ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 280991
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| Date: | Thursday 10 October 1996 |
| Time: | 13:20 |
| Type: |  Robinson R-22 Beta |
| Owner/operator: | Dann Antiques Ltd |
| Registration: | G-BPEW |
| MSN: | 0888 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1988 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Location: | near Popham, Coxford Down, Winchester, Hampshire -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Popham, Coxford Down, Winchester, Hampshire |
Robinson R-22 Beta G-BPEW: Substantially damaged 10 October 1996 when collided with overhead power cables at Popham, Coxford Down, Winchester, Hampshire
On 10 October 1996 Robinson R.22 G-BPEW was landed in a field adjoining a hotel car park near Popham. The field was a less than ideal landing site as there were obstructions to its approach on all four sides - on one side by the hotel itself and on the other three sides by overhead power cables. When in the early afternoon the pilot of the helicopter came to take off, he noted the overhead power cables on two sides but not the third.
These were dark in colour and thus blended into the background. The third side was upwind of him and in the direction which he proposed to take to depart from the field. Not until it was too late did he see these cables, passing across his line at a height of about 30 ft. The main rotor blades appear to have made first contact, after which the cables struck the top of the cabin of the helicopter and were deflected onto the main rotor mast.
The AAIB report does not say if the cables were cut but they did not disable the helicopter, which was able to make an immediate landing in an adjacent field. The pilot was uninjured but the helicopter was damaged. The contact with the cables caused abrasion damage to the main rotor blades, control rod and canopy. Arcing from the electric cables also caused damage to the main rotor swash plate. The helicopter was recovered by road.
It would seem that the damage was repaired as the registration of the helicopter remained valid. G-BPEW was first UK registered on 21 October 1988. It went through the hands of four owners, before being re-registered as G-OTOY on 16 May 1997. It was next re-registered as G-VVBE on 15 June 2009. After five owners as G-VVBE, the UK registration was cancelled on 19 April 2018, when it was sold to a new owner in Italy.
Sources:
1. AAIB Final Report: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5422ef56e5274a1314000269/dft_avsafety_pdf_501014.pdf
2. https://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=18164.0
3. https://forums.flyer.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=117244&hilit=G+BPEW+Robinson
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 28 April 2008 | G-OTOY | Heli Air Ltd | 0 | Wellesbourne Mountford, 4 miles E of Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire | |
w/o |
| Bounced on landing | ||||||
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 31-Jul-2022 23:28 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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