History of the flight
The student pilot was returning to Shobdon from Wellesbourne Mountford on the second leg of a cross-country navigation exercise. His instructor, concerned about weather suitability, flew to Wellesbourne in another helicopter to lead him back in loose formation. After departing Wellesbourne shortly before 1530 hrs, the aircraft flew in loose line-astern formation. Approximately one mile north of Stratford, the instructor established radio contact on frequency 123.45 MHz, but the student reported difficulty following and soon lost sight of the lead helicopter. Despite numerous attempts, the instructor could not re-establish contact. The student's helicopter crashed in a field 2 nm northwest of Stratford-upon-Avon.
Pilot information
The 57-year-old student pilot held a JAA Class II medical certificate with limitations to fly by day only and to wear near-vision lenses while flying. He had completed 118 hours of flight instruction towards a Private Pilot's Licence for Helicopters, including 22 hours cross-country and six hours solo. This flight was his second solo cross-country involving a landing away from Shobdon. Training records indicated slow progress, but the instructor considered him at a typical standard for solo cross-country exercises.
Meteorological information
The pre-flight briefing indicated a warm front moving southeast across central England, forecast to pass over the route around 1500 hrs. Archived weather reports for the return flight period showed at 1520 hrs visibility 4,800 m in light drizzle and mist, with scattered cloud at 500 ft and overcast at 600 ft. At 1550 hrs, visibility was 3,000 m in mist, with scattered cloud at 500 ft and broken at 700 ft.
Wreckage and impact information
The accident site was a soft, ploughed field. The wreckage trail indicated the helicopter struck the ground tail first, banked right by approximately 110°, with slight clockwise rotation and no horizontal motion. Both fuel tanks ruptured. The rotor mast bent and fractured at the gearbox interface. Control rods were bent or fractured. There was no leading-edge damage to main rotor blades; they bent on impact. The tail pylon failed aft of Bay 5, and the tail rotor and stabiliser assembly were found on the left side. Cockpit controls: mixture rich, carb heat out 25 mm, fuel on, primer locked, cyclic right trim out, magnetos both, governor switch off, both emergency landing circuit breakers pulled.
Medical and pathological information
Post-mortem examination revealed no natural disease or substances that could have caused or contributed to the accident. The severity of the crash precluded survival; additional safety equipment would not have altered the fatal outcome.