable to read instruments." Confronted with a catastrophic loss of control authority, the pilots initiated an emergency autorotation and a controlled ditching.

“At this stage of the investigation, it is not possible to conclude whether the stick observed in the video recordings contributed to the permanent plastic deformation observed at the white blade upper rod end bearing,” the updated report states.

Despite the ambiguity, the physical evidence recovered from the seabed, including microscopic cracks and a 2.5-degree plastic deformation, suggests the rod was under immense stress before the final fracture.

Flight Operations and Incident Summary

The following table details the specific operation and the current status of the Airbus H160 fleet following this first-of-its-kind incident for the type.

A Global Fleet Under Scrutiny

The incident has reverberated far beyond the Brazilian coast. Airbus Helicopters and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) have since issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive (EAD), mandating the replacement of main rotor pitch rod ends on all H160s that have reached 165 flight hours.

For Airbus, the ditching is a sobering moment for its newest flagship. The company maintains that safety remains its "absolute priority" while the root cause is being finalised.

“Our primary objective is to ensure the continued safe transportation of every person that flies in an Airbus helicopter,” the manufacturer stated during the release of the Emergency Alert Service Bulletin. “This is why we are mandating the replacement of this component while the root cause of the fracture remains under investigation.”

The investigation now pivots to the human factors in the hangar. The H160 is a masterpiece of digital engineering, but as the CENIPA footage suggests, even the most advanced fly-by-wire machines are ultimately at the mercy of the hands that maintain them.