Date:	Saturday 6 February 1988
Time:	16:45
Type:	Agusta Bell 206B Jet Ranger
Owner/operator:	ICS Worldwide Couriers Ltd
Registration:	G-BUZZ
MSN:	8178
Year of manufacture:	1969
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4
Aircraft damage:	Substantial
Location:	St. Catherine's Point, Isle of Wight -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Executive
Departure airport:	Panshanger Airfield, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire (EGLG)
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
On the afternoon of 6 February 1988 Augusta Bell Jet Ranger G-BUZZ was flying over the south of the Isle of Wight when it experienced a loss of engine power and diminished RPM. The pilot's attempts to rectify this were unsuccessful and thus he decided to make an auto-rotational landing whilst still over land. That landing was made at St. Catherine's Point, by which time both engine and rotor RPM were down to 60-70% of the normal level.

It would appear that the landing was heavy as the main rotor blades made contact with the tail boom, damaging the former and severed the drive to the latter. Neither the pilot nor his three passengers were injured. On subsequent inspection of the helicopter it was discovered that the cause of the problem was the fracture of a pipe between the compressor scroll and the power turbine governor.

St Catherine's Point is the southernmost point on the Isle of Wight. It is close to the village of Niton and the point where the Back of the Wight changes to the Undercliff of Ventnor.

G-BUZZ was repaired and returned to service, only to be damaged in a later crash on 29 June 1998 when it collided with Augusta-Bell 206B G-BLZN at Booker (Wycombe Air Park) in Buckinghamshire (see separate entry)

G-BUZZ was built in 1969, and was Swiss registered as HB-XGI between 28 December 1976 and 25 February 1977. It was also registered as OE-DXF (Austrian registry, 1969-76) then F-GAMS (French Registry) from 25 February 1977 to 13 April 1978. It also appeared (as G-BUZZ)in the 1980 film "La Mort En Direct" ("Death Watch") starring Harvey Keitel and Max Von Sydow (see link #6)

1. AAIB Final Report: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/542301e9ed915d1371000b6d/Agusta_Bell_206B__G-BUZZ__03-88.pdf
2. CAA: https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-BUZZ.pdf
3. https://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?PHPSESSID=df4b20674b6f1ff70960960b5aee51fe&topic=19156.0
4. https://planelogger.com/Aircraft/Registration/G-BUZZ/936052
5. http://www.swissheli.com/history/hb-xgi.htm
6. https://impdb.org/index.php?title=La_mort_en_direct
7. https://impdb.org/images/8/82/AVION_HELICO_AD_LMED.JPG
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Catherine%27s_Point

Augusta Bell 206B Jet Ranger G-BUZZ on March 18 2005: G-BUZZ Bell Jet Ranger 206 With G-OEAT Robinson 22 at Gloucestershire Airport 28 July 2016, 13:27:

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
23-Jul-2022 00:12	Dr. John Smith	Added
23-Jul-2022 00:18	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Embed code, Narrative]
05-Jul-2023 03:05	Ron Averes	Updated [[Source, Embed code, Narrative]]