Final Operations For Clutha Crash Helicopter

Published 23rd Oct 2015

Here is a timeline of the flight of the helicopter which crashed into the Clutha on November 29 2013, killing ten people.

8.44pm - The helicopter left Glasgow City Heliport with 400kg of fuel onboard. After attending jobs in the Oatlands area of the city to assist with a search for a missing person believed to have been struck by a train, and a routine surveillance job in Dalkeith, Midlothian, the helicopter began its journey back towards Glasgow.

9.45pm - Helicopter flies back towards Glasgow from Dalkeith with approximately 192kg of fuel remaining.

9.56pm - Edinburgh air traffic controllers request that pilot informs them when he needs to contact air traffic control in Glasgow and are told there is no known traffic to affect the helicopter en route. Pilot advises the helicopter is routing south of Shotts, North Lanarkshire.

9.58pm - Pilot advises Edinburgh he is contacting air traffic controllers in Glasgow.

9.59pm - He calls air traffic control in Glasgow and informs them of helicopter's position, and that it is heading to Bothwell, South Lanarkshire. Air traffic controllers clear the helicopter to enter the Glasgow control zone. Timing unknown - Helicopter shows low fuel warnings before reaching Bothwell. These are acknowledged by the pilot.

10.06pm - Helicopter arrives at Bothwell with about 122kg of fuel remaining and carries out a routine surveillance task which takes about two minutes.

10.09pm - It flies north-west to and commences a three-minute surveillance task at Uddingston, South Lanarkshire, with 113kg of fuel.

10.14pm - It flies to North Lanarkshire for a further surveillance task at Bargeddie.

10.19pm - Pilot informs air traffic controllers they are complete in the Bothwell area and are returning to Glasgow City Heliport. Fuel is calculated at 88kg and there is no indication of any fault or concern from the pilot. No further radio transmissions are received by the pilot.

10.21pm - As the helicopter tracks to the heliport, the right engine flames out. About 32 seconds later, the left engine flames out.

10.22pm - Warning captions, alerting that the rotor speed is decreasing, are illuminated and extinguished twice, before re-illuminating and staying on for remainder of flight. The last recorded radar position shows the helicopter at 390ft close to the accident site.