AW109S Hard Landing: Exmoor
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AW109S Hard Landing: Exmoor
A FATHER and son stumbled across an abandoned helicopter which had crash landed in a field on Exmoor.
The crashed helicopter which ditched in a field on Exmoor between Dulverton and Withypool on Sunday. Photos: Martin Bennett
Martin Bennett and his son Luke work as water engineers and were on their way to a job when they stumbled across the aircraft.
The duo, who live in Barnstaple, were travelling from Dulverton to Withypool on Monday when they made the discovery.
Martin, 52, said: “We saw the helicopter in the field and wondered why it had landed there, it was an odd place.
“But as we got closer to the helicopter it became obvious there was something wrong.
“It was lopsided. We pulled up and saw parts hanging off the helicopter.”
The pilot was nowhere to be seen and the pair reported the incident to police in both Devon and Somerset.
Martin said: “The helicopter was in the field but there was no one around.
“We do come across things from time to time like fires and people stuck in hedges and we help them out but we have never come across a stricken helicopter before.”
Inside the aircraft the pair found a technical log book from Elite Helicopters.
Glenn Curtis, who works in the operations department of the company, said this helicopter was a privately owned machine and was being flown by the owner.
He said: “Elite Helicopters is a commercial company licenced by the Civil Aviation Authority to conduct public transport and charter flights.
“We manage and operate numerous aircraft helicopter types which are privately owned.
“The owners use the aircraft themselves and these flights are carried out as private category flights.
“The nature of the flight which the incident occurred was a private category flight being flown by the owner of the aircraft.”
A spokesman for Avon and Somerset Police said the helicopter's pilot reported the crash to the force on Sunday evening.
It is understood he escaped uninjured.
The crashed helicopter which ditched in a field on Exmoor between Dulverton and Withypool on Sunday. Photos: Martin Bennett
Martin Bennett and his son Luke work as water engineers and were on their way to a job when they stumbled across the aircraft.
The duo, who live in Barnstaple, were travelling from Dulverton to Withypool on Monday when they made the discovery.
Martin, 52, said: “We saw the helicopter in the field and wondered why it had landed there, it was an odd place.
“But as we got closer to the helicopter it became obvious there was something wrong.
“It was lopsided. We pulled up and saw parts hanging off the helicopter.”
The pilot was nowhere to be seen and the pair reported the incident to police in both Devon and Somerset.
Martin said: “The helicopter was in the field but there was no one around.
“We do come across things from time to time like fires and people stuck in hedges and we help them out but we have never come across a stricken helicopter before.”
Inside the aircraft the pair found a technical log book from Elite Helicopters.
Glenn Curtis, who works in the operations department of the company, said this helicopter was a privately owned machine and was being flown by the owner.
He said: “Elite Helicopters is a commercial company licenced by the Civil Aviation Authority to conduct public transport and charter flights.
“We manage and operate numerous aircraft helicopter types which are privately owned.
“The owners use the aircraft themselves and these flights are carried out as private category flights.
“The nature of the flight which the incident occurred was a private category flight being flown by the owner of the aircraft.”
A spokesman for Avon and Somerset Police said the helicopter's pilot reported the crash to the force on Sunday evening.
It is understood he escaped uninjured.
Join Date: Dec 2007
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What, again?
Didn't he have a fenestron failure on his 135 years ago?
Didn't he have a fenestron failure on his 135 years ago?
Date of occurrence: 16 September 2007 - The pilot and his passenger were returning to the UK from Europe. Whilst passing through the Stansted control zone, the helicopter had an event during which the auto trim in the Automatic Flight System disengaged and the helicopter pitched nose down. The pilot, believing he had a double engine failure, entered autorotation. During the landing flare the tail of the helicopter struck the ground first, severing the fenestron drive. The helicopter subsequently rolled on to its side and was extensively damaged. The occupants escaped without injuries.
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Avoid imitations
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Harsh, but fair....
Avoid imitations
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Plan your landing in the dark in an unlit site on fairly featureless terrain (apart from pesky trees). Factor in a bit of poor visibility. What could possibly go wrong?
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Can you land a civilian helicopter at an unlit site by night within the rules? Find it hard to believe you don't need some lighting for glide path or a point to aim at at least because otherwise you are descending into the unknown really as this accident shows.
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For AOC work, no. But there is no rule which says a private flight has to have landing site lighting. But common sense says....
Your profile suggests you are from a military background. I think you will therefore be thinking, as in my earlier days, the bare minimum ought to be crossed vehicle headlights, to be used in an emergency. Or A NATO 'T' for normal ops, preferably with an Angle of Approach Indicator for such flights as this one was.
Your profile suggests you are from a military background. I think you will therefore be thinking, as in my earlier days, the bare minimum ought to be crossed vehicle headlights, to be used in an emergency. Or A NATO 'T' for normal ops, preferably with an Angle of Approach Indicator for such flights as this one was.
