1983 British Airways Helicopters Sikorsky S-61 crash

The AIB found that the accident was caused by pilot error, in failing to notice and correct an unintentional descent when attempting to fly at low altitude in poor visibility.On 24 June 1983, Oscar November was assigned to act as a replacement for the British Airways Helicopters commercial passenger service between Penzance and the Isles of Scilly.[5] Oscar November was one of two flights scheduled to fly from Penzance Heliport to St Mary's Airport on the Isles of Scilly on the morning of 16 July; the other was G-BDDA (Delta Alpha), another S-61 helicopter.Delta Alpha had been scheduled to depart at 7:50 am (GMT),[a] while Oscar November was due to leave at 8:15 am, but both flights were delayed by poor visibility.With the possibility of the weather worsening, Lawlor waited for confirmation that Delta Alpha had landed and flown the entire journey according to visual flight rules (VFR).For his part, Charleton had interpreted the message differently, believing that 300 feet had referred to the height at which Delta Alpha had been when they made the observations, but the pair did not discuss the report.[8] At roughly 11:35 am, following a string of communication between Charleton and St Mary's, the last message was sent from the aerodrome; "Oscar November is clear to land 300 degrees at 5 knots."[9] When Oscar November was roughly 1.5 nautical miles (2.8 km; 1.7 mi) from the coast, the helicopter crashed,[10] hitting the sea three successive times.Shortly thereafter, they also contacted RNAS Culdrose that Oscar November was overdue, and requested that the search and rescue helicopters be put on stand-by.A second Navy helicopter, a Westland Sea King, arrived around 1:00 pm and was directed to the crash site by flares from the lifeboat, which returned to St Mary's with the survivors not long after.[21] On the evening of the crash, the MV Seaforth Clansman, a Royal Navy charter in Naval Party 1007, sailed from Falmouth with a crew of divers, arriving at the site that the survivors had been picked up at 10:10 pm.[23] An article in The Times initial speculated that the helicopter could have flown into a flock of seagulls, after mutilated bird corpses were found near the scene, or suffered a mechanical failure.[26] These issues were contested by British Airways Helicopters, and along with the theories about the seagulls and a mechanical failure, none were found to have caused the crash or the high loss of life in the Accidents Investigation Branch report.[33] The main recommendation from the report was for an audible height warning on passenger helicopters operating off-shore and for the altimeter to be moved nearer to the pilot's 'head-up field of vision'.[34] The United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority made it mandatory that audible ground proximity warning systems had to be installed in all passenger helicopters by August 1985.
Penzance Heliport , from which the flight departed.
A Sikorsky S-61 helicopter, with the sponsons clearly visible on either side. During Oscar November ' s crash, these were broken off.
Oscar November being recovered from the sea
St Mary's Aerodrome,Isles of ScillySikorsky S-61British Airways HelicoptersRegistrationPenzance HeliportCeltic SeaPenzanceSt Mary's, Isles of Scillycivil aviationAccidents Investigation Branchpublic inquiryBoeing 234LR ChinookcrashedNorth SearegisteredAberdeenIsles of Scillycertificate of airworthinessSt Mary's Airportvisual flight rulesLongships LighthouseLand's Endvertical gyro indicatorairstairslife jacket1981 Bristow Helicopters Westland Wessex crashSt Mary's lifeboatRNAS CuldroseWestland WessexWestland Sea KingTreliske HospitalDavid HarrisMember of ParliamentSt IvesMV Seaforth ClansmanNaval PartyFalmouthunderwater locator beaconPenlee lifeboatParliamentRobert HughesLabourAberdeen NorthSecretary of State for TransportTom KingFarnboroughThe Timesseagullsditchingpilot errorBritish Airline Pilots' AssociationCivil Aviation AuthorityUnited Kingdom Civil Aviation AuthorityBritish International HelicoptersChinookSumburgh AirportShetland Islands1986 British International Helicopters Chinook crashAviation accidents and incidentsThe GuardianNewspapers.comThe ObserverBBC NewsParliamentary Debates (Hansard)Air Accidents Investigation BranchUnited Airlines Flight 2885Turkish Airlines Flight 158Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Flight 013Avensa Flight 007Aeroflot Flight E-46Negev mid-air collisionHijacking of CAAC Flight 296Eastern Air Lines Flight 855Rhein-Main Starfighter crashAir Canada Flight 797Alraigo incidentReeve Aleutian Airways Flight 8Chosonminhang Il-62 crashTAME Flight 173British Airways Sikorsky S-61 crashAir Canada Flight 143Aeroflot Flight 5463Korean Air Lines Flight 007Guilin Airport collisionGulf Air Flight 771Air Illinois Flight 710TAAG Flight 462Aeroflot Flight 6833Avianca Flight 011Nigeria Airways Flight 250Madrid runway disasterTAMPA Colombia Boeing 707 crashMalaysian Airline System Flight 684Ozark Air Lines Flight 650Anchorage runway collisionAeroflot Flight 601Biggin Hill Invader crashAer Lingus Flight 164Dan-Air Flight 240Bristow Helicopters Westland Wessex crashBritish Army Gazelle friendly fire incidentManchester Airport disasterHindawi affairBritish Army Lynx shootdownBritish International Helicopters Sikorsky S-61N crashPan Am Flight 103Kegworth air disaster