ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 174822
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| Date: | Saturday 1 August 1998 |
| Time: | 13:44 |
| Type: |  Rotorway Executive 90 |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | G-ROTO |
| MSN: | 5076 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Six Mile Bottom, Little Wilbraham, Cambridgeshire -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Test |
| Departure airport: | Teversham, Cambridge (EGSC) |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Written off (destroyed by fire) 1 August 1998 when crashed near Six Mile Bottom, Little Wilbraham, Cambridgeshire (at approximate Coordinates: 52°11′N, 0°19′E) shortly after take off from Teversham (Cambridge) Airport, Cambridgeshire. Both persons on board were killed. Aircraft was engaged in a Permit to Fly renewal flight test. According to the following extract from the AAIB report into the accident:
"The Cambridge ATC recordings show that the pilot called for lift-off clearance at 13:18 hours. He was cleared as requested to a hovering area where he remained for approximately two minutes before he asked for clearance to lift and depart the circuit to the east. Then, at 13:22 hours he advised ATC that he was "clearing to the east" and was transferred to Approach Control on frequency 123.6 MHz.
Shortly afterwards, he checked in with Cambridge Approach, agreed a Flight Information Service with the controller and received the latest regional pressure setting. No further messages were heard from the G-ROTO; the first intimation to Cambridge ATC that an accident had occurred was when a police helicopter pilot transmitted at 13:51 hours to advise the controller that he was responding to a reported helicopter accident.
The first call to the police had been received at 13:44 hours. It was made by one of the eye witnesses who had seen the last few seconds of flight of G-ROTO. These witnesses had seen the helicopter from various angles. None made any comment that there were any abnormal noises although most of the witnesses were in cars and one was indoors.
Their evidence indicated that G-ROTO was travelling in a straight line from approximately east to west and at a normal height. There was some conflict of evidence on the estimated height varying from 4,000 feet to 40 feet but none described the height as appearing excessively low and the surrounding terrain allied to the witness positions could account for some variation.
From a subsequent review of the position of one of the witnesses and where he saw the helicopter, it was calculated that G-ROTO was at approximately 500 feet agl. One witness described the helicopter as turning suddenly to the right before falling to the ground and others described the helicopter as suddenly falling without any apparent turn. Most witnesses also described something falling off the helicopter before it apparently went out of control and then bits coming off as it descended.
There were also comments that the rotors were either not turning as it descended or were rotating very slowly. There was a significant ground fire".
The AAIB report confirms that the aircraft was "destroyed"; as a result the registration G-ROTO was cancelled by the CAA on 12 November 1998 as "destroyed"
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
1. AAIB: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/542301ec40f0b61346000bc5/dft_avsafety_pdf_501787.pdf
2. CAA: https://siteapps.caa.co.uk/g-info/rk=ROTO
3. http://www.griffin-helicopters.co.uk/accidentdetails.aspx?accidentkey=3535
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 25-Mar-2015 15:23 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 25-Mar-2015 15:25 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 25-Mar-2015 15:25 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 27-Jun-2016 14:14 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Location, Nature, Source, Narrative] |
| 01-Jul-2017 14:57 | Aerossurance | Updated [Operator, Location] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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