ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 180473
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| Date: | Saturday 27 June 1970 |
| Time: | 16:09 LT |
| Type: | Brooklands Hornet Gyrocopter |
| Owner/operator: | Brooklands Rotorcraft Ltd |
| Registration: | G-AWTZ |
| MSN: | 8 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Woodford Aerodrome, Cheshire -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Demo/Airshow/Display |
| Departure airport: | Woodford Aerodrome, Cheshire (EGCD) |
| Woodford Aerodrome, Cheshire (EGCD) | |
| Investigating agency: | AIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Brooklands Hornet Gyrocopter G-AWTZ: Written off (destroyed) 27/6/1970 when crashed at Woodford Aerodrome, Cheshire, killing the pilot (the sole person on board) whilst giving a flying display. According to contemporary press reports, and the official AAIB report into the accident:
"The Chief Inspector of Accidents has concluded that there was insufficient evidence to establish the cause of the fatal accident involving the Brooklands Hornet Gyrocopter G-AWTZ. The AAIB report said that it is probable that a decay in airspeed and a reduction of normal g forces at the apex of a "wing-over" type of manoeuvre led to a loss of control of the rotor. The pilot had 60 hours experience on powered gyroplanes.
The aircraft crashed during a display on June 27, 1970. At the end of each run it zoomed up before pulling first to the right and then to the left into a dive in the opposite direction. At the top of one of these manoeuvres, when the aircraft was banked vertically to the left, the rotor appeared to slow down and the blades struck the fin and rudder. The blades then bent upwards and stopped.
The AAIB report notes that this is the fourth gyrocopter accident since September 1969 in which the rotor struck the fin. In no case has evidence so far come to light to establish a cause or causes"
The AAIB report confirms that the pilot - named as Mr. R.B. Luesley - was killed, and the the aircraft was "destroyed". As a result, the registration G-AWTZ was belatedly cancelled by the CAA on 18/2/1972 as "P.W.F.U." ("Permanently Withdrawn From Use")
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
1. AAIB: https://assets.digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk/media/5422ee27e5274a13170001ed/5-1972_G-AWTZ.pdf
2. CAA: https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-AWTZ.pdf
3. Flight International 9 March 1972: https://www.flightglobal.com/FlightPDFArchive/1972/1972%20-%200533.PDF
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 17-Oct-2015 20:03 | Dr.John Smith | Added |
| 30-Sep-2020 23:09 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Accident report] |
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