🇵🇹Helicopter incidents in Portugal

This database records 70 helicopter incidents in Portugal, the earliest in 1959 and the most recent in 2026. 1 has been recorded so far in 2026. The worst single year was 1971, with 8 incidents.

40 deaths across 17 fatal accidents, which is 24% of all incidents recorded here. Every other accident in Portugal was survived by everyone on board. The deadliest was on 1971-04-30 at Tancos, which killed 5.

The most frequently recorded type is the Aerospatiale SE 3160 Alouette III with 13 incidents, followed by the Eurocopter AS 350B3 Ecureuil with 10. That reflects how many of each type fly in Portugal rather than how safe they are.

Where a cause has been established, the most common is wire strikes, in 12 accidents, then mechanical failure in 11. Many records carry no established cause, either because the investigation is open or because none was published.