A passenger was rushed to hospital after being hit by a health and safety sign while waiting to board a helicopter ride. They were left with a bloody gash on their lower leg and needed stiches after the sign was blown away by the force from the helicopter's blades.
Passengers were waiting to get on the Bell Jet Ranger chopper at Wesk Usk lighthouse in Newport for the £49-a-head ride along the Welsh coast when the incident happened in September 2022. An official air accident report revealed that a "powerful downdraft" dislodged the safety placard off its pole into the waiting passenger.
According to the report by the Air Accident Investigation Branch, the sign had not been properly secured and was only attached using two cable ties, which was ruled as a health and safety hazard. The placard detailed safety briefings for passengers before they were escorted onto the helicopter.
Read more: Met Office gives major update to its snow forecast for Wales and this is where it's expected
The large sign warned people to beware of the rotors and to always keep their safety belt fastened as part of the safety briefing before the jaunt. But it was "unsecure" as the ground crew were in a hurry after cows had escaped from a neighbouring field onto the landing site and had to be removed.
The health and safety warning had been left set up overnight with windy conditions at the coastal site. The area was roped off for four passengers on the six-mile sightseeing trip with the 27-year-old pilot.
The report said: "The following day, the pilot carried out eight uneventful flights but wind speeds were increasing. The sign was only secured by two cable ties when four were needed in each corner. As the pilot landed for the ninth flight of the day, the cable ties broke and the sign flew away, hitting the passenger."
The AAIB concluded the placard could have been exposed to gusty weather but the powerful downwash of the rotor blades blew it away in September last year. The health and safety sign - measuring 80cm by 57.5 cm and weighing 2kg - caused a gash to the unnamed passenger's lower leg needing stitches at the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport.
The sightseeing trip was advertised as being safe for passengers aged 6 to 99 to enjoy the "soaring views of the Welsh countryside." It boasted that it included "safety briefings and public liability insurance."
The package also included a cream tea and a tour of the historic West Usk lighthouse for the £49 ticket. The report said:" The helicopter operator has since improved training and has replaced plastic cable ties with a set of four-wire lanyards."
Read next:
- Former airline boss says Cardiff Airport is in the wrong place
- The 1975 fans camp overnight to see band perform in Cardiff
- The Welsh high street with 42 empty shops on it - but that number is a good thing
- Life in one of the UK's poshest villages on the west Wales coast
- 'I wake up at 4am every day to run a half marathon before I go to work to help navigate my grief'
