Helicopter fatality due to sudden power loss

A 69-YEAR-OLD man was killed in a helicopter crash when the aircraft suddenly lost power during an inspection of gas pipelines, investigators found.

Frederick Balcombe, from Skerries, Co Dublin, had told his employer in 2006 that he wished to retire. But he decided to stay on at Irish Helicopters when he was offered the position of “observer” for gas pipeline patrols.

Mr Balcombe had previously worked as commercial director for the company. He died after the helicopter crashed near the village of Ballynacally, in Co Clare, during the routine inspection of pipelines.

Yesterday, the final report into the incident by the Department of Transport’s air accident investigation unit found that the helicopter Mr Balcombe was flying in with one pilot lost power as a result of the disintegration of part of the craft’s gear box, due to fatigue.

The report revealed that the helicopter’s engine stopped without warning and the pilot, who survived the crash, tried to enter autorotation from a low level.

The pilot, who had 8,300 hours’ flying experience, recounted that as the helicopter descended, he observed that a stone wall lay in the direct flight path so he turned to converge with a hedgerow as it appeared to be best option in the circumstances.

The pilot recounted to investigators that his last words before impact were “this is not looking good – I have to go for the hedge”.

“This was the pilot’s last recollection of the flight. After the impact, he recalls being outside the helicopter near a ditch and saw the observer nearby, still conscious,” noted the report. “The pilot asked if he was OK, but he indicated that he wasn’t.”

Investigators interviewed eye-witnesses. One said he saw the helicopter at low altitude “about the height of a tall tree, the tail was going from side to side and up and down as it descended”.

Mr Balcombe was pronounced dead at the scene, while the 55-year-old pilot suffered serious impact injuries and was released from hospital after 13 days’ care.