Bell 407, N120HH; anniversary statement
Uncontained engine failure and helicopter destroyed by fire after landing. Long Marston, Warwickshire, 24 June 2020.
This statement provides an update on the ongoing AAIB investigation into an accident involving a Bell 407 helicopter near Long Marston, Warwickshire, on 24 June 2020.
The helicopter was in the cruise at approximately 1,800 ft amsl when there was an uncontained engine failure. The pilot made a successful autorotation into a field where a main rotor blade struck and severed the tail boom. The pilot and passenger escaped uninjured, but the helicopter was destroyed by a post landing fire.
The uncontained engine failure most probably resulted from a loss of oil which occurred during the accident flight. A full report of the investigation will be published in due course.