Air ambulances may be grounded after Leicester City crash
Air ambulance crews and coastguards have been ordered to carry out urgent safety inspections on their helicopters in the wake of the leicester city crash.
A preliminary report by accident investigators into the tragedy that killed five people, including the football club’s billionaire owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, was published yesterday.
the Air Accidents investigation Branch (AAiB) suspects the accident was caused by a problem with the aircraft’s tail rotor, which caused it to spin out of control.
it said that the ‘ investigation of the tail rotor control system is being carried out as a priority’. the rotor keeps the aircraft steady and stops it spinning in the opposite direction to the main blades.
the report provides the first official version of the terrifying chain of events as the AgustaWestland AW169 plunged into a car park near the leicester city stadium at 8.37pm on October 27.
the AAiB confirmed that safety watchdog the european Aviation Safety Agency and italian helicopter manufacturer leonardo have instructed all owners of the AW169 helicopters to carry out urgent inspections of tail rotors. AW169s are used by
‘Spinning downwards’
several air ambulance services around the country, including the children’s Air Ambulance, and the Kent, Surrey and Sussex service.
the edict also applies to another larger version of the helicopter – the AW189 – which is used by UK coastguard search and rescue teams.
the order was issued last week. it is unclear whether any helicopters have been grounded and if any technical issues have been discovered.
A spokesman for the Air Ambulance Service, which also runs the children’s Air Ambulance, said: ‘the aircraft we operate have both undergone a comprehensive annual maintenance and safety service in recent weeks.
‘the aircraft continue to be checked and monitored to the highest possible standard.’
the Maritime and coastguard Agency said inspections had been carried out and ‘no issues were detected’. Although cctV footage of the crash has been widely shared, the AAiB has used data retrieved from the black box salvaged from the wreckage to piece together the first official account of the tragedy.
this revealed that the aircraft failed to respond to the pilot’s pedal commands in the moments before it started spinning downwards.
Suggesting the occupants on board stood little chance of survival, the AAiB said the helicopter ‘struck the ground in an upright position’ and was ‘rapidly engulfed in an intense post-impact fire’.