What happened
On 4 May 2015, a Montgomerie-Bensen B8MR helicopter, registration G-CBNX, was performing a private flight from a grass airstrip located in Reading, Berkshire. During the takeoff roll, the pilot proceeded normally until the moment of rotation. At this critical stage, a sudden gust of wind caused the aircraft to drift sideways.
In response to the lateral movement, the pilot attempted to abort the takeoff. However, there was not enough runway length remaining to stop the aircraft safely. As a result, the helicopter struck a hedge before finally coming to a halt. The pilot escaped the incident without any injuries, though the aircraft sustained damage to its nose cone, nosewheel fork, and rotorblades.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report submitted by the pilot. Investigators reviewed the sequence of events leading to the impact and the environmental conditions at the time of the accident. The examination focused on the aircraft's behavior during the rotation phase and the impact with the vegetation.