The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has issued an update on the investigation into a fatal crash near Avoch in the Highlands two years ago.
In the early afternoon of November 12, 2020, a gyrocopter being piloted by Paul Nichol crashed into a field on the Black Isle.
Mr Nichol, 67, had taken off from Inverness and was travelling north and was the sole occupant and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Following the incident, the AAIB – responsible for investigating air crashes – was dispatched to find out what happened.
The agency has issued an update on their investigation, focusing on the rotor head of the Rotorsport UK Cavalon, G-CKYT craft.
Investigation focus on rotor head separation
The AAIB statement reads: “Whilst on a general handling flight with a solo student pilot onboard, the gyroplane was seen to descend rapidly from an altitude of approximately 1,500ft with the rotor head and blades separate from the fuselage.
“The gyroplane subsequently crashed on farmland and caught fire, with the pilot receiving fatal injuries.”
This also corresponds with eyewitness accounts who say the gyrocopter fell out of the sky when the propeller came off mid-flight.
The AAIB says much of the aircraft was damaged by fire on the ground, but analysis of the wreckage was still possible.
Investigators are now focusing on what caused the rotor head to separate from the aircraft, which ultimately lead to the crash.
The statement adds: “Analysis of recorded data from the accident is now complete. Further testing of the rotor head is ongoing.
“Once this testing has been carried out and the necessary analysis completed, the AAIB will publish its investigation findings in a final report.”
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