A report on a fatal helicopter crash in Longford in 1999 highlights the pilot's lack of experience and the possibility he was engaged in "high risk" flying for aerial photography, writes Jim Cusack
The pilot of a helicopter that crashed in Co Longford in March 1999 had only about 10 per cent of the flying experience recommended for commercial flying by the aircraft's manufacturers.
The Irish Aviation Authority investigation unit air crash report on the incident, published yesterday, said that with only 50 hours' experience - compared with the 500 hours recommended by the manufacturers - the pilot may also have been engaged in the "very high risk" activity of flying for the purposes of aerial photography.
The R22 Beta, EI-MAC helicopter, owned by McAuliffe Trucking Ltd and operated by Eire-copter Helicopters, crashed in Co Longford between the villages of Moyne and Ballinamuck.
The pilot, Mr Patrick Stokes (42), of Woodlawn Park Avenue, Firhouse, Dublin, and passenger Mr Stephen Anthony Tebbit (47), of Littlebrook, Newcastle, Co Wicklow, were killed instantly.
The IAA investigation unit report noted that the helicopter had twin controls and that the passenger was a flying enthusiast, though with no flying experience.
It states: "After the Longford accident the Irish Aviation Authority issued an urgent notice to all operators of Robinson R.22 and R44 helicopters in Ireland, requiring the removal of the left cyclic control stick for flights, apart from instructional flights conducted with a person other than a helicopter-rated pilot in the left seat."
The report also said there was no apparent fault with the helicopter.
It noted that Mr Stokes was in good health at the time of the accident, and that he had been flying in good weather.
The report found that warnings issued by the Robinson helicopter company to owners of the R22 stated clearly that there was a major risk in flying the aircraft for the purpose of aerial photography.
The investigation unit pointed out that the aviation authority, which granted Mr Stokes a rotorcraft flying licence when he had completed only 45 hours of flying time, "should consider discontinuing the practice of granting pilots with fixed-wing experience a reduction towards the amount of hours required for the award of a private pilot's licence (rotorcraft), specifically in regards to R22 and R44 helicopters".
The annex to the report includes the warnings from the Robinson company, issued after a series of crashes mostly involving inexperienced pilots.
In March 1999, the manufacturers issued a "very high risk" warning to R22 operators, saying the aircraft should not be used for aerial photography by "low-time pilots", which means pilots with little experience.
The Robinson helicopter company warned that aerial photography "should only be conducted by well-trained, experienced pilots" with at least 500 hours of "pilot-in-command" experience and 100 hours of "pilot-in-command" experience of the R22.
It said the pilot should also have "extensive training" in "both low RPM and settling with power recovery techniques". The manufacturers also cautioned that pilots should know when to "say no to the photographer" and fly only at safe speeds and altitudes and at wind angles which are safe and allow for good escape routes.
The IAA report said: "There is a clear relationship between pilot inexperience in the R22 and main rotor/air-frame contact accidents.
"An analysis of this type of accident indicated that in 23 of 30 fatal accidents, the pilot manipulating the controls had less than 200 flight hours in helicopters or less than 50 flight hours in the R22."
It adds: "Between 1981 and 1995 there were 31 in-flight break-up accidents reported on Robinson R22 helicopters.
"Most, but not all, occurred in the US. These were caused by tailboom, cockpit, or tailboom and cockpit strikes.
"Since the last recorded accident of the above SIR in Australia on the 17 July 1995, to end of December 2000, there have been 19 other fatal accidents involving the Robinson R22 helicopter.
"The investigations into 12 of these have been completed. The remainder are ongoing."
On the morning the helicopter left Weston Aerodrome in Co Kildare it was fitted with dual controls which, the report noted, would have taken only five minutes to remove.
"They were not removed by the pilot, contrary to Section 4, Normal Procedures of the R22 pilots' operating handbook," the report concluded.