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| Date: | Tuesday 7 January 2014 |
| Time: | 19:00 LT |
| Type: |  Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawk |
| Owner/operator: | US Air Force (USAF), 48th FW, 56th Rescue Sqn |
| Registration: | 88-26109 |
| MSN: | 70-1306 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1989 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | near Cley Next The Sea, Norfolk -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Lakenheath (LKZ/EGUL) |
| RAF Lakenheath (LKZ/EGUL) |
Crashed during low-level training flight. A USAF HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter crashed about 1900 GMT in a bird sanctuary Cley-Next-To-The-Sea, Norfolk, UK. The crew of 4 were killed in the crash. Circumstances as to the cause of the crash are under investigation. Possible bird strike. According to the USAF AIB Report into the accident:
"On 7 January 2014, at approximately 1805 local time (L), the mishap aircraft (MA), an HH-60G, Tail Number 88-26109, assigned to the 56th Rescue Squadron, 48th Fighter Wing, Royal Air Force (RAF) Lakenheath, United Kingdom (UK), experienced multiple bird strikes during a training mission and impacted privately-owned, grass-covered marshland near Cley next the Sea, UK. The four crewmembers were fatally injured in the mishap. There were no civilian injuries or fatalities. The MA was destroyed upon impact. The cost to the United States government is estimated at $40,302,061. Damage to private property consisted of minimal burning to grass at the crash site.
The purpose of the training mission was to conduct a nighttime rescue scenario of a downed F-16 pilot. The training mission included two aircraft, the flight lead aircraft and the MA, collectively known as the mishap formation (MF). All members of the flight lead crew and mishap crew wore night vision goggles. The MF departed RAF Lakenheath at 1733L and proceeded to an initial point to verify the status of the simulated downed pilot and conduct threat analysis.
Strong winds pushed the MF toward a populated area. To avoid causing a noise disturbance, the MF reestablished its initial point to the north near the coastline. The MA departed the new initial point at 1804L, flying east at approximately 110 feet above ground level and 110 knots indicated air speed toward a landing zone near Salthouse, UK. The flight path took the MF over Cley Marshes in the Norfolk Wildlife Trust near Cley next the Sea.
A flock of geese took flight from Cley Marshes, likely startled by the noise of the approaching helicopters, and struck the MA. At least three geese penetrated the windscreen, rendering the mishap pilot and mishap co-pilot unconscious, and at least one goose struck the mishap aerial gunner in the performance of special mission aviator duties, rendering the mishap aerial gunner unconscious. In addition, at least one goose hit the nose of the MA, disabling the Trim and Flight Path Stabilization systems. With the mishap pilot and mishap co-pilot unconscious and the Trim and Flight Path Stabilization disabled, the MA’s cyclic stick, which controls pitch and roll of the aircraft, was free to move randomly. The MA banked left to a point where it had no vertical lift. Without vertical lift, and without pilot input to correct the left roll, the MA was not able to remain airborne or maintain controlled flight. The MA impacted the ground at 1805L—
approximately three seconds after being struck by the geese.
The Accident Investigation Board President found by clear and convincing evidence that multiple bird strikes caused the mishap by rendering the mishap pilot and mishap co-pilot unconscious and disabling the Trim and Flight Path Stabilization systems".
Sources:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25646978
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-25661782
https://edition.cnn.com/2014/01/08/world/europe/uk-helicopter-crash/index.html
http://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-britain-usaf-helicopter-crash-20140107,0,3116965.story
http://news.sky.com/story/1191890/norfolk-helicopter-crash-victims-identified
http://www.fightercontrol.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=287&t=91477&start=120
http://aerossurance.com/helicopters/usaf-hh60g-birdstrike-uk/
http://www.airforcemag.com/AircraftAccidentReports/Documents/2014/010714_HH60G_UK.pdf
Media:
#OTD 2014: #USAF HH-60G Downed by Geese in Norfolk, UK https://t.co/tEWOocaofs #aviationsafety #flightsafety #birdstrike #helicopter #accident #sar pic.twitter.com/lPL3L5fOI8
— Aerossurance (@Aerossurance) January 7, 2021
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 08-Jan-2014 05:25 | JINX | Added |
| 08-Jan-2014 06:52 | dfix | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 08-Jan-2014 08:20 | JINX | Updated [Time, Location, ] |
| 08-Jan-2014 11:14 | northwest85 | Updated [Location, Nature, Departure airport, Narrative, ] |
| 08-Jan-2014 15:36 | Anon. | Updated [Narrative, ] |
| 08-Jan-2014 16:59 | JINX | Updated [Operator, Nature, ] |
| 09-Jan-2014 08:20 | MarkStep | Updated [Source, ] |
| 14-Jan-2014 11:44 | Hoekb03 | Updated [Registration, Cn, Source, ] |
| 16-Jan-2014 11:03 | Birdstrike | Updated [Narrative, ] |
| 27-Sep-2015 23:27 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Operator, Source, Embed code, Narrative, ] |
| 19-Aug-2016 12:55 | Aerossurance | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Location, Phase, Destination airport, ] |
| 31-Dec-2018 14:38 | Aerossurance | Updated [Location, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 03-Jan-2019 12:14 | Aerossurance | Updated [Source, ] |
| 12-Feb-2020 15:23 | Iwosh | Updated [Operator, Operator, ] |
| 28-Jul-2021 12:19 | Aerossurance | Updated [Embed code, ] |
| 28-Jul-2021 12:20 | Aerossurance | Updated [Operator, Phase, Embed code, ] |
| 28-Jul-2021 12:20 | Aerossurance | Updated |
| 28-Jul-2021 12:20 | Aerossurance | Updated |
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