Woman filming air ambulance seriously injured as downwash blows her over

A woman who went outside her home in Southend-on-Sea to film an air ambulance taking off was blown off her feet by the helicopter's downwash and seriously injured, according to a report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), reported by the BBC and the Mirror.

The AAIB found she was standing 30m (98ft) away and that a hedge blocked the pilot's view of her. The investigators decided to take no action against the air ambulance charity.

What happened on 28 February

The helicopter, operated by Essex & Herts Air Ambulance, was leaving a field next to London Southend Airport's car park after the crew had responded to a medical emergency. The BBC gave the time as 18:08 GMT, while the Mirror said it was around 5.46pm.

The woman lived opposite the field. The Mirror reported that, before take-off, the pilot noticed several onlookers, including children, beside a fence along the road and asked them to move to the other side. The woman had not been outside at that point, so she was not visible to the commander and did not see his warning, the report said.

After hearing the engines start, she stepped out to film, standing near a car parked on her driveway. By then the commander was already in the helicopter, which was behind a hedge, so the crew could not see her. About 50 seconds after the helicopter began its vertical climb, according to the AAIB, she was blown over by the downwash. A relative came quickly to her aid and she was taken to hospital. Other people who had gathered to watch were not affected.

What the investigators found

The 47-year-old pilot, who had almost 4,000 flight hours, flew off unaware that anyone had been hurt and later landed at North Weald Airfield. The charity was told what had happened four days later by the woman's relative. Asked about it, the commander said he had not seen her but that, looking back, he considered her distance a safe one.

The AAIB concluded that the speed of the downwash may have been greater because of a funnel effect when it was affected by nearby buildings and a car.

What it means for people near helicopters

The case shows that a person can be injured by downwash even at a distance the aircraft's commander considers safe, and even when the crew has already warned other bystanders. Nearby buildings and parked vehicles may make the air flow stronger, the investigators said.

The operator has acted on the report's findings. After the incident, Essex & Herts Air Ambulance sent all its pilots guidance in May reminding them of the hazards of downwash during take-off and landing, the Mirror reported. The BBC said the pilots were reminded of the risks associated with downwash after the incident.

The AAIB's summary was that an observer of a helicopter departing from a field was "blown over by its downwash" while standing outside her house.

Around Prague, based on reporting by BBC News, Mirror

Cover photo: Christopher Hilton / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped

Share: Telegram WhatsApp