What happened
On the day of the accident, an Islander aircraft, operated by a Glasgow-based company, was performing an air ambulance mission for the Scottish Ambulance Service. The flight was intended to transport a paramedic to Campbeltown Airport on the Kintyre Peninsula. Prior to the mission, the pilot was required to perform a short flight at Glasgow to maintain flight currency, as they had not flown for 32 days.
Due to adverse weather conditions at the destination, the pilot needed to execute an instrument approach. At the time, Campbeltown Airport was not equipped with radar or Air Traffic Control services; instead, the pilot was communicating with a Flight Information Service Officer following established protocols. After reaching the area above Campbeltown, the aircraft followed the approach procedure for Runway 11 and began its descent. The pilot radioed to confirm that the base turn had been completed, signaling that the aircraft was inbound to the airfield.
Following this final transmission, all radio contact with the aircraft was lost. Emergency responders initiated a large-scale search operation centered on the area indicated by the pilot's last position report. The wreckage of the Islander was eventually discovered on the seabed, located approximately 7.7 nm west-north-west of Campbeltown Airport. There were no survivors of the crash.
Findings
- The pilot was conducting an instrument approach due to poor weather conditions at the destination airport.