A helicopter carrying a pilot and two members of a BBC camera crew crashed near Newgrange last April as a result of a combination of low speed and wind, a report found today.
The report of the State's Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) attached to the Department of Transport into the accident published today blames a phenomenon known as Loss of Tail Rotor Effectiveness (LTE), where the helicopter was affected by a combination of low speed and wind, for the crash.
The helicopter was being used by a BBC camera crew to film scenes of the megalithic passage tomb at Newgrange, Co Meath for a TV documentary entitled The History of Lightbefore it crashed in a field resulting in a number of injuries.
According to the report shortly before 8 a.m. on April 5th the helicopter was circling the mound at Newgrange while the presenter gave a commentary from a memorised script.
After three successful orbits, the helicopter started a fourth but experienced a severe yaw to the right and spiralled downwards before crashing.
The pilot suffered two fractures of the vertebrae and a crush injury. He was detained at Drogheda hospital for several days before being transferred to the orthopaedic unit at Beaumont hospital. The cameraman and sound recordist on the flight suffered minor injuries.
The AAIU found the pilot was medically fit and properly licensed and that there had been no malfunction of the helicopter. However, the pilot, who had 22 years service with the British Army Air Corps before retiring and taking up employment as a commercial pilot, had not been aware of the LTE phenomenon.
It said the pilot's handling of the forced landing contributed significantly to the avoidance of a more serious outcome for all on board. It also said his actions with regard to the well-being and safety of his passengers immediately after the crash were "commendable".
Among the safety recommendations, the investigation unit said the Irish Aviation Authority should publicise as widely as possible information on the LTE phenomenon experienced by the pilot. The IAA has accepted the recommendation. The helicopter firm Bell is also to reissue a previous notice on the phenomenon.
The pilot told the investigators he wanted to put on record the "exemplary job" done by the emergency services who dealt with the accident.