OK, here's my input.
(3500hrs helo, 1000N Sea. 12000hrs airline. I'm no expert. but equally no dummy)
I have not had time to read anything on this forum about this accident. I was away from home and the interntet when it occurred until now.
I was staying about a mile from the scene.
On Thursday afternoon I was at my place rather less than a mile from the accident site burning a bonfire at 1700 when I noticed an AW139 passing to the North of me, from W to E. I recognised it as an AW139 and it was clearly slowing and descending towards a landing, helos land at the hall regularly.
I mentioned to my oppo that I thought that they were probably returning from Cheltenham, even though it seemed rather early.
As a helo Professional I listened to the sound as the aircraft disappeared from sight and gained the impression - and here I must stress that what follows is no more than my impression - that the helo slowed and made various manoeuvres for an approach and landed. I then heard - I am quite certain, about three minutes of constant burning and turning, than an increase of noise as it took off again. I thought at the time that the noise then disappeared rather quickly but that is nothing to cause alert at the time.
Note that my sighting of the 139 was at 1700 with the helo travelling W to E to the N of me in perfect vis at my guess and clearly slowing. I soon lost visual but retained audible evidence which suggested an uneventful landing, Wind was Easterly at 3-5 kts, very light.
After c. three minutes burning and turning (as you might expect for a charter stop) I'm pretty certain I heard the helo lift and depart. I wonder if I did in fact? Refuel?
At 1840 I went out for supper and remarked to my oppo that Beccles (some 2 miles distant) had disappeared in the haze, and later on the drive it was clear that it was becoming misty and that fog was forming early. I thought it would be thick. Returning from the pub at 2100 (yes, sad, I know) the fog was very thick indeed. Streetlights in Bungay only visible as you passed the previous one, so 30yards or so to see streetlights. In the Waveny valley 20mph was the max on the lanes. Vis at my place less than a mile from the accident site was the same. The fog was not patchy (8 mile drive) and my place is c. 30 ft above sea level and Gillingham Hall perhaps 20-30ft higher.
As I got out of the car I was immediately aware of at least two helos flying low and slow above and manoeuvering with a lot of blade slap. There was a full moon but it was only intermittently visible as a faint disk. I guess now they were ENG but there's no way they could have seen anything.
Last edited by Agaricus bisporus; 16th Mar 2014 at 12:17.