Colin McRae 'took evasive action' in helicopter to avoid houses

Eyewitness Alfred Scambler, 53, of Lanark, told how he had seen McRae's Eurocopter Squirrel aircraft travelling at speed on the day it crashed.

The accident killed McRae, his five-year-old son Johnny and family friends Ben Porcelli, six, and Graeme Duncan, 37.

It crashed in the grounds of 39-year-old McRae's Jerviswood mansion in Lanark as he flew it home from a friend's farm on 15 September, 2007.

Yesterday,the third day of a fatal accident inquiry at Lanark Sheriff Court heard claims the aircraft had been close to hitting a housing estate near to where it later came down.

Giving evidence before Sheriff Nikola Stewart, Mr Scambler, a business development manager who said he had experience of flying on helicopters, told how he had been in his garden and had spotted McRae.

He said: "My first response was anger. I was thinking, 'What is that helicopter doing so close to houses, travelling so fast and at such a steep angle?'

"Then I thought the guy must have been in trouble because of the flight path he was taking.

"My concern was it was going to fly directly into the houses behind where my house is.

"It was travelling at full throttle and I thought the guy was out of control with what was going on.

"If it carried on in the direction it was going it would have crashed into the housing estate.

I think the pilot took evasive action to veer away from that."

Under questioning, Mr Scambler said the helicopter had later flipped on to its side as it took a sharp left-hand turn towards a wooded valley.

He told the McRae family lawyer, Paul McBride QC, the helicopter was about "three or four seconds away" from crashing into houses and causing an even worse accident than the one that occurred.

He added: "Once it disappeared I expected to see the helicopter appear again but I didn't see anything.

"I thought, 'If that guy has managed to get out of that he is some pilot.' I thought, 'He's either in trouble or he's a very good pilot'."

The inquiry also heard from Graeme Henderson, an off-duty policeman, who had been in a local park with his wife and children when he had seen the helicopter.

Mr Henderson, 38, said he had recognised the aircraft as McRae's and had thought he was "showing off".

He said: "It was flying towards the centre of the town and as I was watching it when it veered sharply to the left. It looked as if it was just above rooftop height.

"As it turned left I could see the underside of the helicopter and as it disappeared out of my sight it remained on its side.

"My immediate thought was, 'Jeez, Colin, you are showing off a bit.' A turn that close to the ground seemed unusual. It seemed a pretty crazy angle to be coming in at."

On Tuesday, the inquiry heard claims McRae was giving passengers in his helicopter a "white-knuckle ride".

Ian Ross, 49, told police investigating the crash that he had seen McRae piloting the aircraft erratically and twice as fast as normal.

The parents of Ben Porcelli have already told the inquiry that they were not consulted over the fatal helicopter ride.

The inquiry continues.