Date:	Saturday 16 October 1999
Time:	16:30 LT
Type:	Westland Scout AH.1
Owner/operator:	Raffia Enterprises Ltd
Registration:	G-BXRL
MSN:	F9636
Year of manufacture:	1966
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Category:	Accident
Location:	Tarmac Quarry, Hearts Hill, Nuneaton, Warwickshire -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Private
Departure airport:	Baxterly, near Tamworth, Staffordshire
Destination airport:	Bulkington, Warwickshire
Investigating agency:	AAIB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
Written off (destroyed) 16-10-1999 when crashed into a pool in a quarry at Bulkington, Warwickshire, following suspected engine failure. Helicopter overturned and sank into the waters. Minor injuries sustained by the three persons on board. According to the following excerpt from the official AAIB report into the accident:

"At about 16:00 hours on the day of the accident, the pilot arrived at Baxterly, near Tamworth, Staffordshire, where he completed a pre-flight inspection of his helicopter. He noted there was about 800 lb, (3/4 fuel) on board. He intended to fly from Baxterly to Bulkington, Warwickshire but flew for about 15 minutes in the local area before returning to Baxterley prior to the flight to Bulkington. The pilot knew he would need help to put the helicopter into a hangar at Bulkington, and so two friends, one of whom was a part owner of the helicopter, accompanied him on the flight.

After taking off the pilot routed along the A5 road, skirting Nuneaton to the north and he arrived over the airstrip after about 15 minutes. The hangar was blocked by a World War II tank, which was the property of the hangar owner. It had run out of fuel and since use of the hangar was not possible the pilot decided to return to Baxterley. In the cruise at about 90 knots, while passing abeam Mancetter at 1,500 feet, the helicopter shuddered and yawed left.

The pilot lowered the collective pitch lever to enter auto-rotation, and heard an audio warning. In front of, and below him, there was a fun fair and some houses, and so the pilot turned right and descended over a quarry, the base of which was flooded. The pilot noticed the cross hatched 'zero power' (torque) warning on the instrument panel. Approaching the surface, he 'flared' late and the helicopter impacted the water hard, before coming to rest inverted"

Aircraft was ex-Army Scout AH.1 XT630: civil registration G-BXRL officially cancelled by Civil Aviation Authority 20 March 2000 as "destroyed" (although the wreckage was recovered to Bruntingthorpe Airfield for static display, where it still exists - see link #4, #5 and #6 below)

1. AAIB: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5422f3b8e5274a13170004b3/dft_avsafety_pdf_501827.pdf
2. CAA: https://siteapps.caa.co.uk/g-info/rk=BXRL
3. http://www.griffin-helicopters.co.uk/accidentdetails.aspx?accidentkey=14869
4. https://www.helis.com/database/cn/39826/
5. [LINK NOT WORKING ANYMORE:http://www.ukserials.com/image_view.php?a=22185&s=xt630.jpg]
6. https://www.flickr.com/photos/77175657@N00/7856136456

Westland Scout AH.1 XT630 (G-BXRL) Seen during the 2012 Cold War Jets Day, Bruntingthorpe, 6-5-2012:

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
03-Nov-2011 00:03	Dr. John Smith	Added
24-Nov-2012 14:31	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Source, Embed code, Narrative]
25-May-2013 01:26	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Embed code, Narrative]
05-Jul-2016 21:38	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Source, Embed code]
05-Jul-2016 21:38	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
05-Jul-2016 21:45	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
05-Jul-2016 21:47	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Narrative]