Augusta Bell 206b G-BKDA at Grasmere.

Earlier on this date this helicopter had flown from the Liverpool area to Grasmere with several passengers on board as a birthday treat for the elderly mother of the Liverpool businessman who was also a passenger. At 15.00hrs on 29th January 1989, owing to surrounding trees and buildings, this pilot of this helicopter attempted to take off vertically from the lawn of a hotel in Grasmere but as it climbed the helicopter began to make uncontrolled right turns. Believing that the tail rotor had failed the pilot made a descent to the ground. It then crash landed in the back garden of the Wordsworth Hotel but it struck the ground hard, tipped onto its nose and broke off the tail before coming to rest on the skids. The pilot and three passengers escaped injury.

Pilot - Mr John Backhouse.

Passenger - Mrs Sarah Backhouse.

Passenger - Mr Mark Davey-Hayford.

Passenger - Mrs Rani Davey-Hayford

John Backhouse died in a flying accident on 6th September 2017 when his Piper Navajo crashed at Caernarfon airport. He was sixty two years old.
This helicopter was initially registered on the UK civilian register by Autair Ltd, based at Luton Airport in June 1982 and it eventually passed to Mr John Backhouse, of Liverpool in May 1988. Following the mishap at Grasmere it was repaired and he sold it to Switzerland in July 1989 and registered as HB-XUI. It was re-registered on the UK register as G-OFCH in May 2011 to Fleet Coast Helicopters Ltd but this registration was cancelled in 2011. It had infact crashed some years earlier on 4th January 2002 near Weymouth, Dorset.

I thank Mr John Coan for supplying the list of passengers on board when the incident occurred.

The location of where this incident occurred has not yet been found. If you can assist please contact me HERE. Thank you.

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