Steve Hislop - Accident report published
 

The full Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB)report into Hizzy's death has been published. A brief synopsis follows, and the full report can be read at:

http://www.aaib.gov.uk/cms_resources/G-OUEL_5-05.pdf

Synopsis:

Report name:
Robinson R44 Raven I, G-OUEL

Type:
Robinson R44 Raven I

Location:
Carlenrig, Teviothead, near Hawick, Scotland

Occurrence date:
30 July 2003

Category:
General Aviation - Helicopters

Summary:
The helicopter departed on a VFR flight from a private site near Hawick in Scotland to route to Barton Airfield in Manchester. Initially it flew southwards at 1,500 feet amsl but as it approached hills, whose tops were reportedly covered by an area of low cloud, it turned away from the planned route and probably entered cloud. As the turn continued the helicopter accelerated, entered a rapid descent and the main rotor blades struck the tailboom. Most of the tailboom detached, the rotors virtually stopped and the helicopter impacted the ground at the bottom of a valley, fatally injuring the pilot. A number of military aircraft were operating in the area at the time of the accident but none of these could have influenced the safe progress of the flight. No signs of pre-accident malfunction of the helicopter were found, but full determination of its pre-impact serviceability was prevented by extensive post-crash fire damage. The available evidence indicated that the accident followed a main rotor blade strike on the tailboom, probably caused by excessively low rotor RPM. The control loss and low rotor RPM may have resulted from spatial disorientation and mishandling of the controls but the possibility that aircraft malfunction had contributed to the accident could not be eliminated.

RIP Mate

rip hizzie

yeti being a piolt yourself do you agree with the report, ive only read the mcn report but wondered what someone in the profession makes of the answers, would you be happy with those answers ???

I would never want to second guess the AAIB cos they got some very clever guys working for them, and on this occasion I was fairly certain right from the start the cause was going to be more or less what the AAIB have concluded.

The Robinson series can be very unforgiving if mishandled, more so than many other helicopters. Furthermore Steve was himself relatively inexperienced particularly in the R44. Most of his flying had been on other types.

From what various chopper pilots have told me, "G" forces combined with mishandling of the rotor (RPM) can result in a boom strike, which is more or less what the AAIB say happened to Steve.

Flying into cloud can be very disconcerting, probably more so when low as Steve was on this occasion. The instinctive reaction would be to push the control column forward to "dive" out of the cloud. This can result in a fair bit of negative G which combined with the low rotor speed would cause the rotors to strike the tail boom. (A full techincal description can be found at the link above)

If any of you want to experience just how disorientating the above can be, you are welcome to join me and I will demonstrate it for you. Trust me, if you are not trained for this it can be very very frightening, and all the more so when you can't see which way is up.

Sadly, on this occasion it is my belief, and that of others more qualified to somment, that pilot error caused the crash and took a great talent from us.



[Edited on 22-5-2005 by yeti]

thats a fair answer,i know nothing about flying so am glad of a non mcn answer

its a great shame and a great loss to his family and all of us

I've experienced this 'spacial disorientation' after inadvertently entering low cloud in an aircraft.

I too was amongst hills (trainee on a solo NFT over the Northern Pennines) but having planned the flight in the classroom, and knowing the safety altitude to be over 3000ft, I quickly made the decision to climb further into the cloud - despite not having flown solo on instruments.

For the first few moments after entering the cloud, the cockpit instruments were all over the place, and I was terrified. 'G' forces were throwing me every which way, and the initial urge to 'trust in my senses' was almost overpowering. It was only when I overcame this urge and trusted the instruments that I managed to take control. Once control was regained, a quick call to Newcastle Radar had them talking me calmly through basic instrument flight, and then steering vectors to Teesside Airport.

Upon landing, I found the whole of my flight club glued to events on the radio, and my flying instructor was trembling and as white as a ghost. That evening, many photos were brandished in the bar showing the number of light aircraft which had come to grief on these hills.

In hindsight, the decision to climb and not to descend probably saved my life.

Steve

Sounds very likely! As you say, making yourself believe in the instruments is amongst the toughest thing anyone is likely to do.

Unfortunately instrument flying in a jellycopter is a whole different ball game to fixed wing, and it scares the bejesus outa me just thinking about trying to keep the thing upright.

Interesting what they say about the way the throttle works. However bear in mind that the pilot in a heli sits on the right so the collective is in his left hand. I'm not sure that its actually as big an issue as they say.

I've been up in an R22 a number of times. I'm not sure i'd go again based on what i've learnt about them since....