Helicopter had catastrophic engine failure before landing in a field near Cork Harbour

A helicopter which made an emergency landing in a field near Cork Harbour last year suffered catastrophic in-flight engine failure, a report has found.

The Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) said the most likely cause of the incident was the deterioration over time of a key engine component in the Robinson R44 Raven II aircraft, which in turn triggered substantial engine damage during the training flight from Cork Airport on August 18, 2014.

However, investigators said they were unable to determine why the engine’s number three small -end bushing had deteriorated to such an extent.