The bird that brought down an air ambulance
CROW SMASHED WINDSHIELD, FORCING EMERGENCY LANDING
AN air ambulance was forced into an emergency landing when a crow flew into it.
The impact shattered the windshield. The bird collided with a crew member and a rotor blade was damaged.
The incident happened while the Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland air ambulance was flying back to East Midlands Airport.
Shards of the acrylic windshield flew into the main rotor discs, puncturing one of the blades.
After the collision, the helicopter began making a “noticeable” vibration and the pilot had to make an emergency landing near Carsington Water, in the Peak District.
A report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) says that the crew member in the frontleft seat first spotted the crow, shouting “Bird!” to the pilot.
The pilot pitched and rolled to try and avoid it, but it was too late, with the bird smashing through the windshield, hitting the crew member on the helmet, then getting wedged behind the pilot’s seat.
The bird weighed 1.32kg – slightly more than a litre bottle of water.
The crew member hit by the bird was checked over by the crew doctor and had sustained no injuries.
Regulations, which the acrylic windshield met, say helicopters should use windshields that do not break into dangerous fragments but do not take into consideration the impact of a bird strike.
Along with repairs to the helicopter, the European Union Aviation Standards Agency are looking into whether changes should be made to ensure windshields in existing aircraft can withstand a bird strike.
The report by the AAIB said: “At about 1,000ft above ground level and 140 knots, as the helicopter was descending and turning towards East Midlands Airport on return from a HEMS mission, a bird struck the left windshield.
“The windshield shattered and the bird entered the cockpit striking the technical crew member (TCM) on the left side of their helmet. The TCM and pilot were unhurt.
“Debris from the windshield also entered the main rotor disk, making a hole in the trailing edge of one of the rotor blades.
“The Agustawestland AW109 windshield is not designed to withstand bird strikes and the design certification requirements do not require it to do so.”
It continues: “Proposed amendments, specifically to the certification of small rotorcraft were published in EASA NPA 2021-02 to change this for newly designed rotorcraft.
“A rule making group is also considering the retrospective application to existing fleets and/or to future production of already typecertified rotorcraft.”