What happened
On 8 March 2011, an Aerospatiale SA.3/41G Gazelle, registration HA-LFB, crashed in a valley near the Honister Slate Mine in Cumbria. The flight was a private operation involving a single pilot. The pilot had previously flown to the mine earlier that day and intended to return home via a route through the Lake District valleys.
During the night flight, the aircraft encountered meteorological conditions characterized by low cloud and variable visibility. CCTV footage from the mine showed the helicopter taking off and initially heading north-west. However, the flight path eventually deviated from the pilot's usual routes. Data from the aircraft's EFIS unit indicated that toward the end of the flight, the helicopter was operating at a low airspeed and a high rate of descent. The aircraft ultimately impacted the terrain with significant force, resulting in one fatality.