Accidents
AS 350 crash prompts review of flight procedures
The UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) issued four safety recommendation as a result of the Sept.

The UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) issued four safety recommendation as a result of the Sept. 15, 2007 fatal crash of a Eurocopter AS 350B2 Squirrel in Lanark, Scotland. The accident killed all four aboard–the pilot (world champion rally car driver Colin McRae), his young son, a friend of the son and an adult friend of the family.

According to witnesses, including two who had military and civil helicopter experience, the helicopter–a familiar sight in the area–was flying faster and lower than usual before it descended into a valley near the pilot’s home. Although there were no witnesses to the accident itself, the adult passenger had been using a camcorder for much of the flight and this showed that the passengers had been enjoying low flight with some spirited maneuvers.