§ Mr. Stanbrookasked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will make a statement on the results of the investigation into the fatal accident at the Biggin Hill Air Show on 15th May.
§ Mr. Clinton DavisA few minutes before 11 o'clock on Sunday, 15th May, a Bell jet helicopter with five occupants658W on board collided with a Tiger Moth which was one of a formation of three coming in to land at Biggin Hill Aerodrome. The undercarriage of the Tiger Moth was knocked off by the helicopter's main rotor. The helicopter crashed out of control on to a parked Cessna 150 light aircraft, but the Tiger Moth was able to make a forced landing on the grass without injury to the two pilots on board. All five occupants of the helicopter, which was engaged in passenger pleasure flights, were killed. The single occupant of the parked Cessna was not injured. The helicopter was equipped with radio and was operating from a landing pad to the side of the runway in use but the Tiger Moth had no radio, though the leader of its formation was radio-equipped. The Chief Inspector of Accidents has ordered an Inspector's Investigation under the Civil Aviation (Investigation of Accidents) Regulations 1969. This investigation is now in progress and it would be wrong for me to anticipate its findings.