Incident Overview
On 7 July 2021 at 0900 UTC, an Agusta Westland AW109SP (registration G-SCAP) was climbing through approximately 1,900 ft at 150 kt near Wycombe Air Park in Buckinghamshire when it struck a bird. The impact shattered the upper transparency of the helicopter, and bird remains entered the cockpit. The pilot and four passengers were uninjured. The aircraft was operating a commercial air transport passenger flight with one crew member. The commander, aged 53, held an Airline Transport Pilot’s Licence with 6,500 total flying hours, including 400 hours on type, and had flown 50 hours in the last 90 days and 20 in the last 28.
Damage
The damage to the helicopter was limited to the shattered transparency. The pilot submitted an Aircraft Accident Report Form, which initiated the investigation.
Certification Context
The transparencies of the AW109 are not designed to withstand bird strikes, and the applicable design certification requirements do not mandate such capability. Proposed amendments to the certification of Small Rotorcraft were published in EASA NPA 2021-02 to address this for newly designed rotorcraft. An EASA rule-making group is also evaluating retrospective application to existing fleets or future production of already type-certified rotorcraft. The AAIB noted a previous similar event involving another AW109SP (registration G-TAAS) reported in AAIB Bulletin 8/2021.