Christian and Beccy

iTrader: (14)

I've just been reading on the news about the Colin McCrae Helicopter crash enquiry.....

Also, this is a remark by the parents of the little boy that was killed......

Although there appears to be more to the story, it's not a responsible way to act when there are families involved.

Is it?

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-..._Time_Of_Smash

Ed1

I didnt think colin was driving the 'copter'

COCHYN

Sounds like they're just passing the buck and looking for someone to blame. I agree the licence thing was a bad move, but to fly a helicopter, you would think someone is competant enough to do it solo. I doubt he'd deliberatly put his son's life at risk....would you?

Elvis

iTrader: (1)

you cant breally judge thart family for their comment though, as of it was you son, how would you feel? im not saying they are right, im saying thats how most people would feel.

dojj

iTrader: (3)

the kids family are trying to pin the blame on someone, easier to blame a dead adult for the death of their kid than just on it being one of those things that unfortunatly killed 3 others as well

i'll bet theres going to be a compo claim lurking in the background as well though juding by the "evidence"

Mark_1

i bet the parents of the other boy dont have as much money as the mcrae family.

xr_craig

iTrader: (2)

Completely agree with that.

Unfortunately it would seem that in this day and age there can no longer just be a tragic accident - there has to be someone to blame

NUTS RuS

iTrader: (35)

Full report and investigation here

http://www.aaib.gov.uk/cms_resources...HL%2002-09.pdf

Not written by newspaper journalists

The Youth.

iTrader: (1)

They have to find blame and there conclusions are that he was not supposed to be piloting that aircraft and he was flying dangerously.. whats the problem?

if I driver in a car had no licence and killed 3 others as well as himself you lot would call him all the names under the sun, just cos he was well known and good at his job in a sport we all enjoy you are trying to treat him differntly...

he shouldn't have been in the sky in that copter on that day end of..

steve

jumpin jack crash

totally agree with that

dojj

iTrader: (3)

yes but how many uninsured unlisenced drivers are there out on the roads today?

not a lot of them get into accidents do they so i don't think the compasison stands as clearly cut

just because things have been found out later dones't mean tot say that he didn't know what he was doing, still doens't make it right though, perhaps he just forgot he had to renew it?

Sticky.

iTrader: (4)

If id wrote that i would have been shot down. But you've summed it up very well. he shouldn't have been in the air FACT & his stupidity cause 3 deaths

He wasn't even that good at what he did. People just seen him as fast driver theat & entertained the crows. He was only good at wrecking the cars.

Benni

In my opinion you are talking rubbish. He wasn't the best, but he was good.

Benni.

RS Grant

iTrader: (1)

Not very good?! He was a World Champion... the best in the World at that particular point in time.

Although a lot of people like to quote his "if in doubt, flat out" line... I agree that he was a little too focused at times, like the year he was in line for the Championship (in a Focus I think?) and just had to finish in top few places but decided to push for top spot and wrecked the car in a 100mph barrel roll.


Cheers,
Grant

hevangel

i read about this over on AFF.... are they just trying to blame someone!?

Sticky.

iTrader: (4)

Did i say he was the best...No!

Ive met him Benni, he was arrogant & a spoilt child IMO, so dont tell me im talking rubbish. You have your opinion i have mine.

Ed1

He wasnt saying that you said he was the best!

It was benni saying, he wasnt the best but he was good!

RS Grant

iTrader: (1)

Here are my thoughts on it..

The investigation, IMO from the way I've read it, doesn't lay the blame at Colins door because there aren't concrete facts to back that up. Its the press who are seizing the chance to blame a well known and liked person and I think its terrible. I think, this is highlighted by the fact that the report lists many many possible causes for the accident, not just pilot error... servo transparency, bird strike, Graeme Duncan touching dual controls by mistake, etc etc.

But the papers have chosen to focus their articles on the fact that Colin didn't have an updated licence which could have been, and probably was, a genuine enough mix up on his part as he qualified at the same time as the licence changed from a lifetime long type to a type which required regular updating. The report doesnt actually make a point of listing the lack of licence as a possible cause for the crash, it was just a fact that turned up as part of the investigation into the accident.

In fact, the only thing I could see that they were almost certain was that the Helicopter never suffered a mechanical failure and was still producing power at time of impact.

This was a tragedy, three families have lost loved ones because of it and I'd be very happy if this issue was laid to rest now.


Cheers,
Grant

Matt Evans

Very interesting read that. it seems McRae would have been aware that his licence to fly had expired and carried on regardless.

Dare i say, showing off or trying to impress led to the accident?

JohnnyB

I just read that whole fucking report, it seems he was pushing it a little, but the that type of copter did not like the certain manover he was doing.

dojj

iTrader: (3)

the papers are reporting that he was in the middle of "a difficult manouver" when the acident happened

all my knowledge of flying helicopters has come from mark evens and watching airwolf so i don't know what sort of difficult manouvers happen in helicopters, was it the same as doing a hill start or of a difficulty rating along the lines of fording a stretch of flooded river in the paris dakar so if we knew what was going on there we might be able to place better judgement on the case

RS Grant

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, what is a Zoom Climb that they were talking about??

Cheers,
Grant

danneth

the link doesn't work for me?

thebigyin

what did he do to you make you hate him so much? i know he could be a grumpy bugger i saw that myself on more than one occasion.

Glenn_

iTrader: (1)

I still carnt belive that he is still dead.

neilm

Are you some sort of 'tard ???

If a child of yours had been killed in a car by one of his friends parents because the parent was showing off would you just chalk it up as just one of those things ?

Some how I dont think so.


And if someones reckless behaviour killed one of my loved ones I would want some sort of compensation.

neilm

If he had been flying at a sensible height in a sensible manner and there had been an engine failure or a bird strike, that would be a tragic accident.

But to do what he was doing, then there is someone to blame.

Rich_w

That's how I interpret the report. I suspect the other family will be sueing the McCrae estate in due course.

Problem with the media/internet is typically

a) that if the person is widely liked and they are the cause people don't want to believe it. (Senna)

b) If the person was widely liked and NOt contributed to the cause of death. Then someone has to be found accountable and punished (normally by death)

c) If the person was hated but not directly responsible they must be forgiven for all their sins.

d) hated person, contributing to death. Everyone gloats.

Ebonycossie4x4

iTrader: (4)

Colin McRae Not good at what he did!!!!!!

Whats wrong with you StickerPaul, Youre obviosly just out to cause an argument.

The Bloke Was A Legend.

And NeilM how much do you value the life of a loved one then In pound notes!!!!

I mean ball Park Figure.

Some people annoy the hell out of me, no matter what amount of money the kid aint coming back, i could understand if he lived and needed constant supervision.

But you shouldnt value a life with money.

And i met him plenty of times have his his brothers and his dads autographs and he has always been a nice bloke to me. Maybe he just didnt like the look of you StickerPaul.

xr_craig

iTrader: (2)

Yeah fair point, i never really read it properly before i said that

C4llyT

You comparing him to Jesus?

Rich_w

Very simply. Add up how much the father would have earned had he not died if his career had stayed as expected. So Ł35K times by X number of year to retirement. Less 1/3 for tax. Same for the son who died. Łx over 45 years. Plus damages

How should the family cope if the main breadwinner is dead through no fault of his own? Who should pay for funeral expenses? Who should pick up the cost for the bereavement counselling or the extra babysitters the widow now needs?

This is the damning quote
He was flying too low, in a helicopter he wasn't authorised to fly. Christ, he hit a tree 30ft BELOW its top!

RS Grant

iTrader: (1)

I think he was referring to the parents of the child involved, should the son have lived, who is to say what percentage of his earnings he would have given to his family.... if any at all?!

I absolutely see the point about the adult involved though, there should be compensation for that.


Cheers,
Grant

coziboy

i think they also mention that possibly someone may have grabed the controls sayes alot about the flying that

dojj

iTrader: (3)

read my post again, then give yourself a

if you have difficulty comprehending then let me say it again:

it's easier to blame someone for their son's death than to accept that it was an accident, no one knows what caused the crash, there is only speculation, so if you don't know what happened how can you possibly expect someone to say "it's his fault" or not?

so it's simpler to say "it's his fault, give me some compo" because you have someone to blame rather than god, and that someone can give you lots of mone, unlike god

does anyone know why he was flying that copter?
does anyone know why he didn't renew his license?
did someone not check this things before he was allowed up in the air?
etc

i'm sure that lots of things are just meare formalities for the famous so no checks are ever done until it's too late and they've killed themselves and others

if he is guilty of reckless endangerment then we will see it come out in court

R5AAL

Dont agree at all to be honest.
The laws for licencing of rotary wing aircraft are totally different to that of fixed wing aircraft,its not like a car licence at all.
There are two forms of licence a Brittish and a European both have major differences,a Brittish licence is a life long license and only routine pilot compentasy checks have to be carried out by an instructor (if you read the real report you will know these were done) where as a European licence has a validity of five years at which they need renewing buy a check flight (same as the compentasy check) the confusion was which law was to be followed as it is a very grey area,Colin and the instructor that tought and checked him though to the best of their knowledge that he held a Brittish life long licence.All check flights and paperwork were in order as can be seen in the report but for a Brittish licence rather than European.
In my opinion it was a tragic accident and nothing more,as far as he was aware he held a current and full licence and from his close friends was a very able pilot.
It is a sad loss to both his family and friends and the others involved.
A simple adminisration error that has caused all this stipulation the CAA need to sort out the complexity of the rotary wing aircraft licences and remove this grey area of law before we have another blame situation.

donny murdo

Okey doke there you go then.

No need for a fatal accident enquiry.

We will just take your word for it.

What a dick.

Ebonycossie4x4

iTrader: (4)

I meant the parents of the child guys not the father...

yes the family should be compensated for the fathers death due to loss of the provider.

sorry i wasnt clearer

danneth

interesting

dojj

iTrader: (3)

if what you have said is a close approximation of how things are then there is no need for the media circus that is going to follow this inquery around

for what it's worth, if this is the case i think any compo payments the family were after are out the window from the colin estate

someones got to say it, might as well be me