Date:	Thursday 18 July 1963
Time:	evening
Type:	Hughes 269B (300)
Owner/operator:	Management-Aviation
Registration:	N8785F
MSN:	19-0109
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	High House Farm, Heckingham, Norfolk -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.)
Nature:	Agricultural
Departure airport:
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Written off (damaged beyond repair) 18 July 1963: crashed at High House Farm, Heckingham, Norfolk, whilst engaged in crop spraying/top dressing operations. The aircraft was owned by Westland helicopters and was on lease to Management Aviation.

The pilot had completed his last flight of the day and hooked the skids under the topmost cable of a set of power lines while leaving the site. He had done 6 hours 20 minutes on the day so probably tired and suffered a loss of concentration. The pilot - Ronald Harvey Osborn - was killed.

However, the official AAIB Report at the National Archives at Kew (File AVIA 101/340 - see link #1) also notes "...witness statements and post-mortem examination reports; discussion of problems associated with crop-spraying aircraft and of possible toxic effect of spray on pilot". This hints that it may have been the effects of poisoning from the insecticide carried on board that cause the pilot to lose concentration, rather then tiredness.

1. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AVIA 101/340: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C5070350 "[Branch investigation: draft report, correspondence, witness statements and post-mortem examination reports; discussion of problems associated with crop-spraying aircraft and of possible toxic effect of spray on pilot"]
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AVIA 101/341: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C5070351
3. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AVIA 101/342: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C5070352
4. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AVIA 101/343: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C5070353
5. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AVIA 101/344: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C5070354
6. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AVIA 101/345: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C5070355
7. AAIB: Civil aircraft accident: report on the accident to Hughes 269A Helicopter N 8785F on 18th July, 1963, at High House Farm, Heckingham, Norfolk.
8. http://helihub.com/1963/07/18/18-jul-63-n8785f-hughes-300a-heckingham-uk-1f/
9. https://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/513823-ronald-harvey-osborn.html

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
12-Jan-2013 10:23	TB	Added
13-Mar-2015 19:14	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Date, Time, Registration, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Country, Phase, Nature, Source, Narrative]
26-Nov-2020 17:42	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Total fatalities, Source, Narrative]
27-Nov-2020 22:30	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]
29-Nov-2020 22:06	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]