ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 77792
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| Date: | Wednesday 3 March 2004 |
| Time: | 19:39 |
| Type: |  Agusta A109E Power |
| Owner/operator: | Island Spice Overseas Ltd |
| Registration: | G-PWER |
| MSN: | 11092 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2000 |
| Engine model: | PW206C |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Pitt House Farm, 1 mile east of Bournemouth Airport, Dorset -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Battersea Heliport, Battersea, London (EGLW) |
| Bournemouth, Hurn (BOH/EGHH) | |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Towards the end of a 'straight in' visual approach to Runway 26 at Bournemouth International Airport, when about 1 nautical mile from the runway threshold, the helicopter entered a descending left turn. The pilot advised Air Traffic Control that he had a problem but did not say what it was. The helicopter continued through about 540 degrees before impacting the ground at high speed.
The helicopter was destroyed by impact and post impact fire. The accident happened in darkness (19:39 hours Local time). Weather; wind 180 degrees/10 knots, visibility 2,700 metres in light rain and cloud, few at 1,200 feet, scattered at 1,700 feet and broken at 2,500 feet. The helicopter was operating a flight from Battersea Heliport, London.
The AAIB believes that the pilot probably lost control after he became disoriented after losing visual reference with the ground while descending in an area where no external lights would have been visible due to the reduced visibility. He was not instrument rated and his limited exposure to instrument flying more than four years earlier would not have equipped him to cope with the degraded visual environment.
Nature of Damage to airframe: Per the AAIB report "Aircraft destroyed". As a result, the registration G-PWER was cancelled by the CAA on 18-08-2004 as "destroyed".
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
1. Helicopter International Magazine, March 2004, page 187
2. AAIB: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/54230180e5274a1314000aaf/dft_avsafety_pdf_027966.pdf
3. CAA: https://siteapps.caa.co.uk/g-info/rk=PWER
4. https://publicapps.caa.co.uk/docs/33/factor200528.pdf
5. http://www.griffin-helicopters.co.uk/accidentdetails.aspx?accidentkey=1
6. http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/1044668.spy_death_link_to_helicopter_crash/
7. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/england/hampshire/dorset/3531095.stm
8. March 2018 : http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/16094693.helicopter-crash-that-killed-max-radford-and-stephen-curtis/
Media:
DOUBTS have been cast on the conspiracy theories surrounding the helicopter crash at Bournemouth Airport, UK which killed the pilot and a businessman with Russian connections on March 3, 2004. https://t.co/pdW40q42Mj pic.twitter.com/g4zsk7ThLm
— Planes Of Legend (@PlanesOfLegend) March 18, 2018
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 17-Sep-2010 06:08 | pesce | Added |
| 23-Dec-2012 16:50 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Cn, Operator, Nature, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 04-Feb-2013 10:40 | TB | Updated [Time, Source, Narrative] |
| 01-Aug-2016 19:41 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 18-Mar-2018 16:52 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Source] |
| 20-Apr-2018 17:24 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Embed code] |
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