News.Scotland.Org

Scotland, Sept.26: The helicopter crash that took place last Saturday, which claimed the lives of rally ace Colin McRae, his son and two other passengers, could have been happened by the mechanical failure of a component which links the engine to the rotor blades.

The helicopter in which Mc Rae was travelling crashed in a wooded area on his Lanark estate last Saturday afternoon. The deceased include the driver, aged 39, died instantly along with his five-year-old son Johnny, his best friend Ben Porcelli, aged six, and family friend Graeme Duncan, aged 37.

Expert team from the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) joined hands with Strathclyde Police to investigate the reason behind this crash. Although the official report regarding this tragedy will not be made public for at least few months, initial findings point finger on to a fault with the aircraft and not the pilot.

Police sources are almost certain that the tragedy was caused by mechanical failure rather than pilot’s mistake. One of the theories being examined is whether the Twin Squirrel’s drive belt failed, causing a sudden loss of power. A police source further added that “It looks as if it was a mechanical fault, something which they knew nothing about and something they could do nothing about once they took off.”

Traces of the belt have not been found yet, it is considered as a possible indication of the damage or disintegration of the vital component immediately after take off. The drive belt transfers power from the engine to spin the rotors and must be regularly maintained and replaced. So the inquiry is focusing on a specific part of the Eurocopter Twin Squirrel, which possibly could be the reason behind the tragedy.

The helicopter, which costs around £500,000 new, is one of the world’s most popular aircraft and has an excellent safety record but previously involved in other high-profile incidents. Eurocopter, the French-based manufacturers of the Squirrel aircraft has not expressed their version of things. Aberdeen based aviation expert Jim Ferguson said: “People like the Squirrel. They are a nice little aircraft and they are very popular, reliable and normally safe.”

The McRae family declined to comment on the reason behind the accident. Colin’s father, Jimmy, has already stated that he does not believe his son caused the crash. Meanwhile condolences began to pour from various parts of Scotland. More than 51,000 people had signed an online book of condolence in memory of the rally supremo and the three other victims of the crash.

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