An Enstrom F28-C helicopter similar to that which crash landed near Ebberston.
On 3rd May 1997 this civilian registered helicopter took off from Bagby airstrip near Thirsk
to fly to a hotel in Scarborough. The weather was fine during the first half of the flight but as the helicopter neared Ebberston
it entered a layer of coastal cloud combined with a haze which made visibility difficult. The pilot was not experienced on instrument flying and had
to keep a visual fix on the ground. At first the pilot could see through this haze but he found keeping visual contact with the ground hard. He tried to make a 180 degree turn to fly
out of this cloud but whilst doing this he lost his sight of the ground; the speed of the aircraft fell and he let the height drop.
His visual contact with the ground was regained at only afew metres above the ground and this allowed him enough time to level the
helicopter before it struck the ground on the right skid at 12.50hrs. The skid then collapsed and the helicopter then rolled
over onto its right side and the main rotor blades dug into the soil. The pilot and his passenger then climbed out of the helicopter
without being injured. A local farmer who witnessed the crash called the emergency services who were soon at the scene at Malton Cote Farm.
The helicopter was badly damaged, it suffered damaged to its main rotor, tail rotor, right skid and fuselage.
This accident was blamed on a loss of visual contact with the ground and the pilots lack of instrument flying.
Pilot - Mr Ray Allott, aged 30, uninjured.
Passenger - Ms Michelle Green, aged 30, uninjured.
Although holding no airworthiness certificate the aircraft still exists and is owned by Tindon Ltd at Little Snoring airfield, Norfolk but has reverted to its G-BGSN registration.
Both are believed to have been from the Harrogate area. It was owned by a Mr Thompson of Spofforth at the time of this accident at Ebberston.
Mr Allott later invented his own speed camera and set it up outside his house in the Harrogate area, national newspapers covered the story.
The aircraft was built in 1979 and initially registered in the UK as G-BGSN. During the 1980's it changed hands a number of times. On 12th June 1991 this aircraft still carried the registration of G-BGSN, on this date it was being flown over the Elidir Fawr area of Wales near Llanberis as the lake of
Marchllyn Mawr was been made deeper for a large power station development. The helicopter was being used to film the water for a promotional video. While it was flying over the lake a large
down-draft of wind blew the helicopter onto the surface of the water and although applying full power the pilot was unable to get clear of the water. The helicopter
sank and the two on board were able to swim clear. The helicopter was later recovered and dried out and rebuilt and re-registered as G-OIGS. A photograph of G-OIGS
appears in Ed Doylerush's "No Landing Place" book on air-accidents in Snowdonia.