ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 189784
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| Date: | Saturday 16 September 2006 |
| Time: | 10:16 |
| Type: |  Robinson R44 |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | G-GGRH |
| MSN: | 1623 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2006 |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-540-F1B5 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Burnwynd Farm, Hamilton Road, near Glassford, Strathaven, Lanarkshire -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Burnwynd Farm, Strathaven, Lanarkshire |
| Campbeltown Airport, Machrihanish (EGEC) | |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Written off (destroyed) 16-09-2006 when crashed at Burnwynd Farm, Hamilton Road, near Glassford, Strathaven, Lanarkshire; The pilot had been waiting for fog to clear so that he could depart on his intended flight. Having assessed that the weather had improved and was now suitable for the flight the pilot and his passenger departed, although the aircraft quickly entered cloud. The pilot managed to regain visual flight references and attempted to make a precautionary landing, however in doing so he collided with some trees which he had not seen due to the reduced visibility.
The two persons on board (pilot and one passenger) sustained minor injuries. The pilot was named in contemporary press reports (see link #6) as George Raymond Hamilton, who was also the registered owner of G-GGRH. They were both taken to Hairmyres Hospital in East Kilbride, where they were held overnight for observation. According to the following excerpt from the official AAIB report into the accident:
"The pilot was due to fly with a passenger from a private site near Strathaven to the Campbeltown on the Mull of Kintyre, some 60 nautical miles to the west. The pilot’s intended route took him close to Prestwick Airport which was about 20 nautical miles west of the departure site.
The private site had been affected by fog early in the morning, but the pilot reported this had cleared by about 09:45 hours. Having checked the weather forecast, and made a visual assessment of the local weather shortly after this time, the pilot believed the weather was suitable for the proposed flight. He took off with his passenger at about 10:00 hours, climbing to the west. On climbing through about 500 feet agl, the helicopter entered cloud, and so the pilot began a descent to regain visual references.
He was able to regain visual contact with the ground, but because the local visibility was considerably reduced, he decided to make a forced landing in a field, about 2 nautical miles from his point of departure. The pilot made a run‑on landing in the field, but due to the poor visibility, he was unaware of a hedgerow containing some trees ahead of the helicopter.
The fuselage passed between two of these trees, but the main rotor blades struck both trees, destabilising the helicopter and starting a process of structural disintegration. The severely damaged helicopter came to rest on its side in the field about 50 metres beyond the trees. The two occupants were able to climb out, unassisted, having sustained only minor injuries".
Nature of Damage sustained to airframe: Per the AAIB report "Aircraft destroyed". As a result, the registration G-GGRH was cancelled by the CAA on 13-03-2007 as "Destroyed"
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
1. AAIB: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5422ffd4ed915d1371000a4d/Robinson_R44_Raven__G-GGRH_03-07.pdf
2. CAA: https://siteapps.caa.co.uk/g-info/rk=GGRH
3. http://www.griffin-helicopters.co.uk/accidentdetails.aspx?accidentkey=26
4. https://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/244105-r44-crash-lanarkshire.html
5. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/5351702.stm
6. https://www.scotsman.com/news/pair-lucky-to-be-alive-after-helicopter-crash-1-1415234
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 02-Sep-2016 20:23 | Dr.John Smith | Added |
| 02-Sep-2016 20:26 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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