McRae helicopter crash - flying too low?

[paulmnz]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west...

From the article:

"An inquiry into the deaths of a rally car champion and three others in a helicopter crash has concluded that it could have been avoided.

Colin McRae's aircraft came down at high speed near to his Lanark home.

The 39-year-old who was piloting the machine died with his son Johnny, five, Ben Porcelli, six, and Graeme Duncan.

Sheriff Nikola Stewart said the 2007 crash could have been avoided had Mr McRae not engaged in low level flying "when it was unnecessary and unsafe"."

[HellDiver]

When you think about it, all helicopter crashes are due to flying too low.

[Codswallop]

HellDiver said:

When you think about it, all helicopter crashes are due to flying too low.

Or rather, flying too low, too quickly/ not gentley enough.

In any case, it's sad that the report seems to have concluded that the accident happened as a likely result of a 'watch this' bit of flying

[jas xjr]

Just heard on five live that he did not hold a licence for the helicopter

[littleredrooster]

Quite apart from the fact that he did not have a licence for that type of 'copter......nor any experience with it. Allegedly. And wasn't it missing an airworthiness cert, or was that somebody else?

[J4CKO]

Its not like he didnt have "previous" for low flying though...





Not sure if a rally drivers mindset is the best for Helicopters though, he was apt to take risks and they didnt always pay off, racers tend to be like that where pilots tend to be more level headed and focused on doing the job safely rather than it being a buzz.

Still, a huge tragedy and one I still cant quite get my head around, especially with the little ones being involved as well, heard Colin and his boy were buried together and I dont mind saying that reading that did and still does make me well up.

[Stu R]

His licence had lapsed.

Series of errors on Colin's part it would seem. Shame it had to end like that, especially for the others that were in the chopper with him.

[GravelBen]

J4CKO said:

Not sure if a rally drivers mindset is the best for Helicopters though, he was apt to take risks and they didnt always pay off, racers tend to be like that where pilots tend to be more level headed and focused on doing the job safely rather than it being a buzz.

By most accounts his attitude to flying was nothing like that - on the contrary he seemed to regard flying as a very different, much more serious animal.

Edited by GravelBen on Tuesday 6th September 12:45

[trickywoo]

Have I gone back in time?

Weren't these same findings published in 2009?

[Big Al.]

Seems we already have a thread running on the subject here.

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...