Preliminary Reports
Two Killed During Autorotation Training
Bell 505 Jet Ranger X, July 30, 2024, near Killucan, County Westmeath, Ireland
The pilot-rated student and the instructor conducting his type-rating training both perished when the 2020-model helicopter crashed into a farm field during the sixth of a series of practice autorotations with power recoveries. The aircraft struck with sufficient force to bounce back into the air, clearing a wire fence and hitting the end of an adjacent building at its roof line. Initial examination of the wreckage found only impact damage, with no evidence of any prior malfunction.
The student had flown just over 100 hours in Robinson R44 helicopters in the course of earning his private pilot’s license, which he received five weeks before the accident. During that time, he purchased the Jet Ranger in Malta, re-registered it in the U.S., and had it delivered to Ireland, where it was added to the training organization’s fleet. The 5,253-hour instructor, whose instructor and examiner certificates were issued by the Czech Republic, was contracted to provide type--rating training to four students. The accident occurred on the program’s second day.
More In Accidents
