Black Isle air tragedy investigators disagree over cause of fatal crash
A DIFFERENCE of opinion on the cause of a fatal Black Isle gyrocopter crash that claimed the life of an Inverness man has emerged from a newly published report.
UK and German air accident investigators have come to different conclusions on the November 12, 2020 incident in which 67-year-old Paul Nichol, from Balloch, died when his light aircraft came down in a field near Avoch on the Black Isle.
The UK's Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) said the crash happened after the gyroplane's rotor head separated from the rest of the machine.
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The AAIB said its investigation also highlighted issues with gyroplane training material regarding the awareness of rotor load factor by pilots.
But the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU), asked to provide input because the aircraft and its parts are German-made, said the rotor head broke as a consequence of how the gyroplane was being flown and was not the leading cause of the crash.
Mr Nichol was a student pilot and flying solo. A report into the tragedy described him as a competent and diligent pupil.
Witnesses reported hearing the aircraft's engine "roaring" and "spluttering" before sounds of metal crunching and cracking. The gyroplane crashed on farmland.
In a report and appendix published today, the conflicting view of Bundesstelle für Flugunfalluntersuchung (BFU) is shared.
“The BFU accredited representative, stated that in their opinion the failure of the rotor was a direct consequence of a complete and unrecoverable loss of control of the gyroplane.
“As such, the flight loads which resulted in the failure were outside of the design requirements and neither the current design of the Cavalon nor the certification regulations require amendment as a result of this accident. They stated that in their opinion the loss of control of the gyroplane was a result of the actions of the pilot.”
The Air Accident Investigation Branch said that several adjustments were made to the report as a result of comments received during the consultation process. But it adds: “However, the investigation did not find evidence indicating a complete and unrecoverable loss of control before the catastrophic failure of the rotor head, and so this point of disagreement is appended to the final report.”
The BFU, as a representative of the German manufacturer of the same gyrocopter type (Cavalon) and rotor head (Rotorkopf III), “disagrees with the conclusions on the causes and sees the breakage of the rotorhead as the result of uncontrolled flight altitudes and a loss of control over the gyrocopter as recorded by the accident flight data and the data evaluation”.
It believes the breakage of the rotor head “was a consequence and not the leading cause of the accident”.
In a statement following the accident, Mr Nichol's family said flying gave him a sense of freedom and adventure.
They said he loved life and was always busy with new projects.
