# Air crash at Harrogate



## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

Hi

You may have seen on the news of a helicopter crash at the Rudding Park site in Harrogate. The remains of the helicopter are about 200 yards from the pitch I am on. 

Quite a lucky escape. I do not know about those on board yet. 

Russell


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## vicdicdoc (May 14, 2005)

Wow - close call ! . . .go tell them a bit flew over an hit your bucket & lid & now you cant find it :lol:


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## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Helicopter crash*

Hi

I have not got a bucket and lid yet - I am going to Mothercare on Monday though.

I heard a loud bang and so on and looked out but could see nothing. First I knew was when driving and was told "to turn around".

I hope that the people in it are Ok. There are often helicopters in the area.

Russell


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## christopherobin (Mar 26, 2007)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/north_yorkshire/7211208.stm

Chris


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## Invicta (Feb 9, 2006)

It must have been very frightening to be so near Russell. Hope you are OK.


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## Briarose (Oct 9, 2007)

Oh dear looks as if there are two dead.........how awful.

Glad you are OK Russell.


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## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Crash*

Hi

Thanks for your comments. Years ago, the Emmerdale plane crash was filmed in the area and I wondered if it was something like that. Also, there are often loud fire works due to functions etc.

It seems the incident has ended in tradegy.

I do not know what wind levels those things can fly in, but the wind was rocking my van again.

Russell


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## Autoquest (May 16, 2007)

It was a private pilot with 46hrs on his licence - He managed to crash his brand new Gazelle helicopter - The weather would indicate that the wind was way beyond his experience level.


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## JohnsCrossMotorHomes (Jul 21, 2007)

Autoquest said:


> It was a private pilot with 46hrs on his licence - He managed to crash his brand new Gazelle helicopter - The weather would indicate that the wind was way beyond his experience level.


Yes unfortunately low houred pilots unless they have been frightened beforehand do tend to do things beyond either their capabilities or the machines.

I always remember when I was training and let loose on my own to go and practice in a remote part of the airfield trying to hover back to base with a tail wind and could'nt hack it so I radioed the control tower for an instructor to come out and go back with me rather than try and do it on my own.

Good motto for a low houred pilot, there is always another day to go flying, no one will ever criticise you for being cautious, helicopters can BITE!

Peter


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## takeaflight (May 9, 2005)

My comments are not aimed at this particular incident. 

Quite often light aircraft/helicopter accidents are due to some people having bigger wallets than brains. 

A Cessna or Robinson etc light aircraft, as no respect for the size of someones bank balance.


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## Autoquest (May 16, 2007)

Slight retraction - The pilot was more experienced than I indicated but he was low time on the Gazelle, which I know from experience can bite - Either way, very sad.


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## peejay (May 10, 2005)

So, there we go, thats the pilot condemmed as at fault before any real facts are known. Perhaps it would be prudent to wait for the official report before making rash assumptions. Unless of course any of you work for the tabloids :roll: .

pete


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## asprn (Feb 10, 2006)

peejay said:


> So, there we go, thats the pilot condemmed as at fault before any real facts are known


Och Pete - stop being such a killjoy. It's far too difficult to wait for the facts, when we all can guess the reason.

Same as the 777, really. I don't know why they bother with investigations and the like - waste of money if you ask me.

Dougie.

 *DISCLAIMER* The author accepts full responsibility for any misunderstanding arising from - or due to - any excessive disguising of (which effectively concealed) the dripping irony and heavy sarcasm which is at the post's core. The author therefore wishes to apologise for being too clever by half. :roll:


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## Autoquest (May 16, 2007)

Aspern - Once again you are missing a perfectly good opportunity to be quiet :roll: Reminds me a bit of a quote by Dennis Thatcher; "It is always better to let people think you are an idiot than open your mouth and remove all doubt"  

Nobody mentioned the 777 crash because it isn't relevant. The facts are quite simply that the pilot had only just gained his PPL(H) and had 46 hours on type, he was also the holder of a frozen fixed wing CPL(IR). He had just taken delivery of the Gazelle and had flown it to the hotel accompanied by a safety pilot and was last seen tying the blades down - His previous trip had been with a Flight Examiner which qualified him to fly solo on type. He clearly decided that conditions were suitable later that day and took off with a passenger on what was effectively his first unsupervised solo flight - Sadly he crashed.

I have over 1000 hours of instructional time on Gazelles and over 7000 rotary in total - I can tell you that the wind limits for starting and stopping rotors on the Gazelle is 40 knots. At the time the wind was in excess of this speed.

I can tell you now that NO ab-initio helicopter pilot will be able to control a Gazelle in those wind speeds with just 46 hours experience - In about two years' time the AAIB will reach the same conclusion (as they always do in cases like this) 

For your further information the Gazelle does not have a conventional tail rotor but employs a ducted fan arrangement known as a Fenestron - These are very efficient but are subject to a phenomenon known as 'loss of tail rotor effectiveness (LTRE)' which means that a rapid corrective action must be applied immediately or the helicopter control is lost, this will have been demonstrated to him on his conversion, but it remains a fact that just about every low time private pilot who has crashed a Gazelle suffered from LTRE.

In my business Aspern I don't deal with ignorant rumour mongering - I deal with the facts, which is something that has kept me alive for the last 25 years whilst flying these things for a living.

A very sad business for all concerned


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## asprn (Feb 10, 2006)

Autoquest said:


> In my business Aspern I don't deal with ignorant rumour mongering - I deal with the facts


I can quite see why you think otherwise, but you've missed entirely the heavy sarcasm which intersperses my post. Easily done on forums - perhaps the absence of a :roll: in my post contributed.

You'll find that if you scan through any of the (probably-annoying) posts I've made on most subjects here, you'll see that my Prime Directive - like you - is to not speculate, to await facts, and never to pre-judge. Your life has depended on that. My job - and therefore the lives of other people - depends on me doing that. That's why I usually rise to the bait when people make uninformed and ill-advised pre-judgements based on supposition, prejudice and ignorance. It's always breathtaking.

I've no difficulty with what you've said about me, and I can quite see how my post would be taken - I think the irony was too heavily disguised. :roll:

(PS - The only thing I have an issue with on your post is you keep spelling my name wrong.... :evil

Dougie.


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## 100004 (Jul 12, 2006)

Oh Dear. Enough skill to get into trouble but, sadly, not enough to get out. By the way, how come they let MH's that close to a hotel voted the 12th best in the world? :lol: H


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## asprn (Feb 10, 2006)

homerdog said:


> Enough skill to get into trouble but, sadly, not enough to get out


You referring to me, or the pilot? 

Dougie.


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

"how come they let MH's that close to a hotel voted the 12th best in the world?"

I wondered that. You have to admit, Russell has standards 

Dave


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## kijana (May 1, 2005)

Yes, living as he does in Moniga del Garda, Harrogate :?


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## Autoquest (May 16, 2007)

Hmm.. I probably laid it on a bit thick there Asprn - Glad you didn't take offence.


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## asprn (Feb 10, 2006)

Autoquest said:


> Hmm.. I probably laid it on a bit thick there Asprn - Glad you didn't take offence.


Apart from the mis-spelling, I didn't. 

Dougie.


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## 100004 (Jul 12, 2006)

You referring to me, or the pilot? 
Dougie, you're such a sensitive soul :lol: :lol: 

Russell has standards Bloody sight higher than mine :roll: Wonder if they let him use any of the facilities?H


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## sallytrafic (Jan 17, 2006)

free weeks ago i cudn't spel helicraptor pilot, now I are one

battery the second most dangerous thing on an aircraft - after the pilot.

and yes I'm going to avoid speculation I've changed too many Gazelle tail rotor gearboxes when they've failed SOAP tests to be sure it was the pilot.


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

Curiosity got the better of me. It seems there's the hotel, and then, um, there's the campsite .....
http://www.holidaywatchdog.com/19199-Harrogate-Rudding_Park_Hotel-Holiday-Review.html

Looks nice from the air!
> Rudding Park - Google maps <

Dave


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## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Rudding park*

Hi

I am pitched on a supersite - basically a pitch with tap, power, drain and phone point. The site has excellent WiFi too. The golf course is adjacent, as is the hotel and then the wooden chalets.

I am moving on on Thursday though as the site closes for a month.

Back on March 1st.

The site itself seems primarily for seasonal pitches - and given the tariff it is easy to see why!

Re the helicopter. The roads were still closed this morning at 0730 and the police helicopter is still hovering about.

Russell


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## Suenliam (Mar 22, 2006)

Ooooooooo ........ there's posh

Sorry you are having to rough it for a month Russell    

Sue


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