Two killed in accident near Bournemouth IA
 

Two Killed in Helicopter Crash

By Martin Halfpenny, PA News

Two people were killed when a helicopter crashed near an airport, police said tonight.

The civilian chopper was believed to have been en route from London when it crashed into a field near Pitt House Farm about one mile from Bournemouth International Airport at 7.42pm.

Police said two bodies were recovered from the wreckage.

Officers were tonight scouring the immediate area of the crash site in case there could be other bodies.

Air accident investigators from Farnborough in Hampshire were on their way to the scene.

source

Helicopter crash kills two
10.05PM, 3 Mar 2004

Two people have been killed in a helicopter crash near Bournemouth International Airport in Hurn, Dorset.

Eyewitnesses said the chopper burst into flames on impact after crashing on a strip of land between the River Avon and the busy A338 dual carriageway.

Rescuers said it was "a miracle" that the aircraft missed nearby traffic.

"We sent three ambulances, two officers and an immediate response car and paramedics were on scene within a few minutes of the call," a Dorset Ambulance Service spokesman said.

"Sadly, the aircraft was well ablaze and the casualties were trapped inside it. There was nothing that could be done to save them."

A spokesman for Dorset Fire Service said: "We can confirm that a helicopter has come down near Bournemouth International Airport and burst into flames, killing two people on board.

"We were called at 7.40pm to reports of the aircraft well alight. Fire crews from Dorset and the airport are at the scene trying to put out the fire."

source

Chopper down
 

Just heard on the news a chopper down in Bournemouth 2 killed aircraft destroyed. Aircraft from London

BBC News are reporting that the aircraft was an Augusta from the Basildon area of Essex

RC

Does anyone have any idea on the aircraft type yet, media reports say Agusta and there are not really that many of them in the UK are there.

Autorotate.

I've been told the following.
I stress this is UNCONFIRMED

Augusta 109E
G-PWER
Based Hurn, possibly at Red Helicopters
Professional Pilot

I've been told the pilot's name but it wouldn't be right to give it on the forum because it hasn't yet been formally released and, more important, because my information comes from a single source and I haven't been able to confirm it.

I have confirmed that G-PWER is an A109E, and is registered to a local company at Poole near Bournemouth.

FL

Meridian TV report this morning

Quote:

---

Helicopter crashes in Dorset killing two
4 Mar, 2004, 6:29

---

The report doesn't say who's meant by "It's thought" so no idea if there's an informed basis for that, or just journo speculation.


============

For Rotorheads not familiar with UK geography, Bournemouth (Hurn) is on the South Coast of England, about 100 nm SSW of London
http://www.flybournemouth.com/images/numap.jpg

Just got off the phone with a friend there in the UK who has an associate at the crash site. Indications are were that it hit the top line of a main power line. Now this is not 100% confirmed but just some feedback I got that thought would pass along.

Condolences to the friends and family of the pilot and passenger.

Autororate :( :(

I've now confirmed the pilot's name and that his family were informed soon after the crash.

Sadly, Max Radford was killed last night.

I'm told he used to work at Redhill before moving to Red Aviation at Hurn.

My condolences to his friends and family.


NB:
To avoid any confusion, although registered to a company at Sunseeker House, the A109 which crashed isn't owned by Sunseeker Boats.
(Sunseeker House is an office block with several tenants.)

FL, I think it's even more confusing that that in reality. It is worth pointing out that the owner is also not related to another company with Sunseeker in the name who

- own an N reg A109 Mk.II
- are not related to Sunseeker, the boat manufacturer (bet they wish they had trademarked the name...)
- operate from the same street selling preowned boats
- have rally interests

pp

Thanks ppheli

I thought it might be rather confusing to go into that amount of detail, but you may be right.
All I was trying to do was prevent people who might check the CAA's online database for an Agusta 109 in the Bournemouth area, and see the owner's registered address from:

wrongly jumping to the conclusion that the A109 associated with the 'Sunseeker' name was involved and,

more important,

wrongly assuming that the pilot we associate with the Sunseeker helicopter was one of the two men sadly killed. He is alive and well - we spoke this morning.

Tudor

My condolences to his family and friends.

Very sad to loose another colleague.

T. H.

Max was a good friend.

My thoughts are with his family.

Details of the pax now released:

British head of Yukos holding dies in helicopter crash
AFP 3/4

A British lawyer, Stephen Curtis, who was managing director of the holding group for embattled Russian oil giant Yukos has died in a helicopter crash in southern England, a Menatep Group spokesman in Russia told AFP.

British police announced late Wednesday that two people had died in a civilian helicopter crash at Bournemouth near the southern coast.

The helicopter, believed to have been flying from London, came down in a field about one mile (1.6 kilometres) from the airport and two bodies were recovered from the wreckage.

Stephen Curtis was appointed as managing director of Menatep Group in mid-November until Platon Lebedev, the group's chairman currently in prison and under investigation for fraud, was able to resume his functions,

Menatep, registered in Gibraltar, is the largest shareholder in Russia's largest oil company Yukos whose former chief executive Mikhail Khodorkovsky was arrested at gunpoint in October and is being held in preventive detention on charges of fraud and tax evasion.

Lebedev's arrest on July 2 triggered a string of investigations into Yukos which observers have interpreted as a crackdown against Khodorkovsky's political opposition to President Vladimir Putin.

:(

I/C

AAIB now say that they DO NOT believe the helicopter struck the power lines located near the field.

Did not know Max or Stephen but have heard alot of good things about them since the accident.
RIP.

From tonight's London Evening Standard:

Tycoon's lawyer dies in crash

A lawyer with close links to Russian tycoons Roman Abramovich and Boris Berezovsky has died in a mysterious helicopter crash.

Stephen Curtis, who was until recently a partner of solicitors Curtis & Company, died when the Augusta helicopter that he owned crashed a mile from Bournemouth airport. The accident also claimed the life of the pilot.

An inquiry by the Air Accident Investigation Branch is under way today after it emerged that the helicopter, which had taken off from London's Battersea heliport, crashed in a field east of the airport in Dorset.

The accident happened shortly before 8pm last night.

Mr Curtis, 45, is understood to have acted as lawyer to Mr Berezovsky and several other UK-based oligarchs who oppose Russian president Vladimir Putin. Mr Curtis had also recently been involved with Mr Abramovich's bid to take over a major Russian oil company.

Mr Berezovsky, Britain's richest refugee, is regarded as a mentor to billionaire Chelsea FC owner Abramovich. He is wanted on fraud charges in Moscow but, after being arrested in London, was granted political asylum.

The Russian authorities are chasing Mr Berezovsky on charges that he and an associate defrauded a regional government of the equivalent of £8 million during the mid-1990s.

Locals reported hearing the helicopter's twin engines struggling as it passed overhead, moments before a loud explosion in the field.

Air traffic controllers raised the alarm when they suddenly lost contact with the helicopter and no Mayday call was sent by the pilot.

Witness Sarah Price, who lives in one of four detached houses just 300 yards from the crash scene, said she heard silence before a loud explosion.

The 26-year-old dental nurse said: "My husband and I have lived under the flight path to the airport for a year or so. We had always dreaded the thought of something terrible like this happening. There was just a period of silence in the moments before the explosion so I guess the engines must have cut out.

"Then I heard a massive bang and rushed up to the window and just saw this big fireball across the field."

The debris of the wreckage was strewn across a quarter of a mile. The bodies of the two victims were taken to a mortuary at Boscombe. A post mortem is due to take place tomorrow.

Mr Curtis was also the MD of the $30billion holding company Group Menatep Ltd, which has interests in the Russian oil industry.

Leonid Nevzlin, a colleague at Group Menatep, said: "Stephen was a great friend and colleague."

Mr Berezovsky, an influential insider in Boris Yeltsin's Kremlin, is one of the few so-called oligarchs - men who made fortunes following the 1991 Soviet collapse - to face prosecution after Mr Putin's pledge to crack down on them.

Knew Max out in California, nice guy. Enjoyed a beer and a laugh. RIP

Trained in California at the same time as Max.

Many good memories.

May you Rest In Peace.

When I heard the first reports this morning, I feared the worst, but hoped for the best. Unfortunatly I then heard that I had lost a colleague and a friend.
Despite his quirkiness, Max was a good, kind and fun person, with boundless energy and zest.
From his days at Panshanger, with G-XTEC, and fond memories of the Summer Barbeques. To his more recent exploits at Bournemouth.
I’ll never forget when Red Aviation was in the making, walking up and down the roads in Bournemouth with him picking out the nice looking cars and putting leaflets under the wipers, frozen to the core but soldiering on for the cause.
His dedication and enthusiasm will never be forgotten, and I for one know that there will be a hole in my life where Max used to be.

My condolences to all Friends and Relatives of both Max and Stephen

May you rest in peace Max, you’ll not be forgotten.

Just found out. Can't bloody believe it. I trained with Max back in '95 in California. We have truly lost a great character, warm and down right hilarious at times. I'll miss you, Max.

I had the great privilege of teaching Max to fly in California back in 1994. He was an instant friend and I've been in close contact with him ever since we both came back to the UK. I've seen him go from Flight instructor at Panshanger to making a great success of Red Aviation.

We've shared some great times and always had a laugh. If there is one thing that you could count on Max being, it was great fun. He was a kind warm-hearted guy who would do anything to help out his friends.

I'm glad you came to see us a couple of weeks ago to meet Chloe for the first time. I'll make sure she hears your name when she's older and knows all about you.

Rest in peace matey and don't go buzzing the Pearly Gates too often! You'll be sadly missed mate and will be forever in our hearts.

Contact info at Red Aviation
 

Hello hello!

To all who've posted here as Max's friends and colleagues: by now most of you know the flight was operated by Red, Max's company. I am touched by all of your comments, but as you are under psuedonyms, I don't know who you are to thank you (tho' I can work some out - Geordie pilot!!) I would very much appreciate it if you contacted me with your real names, email me at [email protected]

Max was a clown who filled my every day with madness for the last 14 months. I enjoyed every moment of it, and Red will be adrift without our loony leader.

But as Max would say, 'it's all good'.

Many thanks again.

Red Aviation Staff

I also knew Max from California, good memories indeed.

RIP

Unbelievable! I trained with Max in California, had many a pint together - he was a great laugh and always the man with the plan.
My condolences to his family.

I flew with Max in Bournmouth and am numbed by the news. He was one of the most enthusiastic people I have had the pleasure to meet; great fun both in the aircraft and out for a beer. A friend that will be sadly missed.
Condolences to family and friends.

I was also privileged to have known Max when he was starting out in helicopter flying, my condolences to his family and friends
May you Rest in Peace Max

Good evening to you all.

Does anyone have any further information on the accident?

Any more from the AAIB?

East Anglian Daily Times report

TRIBUTES have been paid to a pilot who was killed in a horrific helicopter crash.
Matt Radford, 34, from Worlington, near Mildenhall, died when the Augusta A109 he was flying plummeted into a field near Bournemouth Airport.
Both Mr Radford and his passenger, lawyer Stephen Curtis, were killed instantly when the helicopter hit the ground and burst into flames just a mile from its destination.

A former Mildenhall Upper School pupil, Mr Radford grew up in Worlington, where he had lived with his parents, Dennis and Gloria.
After leaving home, he started up his helicopter company, Red Aviation, four years ago, which was based at Bournemouth Airport and offered flight training, executive travel and leisure trips.
Residents in Lark Close, Worlington, were still trying to come to terms last night with the death of their neighbours' son, who was well-known in the village.

Staff at Red Aviation also said in a statement: "We are devastated by the tragic loss of our colleague in Wednesday's accident.
"Matt was an experienced, dedicated commercial pilot and instructor and he will be greatly missed by his friends and the industry as a whole. Our sympathy goes out to the families and friends of the two men."

Nice to see that they managed to research it so well.

Couldn't even get MAX'S name right

:( :* :* :(

He was a great instructor!!! RIP

KMS

It was more that you'd have thought they'd have know that, and respected his preference and wishes.

HeliEng

I know what you mean, it is unfortunate, but the most important thing is they got across that Max was popular, respected and will be missed by those who knew him in his home village by his staff at Red Aviation.

There is a BIG difference between a Robbo and a 109E: there is much more to go wrong in the latter, requiring serious helpings of experience. Apparently, the gear was down but impact was at high speed in the opposite direction to the runway with the engines, transmission and even tail ripped from the airframe. One cannot discount disorientation in bad weather, at low altitude, I guess?

Apparently, I guess.

I think I would leave the guesswork to the experts!

Thanks for the factual information in the middle of your post AstraMike.
Shame about the beginning and the end.

The UK AAIB have issued a Special Bulletin regarding this accident, detailing the facts as currently known.

It can be found here.

I was told the aircraft had previously suffered a screen failure.

??

Flintstone, in answer to your question marks, I would presume a 'screen failure' refers to the EFIS screens fitteed to the A109E.
There are however old fashioned 'steam driven' standby instruments to cover for this very failure (which is not unknown, I had one myself). The standby's are small but clear and present no problem to use IMC or at Night (again personal experience). Let's what and see what AAIB say.

Sorry YBOTT, I should have made myself clearer.


By "??" I was wondering if anyone knew if there'd been previous failures as opposed to asking what such a failure was.

The initial report suggests something other than pilot error, not that it makes the news any easier.

It was his bloody round too.

Guys this is very sad, and although I did not know Max I know many people who did, and it seems understandable that he is so well liked. I have not even flown rotary for some time. However in a forum open to the press and public we do owe UK helicopter operations some honesty, especially in the safety records. Helicopters are generally very safe and reliable. We can't start saying "it doesn't look like pilot error" on the strength of this report.At night. Over an unlit area.

The area of the crash has almost no lighting, very few buildings. Talking to people who were there at the time that is a generous interpretation of the weather, with cloud reported around 600 feet in the area, and mist. Under SVFR, 1 mile from a runway with ALS, instrumentation failures should not be critical.

I'm not saying it was pilot error. I am saying there is nothing in this report that "...suggests something other than pilot error". We don't want to be doing exactly what we criticise the press for, jumping the gun on the cause. I'm with YBOTT on this. Wait for the full report.

Not sure if this has been posted anywhere else, sorry if it has, but The Times today ran an article that strongly hinted at the possibility that this could have been something more sinister than a tragic accident:



March 29, 2004

British millionaire feared for his life before fatal helicopter crash
By Daniel McGrory and Simon de Bruxelles



A BRITISH lawyer who helped to create one of the world’s richest companies told a colleague that he feared for his life just before he was killed in a helicopter crash this month.
Stephen Curtis would not identify any specific threat, but talked of his concerns about business rivals in Russia, including some with close links to the Kremlin.

Mr Curtis, who would never allow himself to be photographed, had begun to take extra security precautions, such as telling only his closest aides about his travel plans. One report claims that Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the Moscow oligarch who is in jail in Russia, instructed lawyers to make Mr Curtis the sole signatory to their company’s vast bank accounts.

Mr Curtis, 45, was also allegedly being urged to move his own sizeable financial holdings in Menatep, an oil and banking company, to a different offshore bank amid suggestions that the Kremlin was trying to seize its funds.

Days after confiding his private fears about his safety, the multimillionaire died in a mysterious crash as he was being flown home to his castle in Dorset on March 4. So little wreckage survived the fire that the Air Accidents Investigation Branch says that it may be many months before it can say for certain what happened during the last moments of Mr Curtis’s short flight from London. His remains have still not been formally identified from the wreckage.

His wife, Sarah, a former opera singer, has refused to say anything about his death.

In the world in which he operated Stephen Curtis's violent death was bound to create a glut of rumours and conspiracy theories which will proliferate the longer it takes the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) to deliver its official report.

An AAIB spokesman said yesterday that its investigation could take up to six months to complete. The helicopter's remains are being reassembled in a hangar at the investigation base in Farnborough.

As well as examining the wreckage minutely investigators want to talk to witnesses about the final seconds of the flight. They have contradicted initial reports that the helicopter flew into power lines.

Electricity and telephone companies insist that none of their lines was damaged and there had been no explanation as to why witnesses such as Sarah Price describe hearing the helicopter approach, then a silence before it hit the ground.

The pilot of the six-seater Augusta 109 helicopter, Max Radford, had been in touch with air traffic controllers but had not sent out a distress signal.

Mr Curtis was the closest confidant of Mr Khodorkovsky, arguably Russia’s richest man, who was arrested last October on charges of fraud and tax evasion. Mr Khodorkovsky is an opponent of President Putin and the Kremlin is keeping a close watch on the crash investigation.

Stephen Curtis was the brains behind the creation of a network of offshore companies for the powerful Menatep group, which helped Mr Khodorkovsky and his associates to control the Russian oil giant Yukos. One Menatep insider said: “Stephen was a frightened man. He was the company. He knew everything.”

Menatep is said to be worth more than $30 billion (£16.3 billion). Mr Curtis was appointed its managing director last November when his Russian predecessor was arrested.

His inquest is due to open tomorrow under the direction of the Bournemouth, Poole and East Dorset Coroner. It will be adjourned and a full hearing will take place after air accident investigators conclude their findings.

--------

For some reason the online article was not as complete as the one printed so I have copied the missing section in above.

If any of those who knew the pilot consider posting this insensitive, I apologise, but I thought that given it was in The Times that it ought to be noted.