WRC Champion rally driver Colin McRae, killed? :(
09-15-07, 03:27 PM
#1
Lexus Test Driver
Thread Starter
WRC Champion rally driver Colin McRae, killed? :(
The Times is reporting that former World Rally Champion Colin McRae has died after the helicopter he was piloting crashed into the ground near his home in Strathclyde. Also on board was his five year-old son, an unnamed adult male and child. According to reports, there were no survivors.
People close to McRae assert that he was as adept at piloting a helicopter as he was behind the wheel.
More is available from the Times Online here. We'll update this post as more information is available.
Thanks to all who tipped in.
UPDATE: News of McRae's death has yet to be confirmed. More information here and here.
People close to McRae assert that he was as adept at piloting a helicopter as he was behind the wheel.
More is available from the Times Online here. We'll update this post as more information is available.
Thanks to all who tipped in.
UPDATE: News of McRae's death has yet to be confirmed. More information here and here.
source:
http://www.autoblog.com/2007/09/15/b...icopter-crash/
Rest in Peace to arguably the best rally driver ever as well as presumably his son, such a sad story.
09-15-07, 03:28 PM
#2
Lexus Test Driver
Thread Starter
update: Not Confirmed
Originally Posted by telegraph.co.uk
Colin McRae feared dead in helicopter crash
By Brendan Montague and Jasper Copping
Last Updated: 8:29pm BST 15/09/2007
Colin McRae, the former world rally driving champion, is feared dead in a helicopter crash in Scotland.
Colin McRae
Colin McRae was awarded an MBE in 1996
The aircraft burst into flames after it came down in woodland near Lanark, at around 4.10pm, killing everyone on board.
Jean-Eric Freudiger, McRae's agent, last night told The Sunday Telegraph he had spoken to the driver's brother and that he had confirmed the former champion had been piloting the Squirrel aircraft.
Speaking from his home in Switzerland, Mr Freudiger said he was still in shock and fighting back tears as he said he could not reach Mr McRae's wife, Alison.
He added: "I have heard that it was his aircraft. He was in the helicopter. I cannot believe it was a helicopter pilot error because as my best friend and the godfather of my daughter I know he was a very safe pilot.
"We have been close business partners and friends for seven years. He is the best person I have ever met in my life. I have to try and understand what I have just been told."
The aircraft, which was registered to McRae, came down in Jervis Wood, around a mile from Mr McRae's home at Bellefield Road in Lanark.
The 39-year-old McRae – who has two children, Hollie and Johnny – became Britain's first World Rally Champion in 1995 and was still competing in the sport.
His father, Jimmy, was a five-time British rally champion, while his younger brother, Alister, is also a professional driver. Mr McRae has said he uses his helicopter, as well as a six-seater jet, to travel between his homes in Scotland, Monaco and Majorca.
He once told reporters: "I don't have things for show. I'm not brash and I'm not on an ego trip. If I buy something it is because I genuinely want or need it."
Squirrel helicopters can carry up to six people and police were last night unable to say how many people were on board.
A spokeswoman for Strathclyde Police said: "There is at least one dead and no one survived the crash. We don't yet know how many people were on board."
The crash was witnessed by a farmer. The aircraft was so badly damaged by fire that police could not initially identify what type it was.
The Scottish Ambulance Service confirmed that its own helicopter had been despatched to the scene along with three ambulance crews.
Strathclyde Fire Brigade also sent units to the scene.
The RAF spokesman added that its helicopter was on stand-by to assist. Police have cordoned off the area and the Air Accident Investigation Branch has been informed.
A spokesman for the British Airports Authority said the helicopter did not come from Glasgow or Edinburgh Airports.
Four people were killed when a Squirrel helicopter crashed in Cambridgeshire, earlier this year.
By Brendan Montague and Jasper Copping
Last Updated: 8:29pm BST 15/09/2007
Colin McRae, the former world rally driving champion, is feared dead in a helicopter crash in Scotland.
Colin McRae
Colin McRae was awarded an MBE in 1996
The aircraft burst into flames after it came down in woodland near Lanark, at around 4.10pm, killing everyone on board.
Jean-Eric Freudiger, McRae's agent, last night told The Sunday Telegraph he had spoken to the driver's brother and that he had confirmed the former champion had been piloting the Squirrel aircraft.
Speaking from his home in Switzerland, Mr Freudiger said he was still in shock and fighting back tears as he said he could not reach Mr McRae's wife, Alison.
He added: "I have heard that it was his aircraft. He was in the helicopter. I cannot believe it was a helicopter pilot error because as my best friend and the godfather of my daughter I know he was a very safe pilot.
"We have been close business partners and friends for seven years. He is the best person I have ever met in my life. I have to try and understand what I have just been told."
The aircraft, which was registered to McRae, came down in Jervis Wood, around a mile from Mr McRae's home at Bellefield Road in Lanark.
The 39-year-old McRae – who has two children, Hollie and Johnny – became Britain's first World Rally Champion in 1995 and was still competing in the sport.
His father, Jimmy, was a five-time British rally champion, while his younger brother, Alister, is also a professional driver. Mr McRae has said he uses his helicopter, as well as a six-seater jet, to travel between his homes in Scotland, Monaco and Majorca.
He once told reporters: "I don't have things for show. I'm not brash and I'm not on an ego trip. If I buy something it is because I genuinely want or need it."
Squirrel helicopters can carry up to six people and police were last night unable to say how many people were on board.
A spokeswoman for Strathclyde Police said: "There is at least one dead and no one survived the crash. We don't yet know how many people were on board."
The crash was witnessed by a farmer. The aircraft was so badly damaged by fire that police could not initially identify what type it was.
The Scottish Ambulance Service confirmed that its own helicopter had been despatched to the scene along with three ambulance crews.
Strathclyde Fire Brigade also sent units to the scene.
The RAF spokesman added that its helicopter was on stand-by to assist. Police have cordoned off the area and the Air Accident Investigation Branch has been informed.
A spokesman for the British Airports Authority said the helicopter did not come from Glasgow or Edinburgh Airports.
Four people were killed when a Squirrel helicopter crashed in Cambridgeshire, earlier this year.
09-15-07, 04:22 PM
#5
Lexus Fanatic
Yes, his loss, and that of his son, is a real shock. A sad day.
As a former pilot myself, I can tell you there there are a number of things that can cause a helicopter to crash, assuming it was not foul play......rotor separation, water dirt in the fuel that was not caught in the pre-flight fuel-**** drain-test, not autorotating properly on engine failure, mast bumping (a form of rotor separation caused by contact with the rotor shaft), failure of the control cables or hydraulics, defects in or failure or the Automatic Stabilizing equipment, collision with large bird or other flying object, etc..... We'll probably just have to wait for the investigation and see if any clues or records show up.
As a former pilot myself, I can tell you there there are a number of things that can cause a helicopter to crash, assuming it was not foul play......rotor separation, water dirt in the fuel that was not caught in the pre-flight fuel-**** drain-test, not autorotating properly on engine failure, mast bumping (a form of rotor separation caused by contact with the rotor shaft), failure of the control cables or hydraulics, defects in or failure or the Automatic Stabilizing equipment, collision with large bird or other flying object, etc..... We'll probably just have to wait for the investigation and see if any clues or records show up.
Trending Topics
.
09-15-07, 08:02 PM
#11
G35x - RWD/AWD goodness
Rally Star and Son die in Helicopter Crash
World Rally legend Colin McRae and his son were among four killed in a helicopter crash near McRae's Scottish home this afternoon.
McRae, who won the 1995 World Rally Championship in a Subaru, was the pilot of the Squirrel helicopter when it crashed and burst into flames within sight of Jervis House, his family home in Jerviswood, Lanarkshire. There were no survivors.
McRae's five-year-old son, Johnny, was confirmed by McRae's agent as being on board, along with another child and another adult.
McRae stormed into the rallying world with flamboyant style and blazing pace before maturing to become Britain's first World Rally Champion in 1995. His total of 25 world championship wins is topped by only dual champions Carlos Sainz and Marcus Gronholm, and reigning champion Sebastien Loeb.
McRae is also widely known for his rally computer game, which introduced the sport to the U.S., along with recent guest appearances at the X Games. His WRC career included drives with Subaru, Ford, Citroen and, briefly, Skoda, before stints with Nissan in the Paris-Dakar Rally.
He is only the second World Rally Champion to die, with England's 1999 World Champion Richard Burns succumbing to a brain tumour in 2005. He is survived by his wife, childhood sweetheart Alison, and his nine-year-old daughter Hollie.
McRae, who won the 1995 World Rally Championship in a Subaru, was the pilot of the Squirrel helicopter when it crashed and burst into flames within sight of Jervis House, his family home in Jerviswood, Lanarkshire. There were no survivors.
McRae's five-year-old son, Johnny, was confirmed by McRae's agent as being on board, along with another child and another adult.
McRae stormed into the rallying world with flamboyant style and blazing pace before maturing to become Britain's first World Rally Champion in 1995. His total of 25 world championship wins is topped by only dual champions Carlos Sainz and Marcus Gronholm, and reigning champion Sebastien Loeb.
McRae is also widely known for his rally computer game, which introduced the sport to the U.S., along with recent guest appearances at the X Games. His WRC career included drives with Subaru, Ford, Citroen and, briefly, Skoda, before stints with Nissan in the Paris-Dakar Rally.
He is only the second World Rally Champion to die, with England's 1999 World Champion Richard Burns succumbing to a brain tumour in 2005. He is survived by his wife, childhood sweetheart Alison, and his nine-year-old daughter Hollie.
09-15-07, 09:30 PM
#12
Lexus Test Driver
R.I.P. to Colin McRae and his family. This was a shock to me... I always watched him compete in the WRC when I was younger. Now its going to miss a highly respected driver. 
