R44 down in Amersham, UK

[2Sticks]

It seems an R44 from Heli-Air based at Denham crashed in Amersham, Buckinghamshire on Friday 16 September. Newspaper report in 'Buckinghamshire Examiner' as follows:
"A helicopter pilot is recovering in hospital after crashing in Amersham. The aircraft came down in a field adjacent to the A413 London Road......just before 10am on Friday, 16th September. The pilot had taken off from Denham Aerodrome earlier that morning as part of parctice for his helicopter licence, before crashing at 9:56am. Eye witness.....said, '.....when I heard the helicopter over the top of my house. It was very low and noisy. It was heading twards the River Misbourne and fields and then it just dropped. I could see the blade going round and round, and I immediately called the police....."
"Heli-Air did not wish to comment on the incident.
Department for Transport spokesman David Stewart said it could not speculate on the causes of the incident and would file a report in the next few months with the help of the pilot once he had recovered from his injuries."

Pilot was a fixed wing pilot training for his PPL(H).
The newspaper carries a photograph (sorry I haven't got any scanning facilites where I'm located today) showing the blue/grey R44 upright, skid collapsed, tail broken at the base but intact with TR attached, front screen out, main blades attached but drooping badly - all looking consistent with a very heavy touchdown. Part of aircraft reg is showing and ends ATY. G-INFO reports the only R44 ending with these letter is G-TATY which is a 1999 R44 Astro

I wish the pilot all best wishes for a speedy recovery.

2Sticks

[Heliport]

Bucks Free Press report

Helicopter in crash terror
By Ushma Mistry

A HELICOPTER narrowly missed a busy bypass when it crashed into a field injuring its pilot.
The trainee pilot suffered serious injuries in the crash and is now in a stable condition at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxfordshire.

http://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/_images/db/15/80/helicopter.158021.full.jpg

Employees at Merritts Jaguar car showroom, in London Road, Amersham, heard the helicopter circling above. A spokesman for Merrits said: "The field where he landed is just behind us so we had a clear view of the whole incident, although it was quite far away. Some of the drivers came in and said they had heard something making a strange noise above them. When they looked up they saw the helicopter coming down near the woods. They said it was flying very low and at one point looked as though it might crash into the bypass, but it actually landed on the other side in the end."

Three fire crews attended the scene shortly after the Robinson R44 chopper came down in a field, close to the A413 Amersham Bypass, near London Road East, Amersham at around 9.55am.

The pilot, who took off from Denham Aerodrome at 9.50am, is believed to be in his 50s or 60s. He suffered a suspected cut to his neck.

Robin Steel, 65, from Maryland, USA, was in the Tesco car park, in London Road, when he noticed the helicopter flying above him.
He told Midweek: "I stopped and looked up as it seemed to be coming down at some speed. Then I heard a really loud bang." Mr Steel added: "It's remarkable the pilot wasn't killed."

The pilot was believed to have been on a routine navigational training exercise across South Bucks when he got into difficulties.

A spokesman for Bickertons Aerodrome, the operating company for Denham Aerodrome, said: "The pilot was reasonably experienced and already has a fixed wing licence for aeroplanes." The pilot was under instruction from Heli Air flying school, in Wellesborne. Trainees are allowed to fly unaccompanied during their training at the flying instructor's discretion.

The helicopter crash is being investigated by the Air Accident Investigation Board.

[helicopter-redeye]

Ah! "Crash Terror"...."Narrowly missed busy bypass"..."looked like it might crash into the bypass"..."coming down at some speed"...


Surely the 'reporter' can get a few more adjectives and drama in than that. :yuk:

[Heliport]

The pilot wasn't even heroically fighting the controls to miss the kindergarten at the edge of the town!

What sort of story is that? :rolleyes:

[helicopter-redeye]

....AND he was carrying fuel on board (within 15 DME of Heathrow gasp)

etc etc etc

[alouette]

Suspected cut to the neck?!?....The reporter should have written "Pilot tried to steal a jaguar displayed in the showroom in a spectacular fashion when the aviator started to drool because of the abundance of posh cars". This sentence would have pepped up the story.

Media reports:yuk:

Nevertheless, the guy was lucky to walk away from that "fender bender". Hope he recovers