Colin McRae Fatal accident enquiry - Errr why ??
Discussion
I see that there is now a fatal accident enquiry into the death of Colin McRae (RIP)
Not trying to be stupid here, but can someone explain why the hell we are now spending god knows how many £millions going over this accident in great detail, with Lanark sheriff court expecting this to take at least 4 months? WTF ??
I mean today alone, they whole lot had to leave the court room and visit various sites involved in the whole saga, such as where all the various witnesses saw the helicopter etc etc
What a complete waste of time, energy, and tax payers money.
As far as I recall, the AAIB couldn't come up with an exact reason as to why this all happened, but there was enough evidence to point to some risky flying going on, combined with on board video footage of whoops, screams, and howls of laughter etc .. so we have a guy who was an obvious adrenaline junkie and petrolhead and loved going as fast as possible, and it looks like he maybe got carried away one day in the chopper and went a little too low, or fast, or banked too steep ... so, is this really a mega surprise to any of us? probably not.
The guy is dead FFS!, who are they gonna blame?, and if the AAIB can't find a definitive reason, what the heck is some old guy in a wig going to conclude?
This country really - really has lost the plot.
Discuss ..
Not trying to be stupid here, but can someone explain why the hell we are now spending god knows how many £millions going over this accident in great detail, with Lanark sheriff court expecting this to take at least 4 months? WTF ??
I mean today alone, they whole lot had to leave the court room and visit various sites involved in the whole saga, such as where all the various witnesses saw the helicopter etc etc
What a complete waste of time, energy, and tax payers money.
As far as I recall, the AAIB couldn't come up with an exact reason as to why this all happened, but there was enough evidence to point to some risky flying going on, combined with on board video footage of whoops, screams, and howls of laughter etc .. so we have a guy who was an obvious adrenaline junkie and petrolhead and loved going as fast as possible, and it looks like he maybe got carried away one day in the chopper and went a little too low, or fast, or banked too steep ... so, is this really a mega surprise to any of us? probably not.
The guy is dead FFS!, who are they gonna blame?, and if the AAIB can't find a definitive reason, what the heck is some old guy in a wig going to conclude?
This country really - really has lost the plot.
Discuss ..
From the official AAIB report:
"Conclusion
The cause of the accident was not positively determined. Although no technical reason was found to explain it, a technical fault, whilst considered unlikely, could not be ruled out entirely. The available evidence indicated that the helicopter was intact when it struck the trees and that the engine was delivering power. The aircraft’s trajectory suggested that the pilot was in control of the aircraft at the time of impact and was attempting to recover from a significant deviation from his intended flight path when the helicopter struck the trees.
The descent into the Mouse Water Valley appears to have been a deliberate manoeuvre. Considering the video evidence, the pilot’s intention was probably to fly a hard, right turn at low height within the valley, possibly leading to a further, final zoom climb before landing at the helipad. A high-speed, low-level turning manoeuvre in the heavily wooded valley was a demanding one, which would have subjected the helicopter and its occupants to an increased risk. The circumstances of the accident, which included a strong tailwind, suggest that the pilot needed to fly an unexpectedly high performance manoeuvre which led to, or contributed to, the flight path deviation. This deviation may have been due to a servo transparency encounter, spatial disorientation, misjudgement or some other factor or combination of factors."
He flew the aircraft into the ground
"Conclusion
The cause of the accident was not positively determined. Although no technical reason was found to explain it, a technical fault, whilst considered unlikely, could not be ruled out entirely. The available evidence indicated that the helicopter was intact when it struck the trees and that the engine was delivering power. The aircraft’s trajectory suggested that the pilot was in control of the aircraft at the time of impact and was attempting to recover from a significant deviation from his intended flight path when the helicopter struck the trees.
The descent into the Mouse Water Valley appears to have been a deliberate manoeuvre. Considering the video evidence, the pilot’s intention was probably to fly a hard, right turn at low height within the valley, possibly leading to a further, final zoom climb before landing at the helipad. A high-speed, low-level turning manoeuvre in the heavily wooded valley was a demanding one, which would have subjected the helicopter and its occupants to an increased risk. The circumstances of the accident, which included a strong tailwind, suggest that the pilot needed to fly an unexpectedly high performance manoeuvre which led to, or contributed to, the flight path deviation. This deviation may have been due to a servo transparency encounter, spatial disorientation, misjudgement or some other factor or combination of factors."
He flew the aircraft into the ground
I think you will find that Colin mcraes flying licence had expired, so he shouldn't have been flying. The two other people who died in the crash (not including jonny McRae) I am sure that there life insurance would not payout due to that fact alone so that's why maybe there is this court case.
I for one is a big Colin McRae fan and always will be and it's a great shame what happened but let's not forget about the others that died aswell.
I for one is a big Colin McRae fan and always will be and it's a great shame what happened but let's not forget about the others that died aswell.
JonRB said:
Porkis said:
Not trying to be stupid here, but can someone explain why the hell we are now spending god knows how many £millions going over this accident in great detail
Because 3 other people died, two of which were children. And McRae's flying license had expired. As I say, exactly who are we going to blame for this accident X number of million pounds and 4 months of completly wasted judge and court time later?
It's all just "jobs for the boys", and sod all to do with actually trying to find out anything ..
Lee b said:
I think you will find that Colin mcraes flying licence had expired, so he shouldn't have been flying. The two other people who died in the crash (not including jonny McRae) I am sure that there life insurance would not payout due to that fact alone so that's why maybe there is this court case.
I for one is a big Colin McRae fan and always will be and it's a great shame what happened but let's not forget about the others that died aswell.
This. He was flying without a licence, and insurance payouts will be affected by such things - that is to say that by flying unlicensed may invalidate McRae's insurance, in which case his dependents will have to sue his estate.I for one is a big Colin McRae fan and always will be and it's a great shame what happened but let's not forget about the others that died aswell.
Such a shame that a genius and all round nice guy made such a daft decision.
sicasey said:
Any aviation accident is a big deal, hence the need to get to the bottom of it.
I don't disagree, certianly in the case of a 737 coming down, but this killed 4 people, and as we know, the AAIB have already done their thing and given us a conclusion .. my question is ... what more are we going to uncover with this pointless investigation by a judge at the local sheriff court ? ukzz4iroc said:
Where is the on board video footage? Sounds horrific.
No, you misunderstand, the footage showed "screams" and whoops of laughter (apparently) ... nothing bad .. it was a complete hoolie onboard and it's not available to watch, it's just been mentioned at various stages Porkis said:
Soovy said:
Porkis said:
It's all just "jobs for the boys", and sod all to do with actually trying to find out anything ..
Ignorance.What experience do you have which allows to opine on the process?
None, I'll wager. Who do you dislike? Lawyers?
Edited by Soovy on Tuesday 25th January 16:13
Porkis said:
Soovy said:
Porkis said:
It's all just "jobs for the boys", and sod all to do with actually trying to find out anything ..
Ignorance.
Having worked breifly at the CAA I can tell you they take any and every aircraft accident incredibly seriously.
Are you saying that they should not investigate the crash? What if there was a manufacturing fault with a part on the 'copter which then caused further death?
Better safe than sorry.
Turbodiesel1690 said:
Although no technical reason was found to explain it, a technical fault, whilst considered unlikely, could not be ruled out entirely.
Would say that this needs absolute determination. On the assumption that other helicopters of the same make are flying, then surely it would be good to know that certain scenarios do not impact on technical aspects as a similar instance over a heavily populated area would have far worse outcomes.Porkis said:
It's all just "jobs for the boys", and sod all to do with actually trying to find out anything ..
What "Boys"? 
Air crashes should always be fully investigated, what if there was some kind of inherant flaw with the helicopter design or controls? The sort of flaw that could affect other models currently in use?
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