Crash pilot ‘did not turn around when he f lew into low cloud’
A HELICOPTER crash in which five family members were killed as they flew to Dublin happened after the pilot failed to turn around when entering low cloud, accident investigators said
Three brothers and two of their wives died in the crash in mountains in Snowdonia, North Wales, on March 29 last year.
Pilot Kevin Burke, 56 and his wife Ruth, 49, were among the victims. Donald Burke, 55, his wife Sharon, 48, and brother Barry, 51, also died.
The five, from a wealthy AngloIrish family, lived in the Milton Keynes area and were on their way to Dublin for a party following the Confirmation of a relative. They planned to return the same day. At first it was thought the aircraft may have come down in the sea, but after no automatic beacon had been activated, the hunt was switched to the mountains, with seven rescue teams taking part. Driving rain and low cloud reduced visibility.
The helicopter was reported missing when it failed to arrive here in Ireland, sparking a massive search which initially focused on the Irish Sea. The wreckage was found in a remote and treacherous area, with recovery of the bodies and helicopter taking several days. The report said they were flying on a Visual Flight Rules (VFR) plan. This required it to be clear of cloud and in sight of the surface. The UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) found that the pilot ‘had the option to turn back, divert or land’ when he entered an area of poor visibility.
‘Having entered cloud, there appears to have been no attempt to turn back,’ according to the report. The privately owned Twin Squirrel aircraft struck the side of Rhinog Fawr Mountain at an altitude of 610 metres.
A system which alerts pilots when they are approaching high terrain is available for the GPS equipment used by the helicopter, but it was not fitted.
‘No other means of warning him’
‘There was no other means of warning the pilot of the rising ground,’ accident investigators concluded. The bodies of the victims were found with the wreckage near Trawsfynydd.
Kevin Burke had more than 3,500 flying hours and had renewed his licence in 2016. A post-mortem of Mr Burke detected a small amount of alcohol that may have been produced after death. The inquiry did not identify any engineering defects and records showed the aircraft had been properly maintained.
An inquest into the deaths will resume in the next few weeks.