The Robinson R44 Raven II Helicopter departed from a private site at Ballygarrett, Co. Wexford at approximately 14:32 hrs on 11 December 2022 and flew to another private site at Tagoat, also in Co. Wexford. The Helicopter departed Tagoat at approximately 14:58 hrs for a flight to Kilrush Airfield (EIKH) and followed a north-westerly track towards EIKH. When the Helicopter was approximately 0.7 nautical miles (NM) to the south-west of EIKH and at an altitude of approximately 1,800 feet (ft), it turned right (north-east). It continued past EIKH and remained on a north-easterly track for a further 8.3 NM approximately, before turning back towards the south-west. Then, for a number of minutes, the Helicopter flew back-and-forth in the Kennycourt area, which is approximately 7 NM north-east of EIKH, before impacting with terrain near Kennycourt at approximately 15:45 hrs. The Helicopter was destroyed due to the impact and a post-crash fire. The Pilot, who was the sole occupant, was fatally injured.
The Investigation determined that the probable cause of the accident was a loss of control due to spatial disorientation following a loss of external visual references during an attempted or aborted descent in sub-optimal visibility conditions. The contributory causes were determined to be plan continuation bias when the flight was continued in meteorological conditions in which visual contact with the surface was deteriorating, and possible increasing pressure to land, or get to EIKH, due to a decreasing fuel quantity.
One Safety Recommendation is made as a result of this Safety Investigation.
