Dear All,
A great deal of the debate recently has concerned the weather at the time. The HoL report contains further detailed
contemporaneous evidence from the SAR crew. The report can be read at:
http://www.publications.parliament.u...n/25/25m04.htm
(Reproduced below)
Seems to corroborate Mr Holbrooke to me.
"ENTRY IN LOG BOOK OF MEMBER OF THE NAVY SEA KING HELICOPTER CREW
R177
WEBSTER GOODENOUGH BARCLAY CHAMBERS BURNETT
What a horrible one. Scrambled 1810 (local), airborne 1817 with basic details of a helicopter being heard flying over Mull of Kintyre lighthouse followed shortly by loud bang. Heard en route that it was a Chinook—thought initially five or so souls on board. Then heard that 30 persons on board (later confirmed at 29) so ensured that other units (including our standby crew) were also scrambled.
Arrived on scene approximately 1845 having made
visual-with-surface transit (down to 100' on rad alt with min quarter nm vis) assisted by Steve's excellent radar assistance.
Closed accident scene from the south of the Mull, found four or five lines of fire in the heather on the hill side but cloud and smoke prohibited any cliff transit to the crash site. Made several attempts to do this in the suckers gaps but wx changing so rapidly that we had to abort each time. Landed on at landing pad near lighthouse to assist with casevac if required (we weren't!) . . .
PAY: 1.45 Night 0.35
WX: W/V 160/15—330/15
CLOUD: 7ST002 at worst
7SC009 at best
8SC015
VIS: ¼nm at worst
3-4nm at best
DZ + SMOKE at scene
9ºC COMMS: Mostly good, Crab Sea Kings
Comms seemed poor, Nimrod comms
fairly good, poor with ground parties.
EXPLANATORY NOTES
"suckers gap"—This is a brief, unreliable clearance in cloud. Sometimes in foggy weather a gap appears, which might be assumed to be a clearance, but which then closes in.
"wx"—weather.
"Crab"—RAF.
"w/v"—wind velocity.
Notes at the foot of the entry:
Weather: Wind velocity—wind from a direction of 160o at a speed of 15 knots, becoming from a direction of 330o still at a speed of 15 knots.
Cloud: At worst seven eighths (almost constant) stratus (flat and layered) fog/cloud at 200 ft.
At best seven eighths stratus cumulus (more vertical form) at 900 ft.
At 1,500 ft solid cloud.
(Eighths measure density of cloud.)
Visibility: one quarter nautical mile at worst, 3 to 4 nautical miles at best.
Drizzle and smoke at scene. 9º Centigrade."