Jet Ranger Down
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ATC rang his mobile after two-way comms were lost. From what I gather he had already been in the Exeter area, and set down in a field near Topsham due to a low cloud base, but lifted again in same conditions (some time after 13:00 - not sure of the beeb sources).
A terrible tragedy - my very deepest condolences to the family and prayers for those involved.
A terrible tragedy - my very deepest condolences to the family and prayers for those involved.
Join Date: Apr 2002
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From today's Telegraph:
"The £800,000 helicopter left Gloucestershire airport at Staverton early on Saturday morning on a day return trip to Torbay in Devon. But at about 9.30am the pilot landed in a recreation field at Topsham, near Exeter, where he told a resident that he could not reach Torbay because of low cloud.
The pilot and his three passengers then spent about three hours in the village before setting off back.
Police rescue teams and the Avon and Somerset force's helicopter, assisted by an RAF Sea King helicopter, searched throughout the day and night for the wreckage.
But heavy rain and fog hampered the search and it took 20 hours to find the crashed helicopter. Michael Drew, a resident in Topsham, had earlier taken a photograph of the helicopter after it landed in the village and he spoke to the pilot.
Mr Drew said: "It was queer to see a helicopter by the house. The pilot circled about three times before he landed. He said he had a problem because he originally tried to land at nearby Exminster, but it was too marshy."
"The £800,000 helicopter left Gloucestershire airport at Staverton early on Saturday morning on a day return trip to Torbay in Devon. But at about 9.30am the pilot landed in a recreation field at Topsham, near Exeter, where he told a resident that he could not reach Torbay because of low cloud.
The pilot and his three passengers then spent about three hours in the village before setting off back.
Police rescue teams and the Avon and Somerset force's helicopter, assisted by an RAF Sea King helicopter, searched throughout the day and night for the wreckage.
But heavy rain and fog hampered the search and it took 20 hours to find the crashed helicopter. Michael Drew, a resident in Topsham, had earlier taken a photograph of the helicopter after it landed in the village and he spoke to the pilot.
Mr Drew said: "It was queer to see a helicopter by the house. The pilot circled about three times before he landed. He said he had a problem because he originally tried to land at nearby Exminster, but it was too marshy."
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It was a sad event, but I do have to ask this. Given the heavy drizzle, low cloud and poor vis, and that the weather was forecast to (and did) worsen,why the pilot was where he was.
The logical route north would have been to follow the M5 north, which avoids the really high ground. On the day, the motorway was clear (just) although the high ground on both sides were in cloud.
Are Jet Rangers IFR equipped? or would chopper pilots slow down and fly visually?
The logical route north would have been to follow the M5 north, which avoids the really high ground. On the day, the motorway was clear (just) although the high ground on both sides were in cloud.
Are Jet Rangers IFR equipped? or would chopper pilots slow down and fly visually?
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Amongst the reports on this there was reference to the fact that the heli was expected back at Gloucestershire airport "by 1830" - where sunset is currently 1640.
Best leave it all to the investigation.
Best leave it all to the investigation.
The Original Whirly
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I may well know some of the people, I did my CPL with Heliflight at Gloucester. Something of a shock, and I'm on holiday with very intermittent internet access, so may not be able to find out any more for a while. A sad event whoever it is....but I really hope it's nobody I know. 
Brings home the current discussions in several of the threads going on now. Let's wait for the AAIB to report their findings before we go pointing too many fingers. It may turn out to be some mechanical reason for all we know....at this point it could be any reason for that matter.
Prayers for those who have suffered a loss.
Prayers for those who have suffered a loss.
The Scotsman has named a few names. Might help people square the circle. Agree with SASless, speculation does not help in any way and the true cause of the accident should be established by the experts, not idle speculation, based on half facts.
Headsethair: the pilot could have been night rated and the aircraft suitably equipped for night flight?
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=4040164
'Many Lives Shattered' by Fatal Helicopter Crash
By Liam Creedon, PA
The brother of a man who died with his teenage son and two other passengers in a helicopter crash over the weekend today said the incident had “shattered” many lives.
Allan Tartaglia, 44, from Churchdown, Gloucestershire, his son James, 15, Roy Stevens, 54, from Gotherington, Gloucestershire, and another man still to be identified, died when the helicopter they were travelling in crashed into hills during bad weather.
The privately-owned Jet Ranger 206B was reported missing on Saturday afternoon after setting off from Gloucestershire Airport in Staverton, Cheltenham, at around 7am.
The wreckage was found in the Blackdown Hills near Corfe in Somerset and the bodies of the four victims recovered.
Speaking from his home in Cheltenham, Mr Tartaglia’s brother, Gordon Tartaglia, 54, said Allan, an engineer at Spyrax Sarco in Cheltenham, was a devoted family man.
He said: “We are an extremely close family. What has happened this weekend is devastating and has shattered the lives of many, many people.
“Allan was a truly devoted family man. His family was what was important to him and that’s what came first every time. His children adored him and they were the most important thing in his life.
“His son James was only 15, and was just starting to develop into an excellent young man – what has happened is truly tragic.”
He said that Mr Tartaglia’s widow, Debbie, was being comforted by family members.
He added that James had rung him halfway through the flight to say how much he was enjoying the trip.
He said: “I spoke to James when he rang back to Cheltenham, halfway through the flight. James was absolutely over the moon that he had been up in a helicopter.”
Mr Tartaglia said that Mr Stevens, an aviation engineer and close friend of Allan, was an experienced pilot and had made the same flight many times.
Speaking from her home in Gretton Road, Gotherington, Mr Stevens’ widow today said she was too upset to pay a tribute to her husband at this stage.
A spokesman for Avon and Somerset Police said it was unlikely that the victims would be formally identified until tomorrow.
The four bodies were found on the aircraft which was intended to be brought back to Staverton at 6.30pm on Saturday after the flight bound for Torbay.
It is believed the helicopter stopped somewhere in Devon before heading back to Gloucestershire and crashing in Somerset.
The RAF and police, using a helicopter and search and rescue teams, worked through the day and night but their search was hampered by bad weather.
There had been unconfirmed reports of a “loud bang” after a helicopter flew over the Taunton area.
A number of flying clubs and schools are based at the Staverton airport, but the helicopter, which is based at a hangar there, was on a private flight.
A police spokesman said the helicopter had left Staverton at about 7am and was on its return leg of a trip to Devon when the accident happened between 1pm and 3pm.
He believed the aircraft stopped in Topsham and the crew decided to return rather than go on to Torbay.
He said the weather conditions had “not been looking good” despite a bright start in Gloucestershire in the morning.
He said the £800,000 Jet Ranger helicopter was regularly used and believed it was being flown by an experienced pilot.
A spokeswoman for the PA WeatherCentre said the weather in the area on Saturday was bad with heavy rain, some snow over high ground and some wind.
Mr Tartaglia said that horrendous weather conditions hampered the search operation.
“As soon as I heard the news that they were missing I drove straight down to help with the search.
“We looked for hours but it was very dark and the weather was just too bad to be able to see things properly.”
The police will now work with the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) to establish the circumstances leading to the incident.
The AAIB is part of the Department for Transport and is responsible for the investigation of civil aircraft accidents and serious incidents within the UK.
A Department of Transport spokeswoman said: “The AAIB will be sending a team now and fully investigating it.”
Police are satisfied that there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the incident at this stage and the coroner for west Somerset has been informed.
Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Rod Hansen said: “We extend our condolences to the family and friends who have lost a loved one.
“We would like to thank members of the local community who demonstrated great public-spiritedness by both reporting what they knew and by helping with the search effort.”
Headsethair: the pilot could have been night rated and the aircraft suitably equipped for night flight?
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=4040164
'Many Lives Shattered' by Fatal Helicopter Crash
By Liam Creedon, PA
The brother of a man who died with his teenage son and two other passengers in a helicopter crash over the weekend today said the incident had “shattered” many lives.
Allan Tartaglia, 44, from Churchdown, Gloucestershire, his son James, 15, Roy Stevens, 54, from Gotherington, Gloucestershire, and another man still to be identified, died when the helicopter they were travelling in crashed into hills during bad weather.
The privately-owned Jet Ranger 206B was reported missing on Saturday afternoon after setting off from Gloucestershire Airport in Staverton, Cheltenham, at around 7am.
The wreckage was found in the Blackdown Hills near Corfe in Somerset and the bodies of the four victims recovered.
Speaking from his home in Cheltenham, Mr Tartaglia’s brother, Gordon Tartaglia, 54, said Allan, an engineer at Spyrax Sarco in Cheltenham, was a devoted family man.
He said: “We are an extremely close family. What has happened this weekend is devastating and has shattered the lives of many, many people.
“Allan was a truly devoted family man. His family was what was important to him and that’s what came first every time. His children adored him and they were the most important thing in his life.
“His son James was only 15, and was just starting to develop into an excellent young man – what has happened is truly tragic.”
He said that Mr Tartaglia’s widow, Debbie, was being comforted by family members.
He added that James had rung him halfway through the flight to say how much he was enjoying the trip.
He said: “I spoke to James when he rang back to Cheltenham, halfway through the flight. James was absolutely over the moon that he had been up in a helicopter.”
Mr Tartaglia said that Mr Stevens, an aviation engineer and close friend of Allan, was an experienced pilot and had made the same flight many times.
Speaking from her home in Gretton Road, Gotherington, Mr Stevens’ widow today said she was too upset to pay a tribute to her husband at this stage.
A spokesman for Avon and Somerset Police said it was unlikely that the victims would be formally identified until tomorrow.
The four bodies were found on the aircraft which was intended to be brought back to Staverton at 6.30pm on Saturday after the flight bound for Torbay.
It is believed the helicopter stopped somewhere in Devon before heading back to Gloucestershire and crashing in Somerset.
The RAF and police, using a helicopter and search and rescue teams, worked through the day and night but their search was hampered by bad weather.
There had been unconfirmed reports of a “loud bang” after a helicopter flew over the Taunton area.
A number of flying clubs and schools are based at the Staverton airport, but the helicopter, which is based at a hangar there, was on a private flight.
A police spokesman said the helicopter had left Staverton at about 7am and was on its return leg of a trip to Devon when the accident happened between 1pm and 3pm.
He believed the aircraft stopped in Topsham and the crew decided to return rather than go on to Torbay.
He said the weather conditions had “not been looking good” despite a bright start in Gloucestershire in the morning.
He said the £800,000 Jet Ranger helicopter was regularly used and believed it was being flown by an experienced pilot.
A spokeswoman for the PA WeatherCentre said the weather in the area on Saturday was bad with heavy rain, some snow over high ground and some wind.
Mr Tartaglia said that horrendous weather conditions hampered the search operation.
“As soon as I heard the news that they were missing I drove straight down to help with the search.
“We looked for hours but it was very dark and the weather was just too bad to be able to see things properly.”
The police will now work with the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) to establish the circumstances leading to the incident.
The AAIB is part of the Department for Transport and is responsible for the investigation of civil aircraft accidents and serious incidents within the UK.
A Department of Transport spokeswoman said: “The AAIB will be sending a team now and fully investigating it.”
Police are satisfied that there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the incident at this stage and the coroner for west Somerset has been informed.
Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Rod Hansen said: “We extend our condolences to the family and friends who have lost a loved one.
“We would like to thank members of the local community who demonstrated great public-spiritedness by both reporting what they knew and by helping with the search effort.”
Obviously sympathies to all concernecd. What I would like to know is why do pilots push on in bad weather. I live in the area, most of the day vis was less than 1 km with cloud on the ground. When the Police phoned at my base the viz was less than 50 m in fog with rain. My base is less than 8 miles from crash site on top of the Blackdowns.
Please please pilots out there do not get into the pushonittis, even if the tragic accident was a failure no one should have been flying in those conditions.
RIP
Please please pilots out there do not get into the pushonittis, even if the tragic accident was a failure no one should have been flying in those conditions.
RIP
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Hughes 500 I agree. I have read of three fatalities in the last 12 months on this site starting with the A109 last March at bournemouth. The accidents seem to be all linked in some way to weather.
I am really worried about this trend of accidents.
sympathies to all concerned
I am really worried about this trend of accidents.
sympathies to all concerned
