Summary of Events
On 30 April 2003, at 1432 hours UTC, a Bell 206L Longranger helicopter, registration G-IANG, was involved in an accident at Longfaugh Farm near Pathhead, Midlothian. The helicopter struck a power line cable, resulting in the detachment of the tail rotor and fin assembly, followed by a forced landing. The three occupants sustained minor injuries and the helicopter was damaged beyond economic repair.
Aircraft and Pilot Information
The helicopter, manufactured in 1977, was powered by one Allison 250-C20B turboshaft engine. The pilot held a UK Airline Transport Pilot's Licence, was 48 years old, and had a total of 4,469 flying hours, with 2,269 hours on type. His flying experience in the last 90 days was 32 hours, and in the last 28 days, 9 hours.
Flight History
The pilot had conducted commercial flights earlier in the day, transporting passengers to various locations in Scotland. After completing these flights, he returned to his home base at Oxenfoord Castle with his brother and a passenger on a private flight. He departed Aberdeen Airport at 1422 hours. During the flight, he transited through the Edinburgh Zone with ATC clearance and later deviated south to avoid low cloud. As he flew east towards his home base, he encountered further low cloud at the beginning of a valley and descended to maintain visual contact with the ground.
Accident Sequence
While descending, the pilot saw power cables directly ahead. He initiated a climb, but the rear of the helicopter struck a cable. The tail rotor blades contacted the cable, removing about 15 cm from their tips, and the tailboom, including the tail rotor gearbox and fin, separated from the aircraft. The helicopter began rotating to the right and assumed a nose-high attitude. The pilot attempted to enter autorotation but was unable to control the rotation. The helicopter impacted the ground with significant force, coming to rest in a grass field.
Impact and Damage
The main wreckage, including the cabin, engine, and main rotor gearbox, was found upright. The tailboom lay alongside, showing evidence of main rotor strikes. The landing skids were detached from their rear mounts and found inverted, suggesting the helicopter impacted the ground while traveling backwards. The main rotor blades were severely fragmented. The cockpit was distorted, with both windscreens destroyed. The cabin area remained undamaged.
Survivability and Restraint System
The accident was survivable, and the impact forces were predominantly aft and lateral. The pilot's upper torso restraint stitching failed during the forced landing, which may have contributed to his head injuries. Examination of the restraint system revealed poor and irregular stitching on both front seat restraints. The harnesses had been replaced about two years before the accident by a specialist company that sourced them from a now-defunct manufacturer. The quality of the stitching did not meet applicable standards.
Weather Information
A weather aftercast indicated a moist, unstable south-westerly flow with rain showers. At the time of the accident, the Edinburgh METAR at 1420 hours reported a surface wind of 100°T/05 kt, visibility 3,000 meters in rain showers, and scattered clouds at 1,200 feet amsl.