Woman seriously injured by downwash from air ambulance

A woman was seriously injured after being knocked over by the downwash from an air ambulance taking off in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, on 28 February. The woman was filming the helicopter outside her house when the incident occurred. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) report revealed that she was 30m (98ft) away from the helicopter and a hedgerow obscured the pilot's view of her.

The Essex & Herts Air Ambulance, which operated the aircraft, had been responding to a medical emergency and was taking off from a field next to London Southend Airport's car park at 18:08 GMT. The woman went outside to film the helicopter's departure after hearing the engines start. The AAIB report stated that approximately 50 seconds after the helicopter began its vertical climb, the woman was blown over by the downwash and sustained serious injuries. Her relative quickly came to her aid and she was subsequently taken to hospital.

The AAIB noted that other people had gathered to watch the take-off but were not affected. The 47-year-old pilot, who had almost 4,000 flight hours, was unaware of the incident and later landed at North Weald Airfield. Essex & Herts Air Ambulance was informed of the incident four days later by the woman's relative. The pilot stated that he had not seen the woman but considered her distance to have been safe in hindsight. The AAIB decided not to take any action against the air ambulance charity. Investigators concluded that the speed of the downwash may have been greater due to the funnel effect caused by nearby buildings and a car.