The 1983 Helicopter Crash

Just over forty years ago, a helicopter crashed on Mid Standard Hill near Balmaclellan.

It was on 26 September 1983 when a Bell 206 Jet Ranger helicopter took off from Carlisle airport on a navigation exercise. The pilot was a foreign student who was on an extended fixed and rotary wing flying course and was flying solo at the time.

Although only twenty years old, he had over one hundred hours' flying experience.

The aircraft in question was registered G-AVTE and was sixteen years old. It was operating under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) and should not have entered cloud. Several witnesses along the route state that the aircraft was flying as low as 200 feet and was flying in and out of mist or cloud.

The aircraft was reported overdue before midday and a search was carried out by RAF Mountain Rescue, a number of helicopters, and others. The search was hampered by low cloud, mist and fog so the wreckage was not found until the following day.

The aircraft had struck Mid Standard Hill (near Blackcraig Hill, Balmaclellan) at an estimated time of 10.20am the previous day. The pilot was ejected from the helicopter in the crash and killed; the aircraft was totally destroyed. A police presence guarded the crash site until the body and wreckage could be recovered and the Galloway Mountain Rescue team were also involved, although their records have unfortunately not survived. The estimated speed at impact was 100 knots.

All evidence is that this was Controlled Flight Into Terrain, caused by inadvertent flight into cloud. The name of the pilot is not in the public domain.

My thanks to Trevor Warne for permission to use his photograph of the actual aircraft that crashed.

Paul Goodwin