The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Investigators called in to probe crash that left helicopter a ‘mangled mess’
Incident: Man taken to Dundee’s Ninewells Hospital for treatment
Air accident investigators are probing a crash at Perth Airport yesterday which left a helicopter a “mangled mess” and a man hospitalised.
The sole occupant of the helicopter suffered a leg injury and was treated at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee.
Eye witnesses to the incident, which happened at around 10.25am, spoke of hearing a “loud bang”. When they rushed to the scene they found the twoseater helicopter lying on its side.
Luckily for the injured man the accident happened within sight of Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA) headquarters and paramedics were at his side within minutes.
The casualty was understood to be an engineer who was carrying out tests on the helicopter.
Norman Grieve, chairman of Perth and Kinross Conservative and Unionist Association, which has an office in the control tower at the airport, witnessed the accident.
“I was just driving in and saw the helicopter spinning around just above the ground,” said Mr Grieve.
“It started spinning eight or nine times and went over on its side. He was
“I was sitting in my room which is 150ft from where the helicopter came down, I heard it take off and it didn’t sound right at all – then there was a bang. CONNOR WOJTOWICZ
obviously struggling to control it.
“I reversed as far away as I could as I was expecting a shower of bits of rotar blade.
“The front window popped out and the engine stopped and the man crawled out.”
He estimated the helicopter was never more than a few feet off the ground.
Connor Wojtowicz, 23, who lives at the airport, was among the first on the scene.
“I was sitting in my room which is 150ft from where the helicopter came down, I heard it take off and it didn’t sound right at all – then there was a bang,” said Mr Wojtowicz, a kitchen porter.
The airport’s own fire crew was quickly at the scene in case of fire and the helicopter was righted using a small bulldozer amid fears of leaking fuel.
The area was quickly cordoned off by police and Scottish Fire and Rescue firefighters sprayed the craft with fire retardant foam.
Paramedic Craig Mcdonald, 46, treated the injured man with his colleague Wendy Jubb.
“We heard a very loud bang and the helicopter had ploughed into the grass and was on its side,” he said.
“It was very fortunate we were on the scene but it was horrible to see, we were just hoping that in the end no one was seriously injured.”
The SCAA praised its paramedics for their swift response.
“They were out within seconds of it happening making sure he was alright,” said a spokesperson for the charity.
rburdge@thecourier.co.uk