Helicopter suffered 'massive jolt' before crash that left renowned racehorse owner in intensive care

A helicopter experienced a "massive jolt" shortly before it crashed, leaving a renowned racehorce owner hospitalised for several months, a report investigating the incident has found.

Dai Walters required treatment in intensive care after the main rotor blade of the helicopter hit nearby trees upon take off from a landing field near Ruthin in 2022.

Four other passengers, including trainer Sam Thomas, suffered minor injuries in the incident in Denbighshire.

The report found at least four of the five passengers were not wearing seatbelts, and deemed it was "likely that, had all passengers been secured by their seat harnesses, the level of injuries sustained could have been less severe".

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch's report detailed how the pilot collected the passengers and their belongings from a landing area in Lisvane, Cardiff, at 8:30am, arriving at a shooting lodge in Llanelidan by approximately 9:20am.

The return flight to Cardiff was supposed to take off at around 4.30pm - before sunset - but did not depart until after passengers had returned from the shooting lodge and taken their seats at around 5.15pm, by which time it was almost dark.

The landing site the helicopter took off from was unlit, but the pilot said he felt able to leave the ground vertically and could see what he described as a "vague horizon" ahead.

The report detailed that the pilot was planning to use the light from the windows of the shooting lodge, Nantclwyd Lodge, as a marker as the helicopter made its climb.

He said he felt a "massive jolt" at roughly 30 or 40 feet in the air, with the helicopter shaking violently and falling to the ground.

It was found the rotor blades had "sustained catastrophic damage" after striking nearby trees.

With the helicopter coming to a stop, the pilot unstrapped himself, stood up and opened the left cockpit door, which by this point was above him.

He then opened the cabin door, helping four passengers to get out.

However, the pilot found Mr Walters was lying unconscious at the bottom of the cabin in "significant medical distress."

After being carried to the lodge, Mr Walters was given CPR by the pilot, who was guided by the emergency services operator.

The report found some, if not all, of the passengers ended up on top of the racehorse owner after the crash.

The report said it was "likely that, had all passengers been secured by their seat harnesses, the level of injuries sustained could have been less severe".

The pilot subsequently said he remembered seeing passengers "rearranging their seatbelts" after they sat down but did not visually confirm they had securely fastened them before the cabin was closed.

The report found the helicopter had no technical issues or failures which led to the crash, although it identified numerous issues which might have prevented the accident. These included "contradictory and potentially confusing" information about take off and landing protocols at night.

It also found "inadequate" visual cues as it was dark and the sky was overcast, with little light coming from the windows of the lodge, as well as the helicopter being marginally over its weight limit.

The operator of the helicopter took several actions following the accident, including updating its operations manual and log pages, instructing pilots to do an annual night flying training programme and buying deployable lighting sets to be used on flights where there might be an unexpected night take-off.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know…