SYNOPSIS

The pilot had planned a routine flight from Dublin Airport to Falcarragh, Co. Donegal, where he was to pick up passengers and ferry them to Tory Island. En route, about 2 nm west of Slane village, the pilot felt a sudden increase in vibration and noise levels. He reduced power, but these vibration levels persisted. While he was satisfied that all systems were normal and the helicopter was fully controllable, he decided to carry out a precautionary landing in a field which was known to him. 

The pilot's post-flight inspection showed that one tail rotor blade had serious impact damage to the stainless steel strip on the leading edge and that the tail unit anticollision light cover and its clamp were missing. 

SYNOPSIS

As the aircraft approached its home base, it crossed Lough Gill, a large lake. The pilot then descended to the hover over a large field to the rear of his landing area. In the hover he performed final pre-landing checks. The pilot stated that at this time the main tank was indicating slightly under ¼ and the low fuel contents warning light was not illuminated. He then proceeded to hover-taxy the aircraft over a fence into his landing area. As he passed over the fence, he became aware of a significant loss of power, and the low rotor speed alarm activated. He flew the aircraft sideways to clear the fence and landed heavily. At touch-down the engine was already stopped. The undercarriage cross tubes were distorted as a result of the heavy landing. The pilot and his daughter exited the aircraft unhurt.

SYNOPSIS

The aircraft had been positioned at Stand 67 at Dublin Airport.  The dolly struck the left hand undercarriage door and some damage was also evident to the lower part of the LH undercarriage body housing.  The force of the impact was felt by the captain who was in the cockpit at the time of impact.  He declared the aircraft unserviceable.

SYNOPSIS

The aircraft departed Little Gransden in the UK at 0740 hours on a Visual Flight Rules (VFR) flight to Waterford Airport in Ireland. The weather en route deteriorated, however, and the pilot elected to continue under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR). The pilot failed to establish on the ILS twice at his destination in Waterford Airport. During the course of the second go around, the pilot became visual and elected to land in a suitable field, as he considered he had insufficient fuel for additional approaches. 

The pilot landed the aircraft in a small and steeply uphill field. The aircraft came to a stop in a mud heap, just short of some farm out-buildings. There was no fire. All three occupants were uninjured. 

SYNOPSIS

EI-MES was performing a demonstration in Dublin Port, in association with the Tall Ships Event which was being held in Dublin. The demonstration consisted of dropping a team of nine swimmers of the Irish Naval Service Diving Section, from the helicopter into the River Liffey. When they jumped from the moving helicopter, the  swimmers suffered varying injuries. Two of the injured swimmers were hospitalised for more than 48 hours.

Synopsis

SYNOPSIS

After a flight of one hours duration, and at about 800 feet while lining up with the runway to land, the aircraft went into an uncommanded left spiral dive from which the pilot recovered. He climbed back to 1,000 feet and, on reducing power, the aircraft again went into a left spiral dive from which he recovered. At this stage he had moved somewhat southwards away from his original intended landing area and, as he reduced power again the aircraft spiralled to the left and landed heavily in a nose down attitude in a field of barley.

This investigation was conducted by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch,UK, and the following report was originally published in AAIB Bulletin No.2/99 of February 1999.

SYNOPSIS

During take-off from a grass airstrip near Gorey, Co Wexford, the aircraft did not become airborne until near the end of the runway, where it struck a barbed wire boundary fence, breaking two wooden poles in the process. The aircraft continued to fly with a high nose-up attitude for a further 300 metres before the pilot elected to carry out an emergency landing in an adjacent field. The field, which was cultivated and planted with small saplings, had furrows running at right angles to the direction of flight. After an initial heavy impact into the field, the main undercarriage was torn off and substantial damage was caused to the underside of the aircraft, before it finally came to rest. All five persons onboard the aircraft evacuated without injury. Time of impact was 0947 hours approximately. There was no fire. 

Synopsis

The model was flying circuits at a registered aeromodel site in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.  After a take-off, which followed a normal circuit, command of the model was lost.  The model then flew off in a North-east direction.  When its fuel was exhausted, the model glided to earth, and landed on the new link taxi-way near the threshold of Runway 28 at Dublin Airport.

The report finds that the probable cause of the loss of command was the exhaustion of the receiver battery.