Fatal helicopter crash occurred during 'training manoeuvre'

The crash claimed the lives of two men in July

A helicopter crash that claimed the lives of two men in July occurred during a training manoeuvre aimed at dealing with engine failure in flight.

That is according to a preliminary report by the Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU).

The crash happened near Killucan, County Westmeath in the Republic of Ireland on 31 July.

An instructor and student were on board the helicopter and were both killed when it crashed into a farm building.

The preliminary 11-page report does not contain any analysis of conclusions.

A final report will be published in due course as the investigation into the incident continues.

The preliminary report states that the "accident appears to have occurred during a sixth autorotation manoeuvre" during the training flight.

The report says that 'autorotation' is part of flight training for trainee pilots and is a technique in how to respond to engine failure.

It says that an autorotative descent is a power-off manoeuvre in which the engine is no longer supplying power to the main rotor.

What happened during the flight?

The helicopter, a Bell 505 Jet Ranger X, with the student and instructor on board, departed Weston Airport (EIWT) at around 14:00 local time for a training flight.

It was to be part of a number of flights to prepare the student for a type of rating skills test on the Bell 505 helicopter type.

The helicopter proceeded generally westwards, and five manoeuvres, which appear to have been practice autorotations, were carried out.

At approximately 14:25, while operating in the vicinity of Killucan, and during what appears to have been a sixth practice autorotation, the helicopter "impacted with the surface of an agricultural field", the report stated.

It then travelled forwards at a height sufficient to clear a boundary fence and impacted with a "gable wall of an agricultural building".

The helicopter came to rest, in a "nose-down orientation", in the wall and the roof of the building.

Both occupants were fatally injured.

No witnesses had actually observed the final moments of the helicopter’s flight, but described hearing the engine going quiet then loud again

The student had completed just over 100 hours of flying time as part of his training; all of these hours were on a Robinson 44 helicopter.

The investigation was advised that the student had also completed three flights on the accident helicopter prior to the accident flight.

Witnesses described seeing the helicopter descending rapidly as if to land before climbing away again and "several described hearing the helicopter’s engine going quiet and then becoming loud again".

The descending and climbing manoeuvres are consistent with autorotation training, while the variation in engine sound is consistent with the helicopter operation alternating between the ‘Idle’ and ‘Fly’ modes when initiating and completing autorotations, the report added.

A final report will be published in due course as the investigation into the incident continues.