Episode 7 Close Calls: On Camera

A close call, a moment of danger,

when life can hang in the balance.

Oh, my God!

A split second where the outcome could go either way.

If he's alive, it's going to be a miracle, really.

The difference between disaster and survival.

He was shouting, "Don't die, Mummy!"

These are the people who have been there and lived to tell the tale.

I thought he'd broken his neck.

Their instincts and resources,

coupled with the quick thinking of others, helped to pull them through.

We were just engulfed in flames.

And their dramatic experiences were recorded on camera.

I wasn't going to be coming up - it was curtains, it was over.

It's a day they'll never forget.

The day they had a close call.

Today on Close Calls.

A top British helicopter stunt pilot misjudges the conditions...

I never thought it was going wrong.

..and smashes into the ground

at an airshow in the American desert.

And a frantic husband searches for his wife

when their car burst into flames

during a day out in the Lake District.

I couldn't reach her, the fire was so intense.

Also...

..a slight touch at high speed,

two race drivers spin out of control...

I actually saw Kevin somersaulting in the air.

..and marshals flee for their lives.

-COMMENTATOR:

-That is a very, very nasty accident.

Salt Lake City, Utah.

British helicopter stunt pilot, Dennis Kenyon

is putting on an aerobatic display at an American airshow.

One of the spectator's cameras is filming it.

But as he exits a 360-degree turn, he's dangerously low...

..and he smashes into the ground.

Dennis is trapped in the wreckage and the helicopter is leaking fuel.

Dennis Kenyon dreamt of being a pilot as a young boy

and when he graduated, he knew exactly where to head.

I left college in 1952 and joined the Royal Air Force.

Even in those days they had boxes to tick

and I remember ticking the box that said,

"In the air and not on the ground."

I went to a place called Cranwell, they taught me to fly

and went through the RAF system.

That's where I learnt to fly.

20 years after joining, Dennis decided he needed a new challenge.

He left the RAF and swapped two wings for one rotor.

Yeah, well, I started helicopters in 1972

and you're in the air being nosy, looking at people's gardens.

It's true, you really do look down and think,

"He's not got a bad house."

In his four decades as a helicopter pilot,

Dennis has specialised in stunt flying -

performing acrobatic aerial displays and flying at airshows

with great success.

He was crowned freestyle world champion in 1992.

I've represented the country a few times in world championships,

got some success at it and I love doing it, I really do.

This cockpit footage filmed some years ago

shows a relaxed Dennis putting on a dizzying display

of precision and skill.

His world-class talent and experience even brought Hollywood knocking.

Dennis has worked as a stunt pilot and adviser

on a range of blockbuster films.

I did GoldnEye on the New Valley Railway.

Oh, yeah, the big film of course was Black Hawk Down,

that was the best I've ever done and most enjoyable.

It's a scorching day in the Utah desert

and Dennis, who's in his 70s,

is bringing all his moves to a small airshow

for a group of helicopter enthusiasts.

Density, air density affects the amount of lift

that the helicopter is producing.

As you go higher, the density gets less and less.

The West Desert Airpark

is just a whisker under 5,000ft above sea level.

But that was aggravated by the temperature

because temperature also affects density,

particularly for helicopters.

You lose power of the engine

and the rotor blades have got thinner air to work on,

so it's not something we like as helicopter pilots.

Dennis hasn't had the opportunity to practise his routine

in the helicopter he is due to fly

and the thin desert air is making the conditions challenging.

But not wanting to disappoint the enthusiastic crowd,

Dennis decides to go ahead with the display.

It's a decision he'll regret.

The crowd were there, I'd been asked to fly,

I'd come 6,000 miles to fly.

All I've got to do is an eight-minute display

and I went for it.

The display takes place away from the crowd over the empty desert.

A spectator is recording as Dennis begins with his trademark pirouette.

His next trick is to take off backwards

and rise into a climbing turn.

I turned away from the crowd and I'm heading for the mountains.

They're five miles, ten miles away.

But I'm heading for them, I turned back in towards the crowd...

..and I should have thrown the display away there and then -

-I didn't.

-The routine continues

with one of Dennis' most spectacular stunts,

a dangerous high-speed manoeuvre called a wing over.

He ascends vertically to 300ft

before inverting the helicopter and doing a loop on its side.

He then shoots towards the ground at 90mph,

planning to pull up just feet from the desert floor.

I never thought it was going wrong.

I was already lining up the helicopter

for the next manoeuvre at the other end of the display strip.

But the weight of the fuel and the thin density air

have caused Dennis to make a catastrophic misjudgement.

I came out 10ft too low.

After a stunned silence, spectators start shouting for help.

The helicopter looks to be obliterated

but miraculously the cockpit is still largely intact with Denis inside.

He's conscious and he needs to act fast.

If any leaking fuel makes contact with the hot exhaust,

the wreckage could explode into a fireball.

First thing to do is to make the helicopter safe,

get the fuel off and get rid of any sources of fire and then get out.

But as Dennis desperately tries to escape the cockpit,

he soon realises he can't get out.

I remember going round my body, moving my right arm, moving my left,

then my back, right leg and realised I was OK

except I couldn't move my left foot.

I tugged at it and couldn't get it out.

His left foot is trapped underneath one of the broken pedals.

Luckily, Dennis knows exactly what to do.

Fortunately for me, on that particular helicopter,

the pedals...your pedals are detachable.

So, I lent down and my strap had broken, had gone.

I lent down and pulled the clip that held the pedals,

turned it through 180 degrees and jumped out.

Despite the horrific crash,

Dennis somehow drags himself away from the mangled helicopter.

As the dust settles, the wreckage can be seen.

I had cuts on my face and they were bleeding

and I had some on my body.

I think I scraped myself against some of the glass getting out.

Despite his injuries,

Dennis manages an interview with the local news

before heading quickly to hospital.

X-rays reveal he's damaged one of his vertebrae.

Back at the crash site, the wreckage of the helicopter is recovered.

It seems impossible someone can manage to walk away alive

from such a terrible crash.

If you've got a set of rules,

as I had, don't change them.

Don't change those rules for any reason whatsoever.

I should not have flown that day in those circumstances.

It was a terrible accident but unbelievably just a month later,

Dennis was fully recovered and back in the skies.

The experience hasn't lessened his love of flying,

even as he prepares to celebrate his upcoming 83rd birthday.

You either sit at home in cotton wool

and hope that a satellite doesn't drop on your head

or you enjoy yourself and all forms of flying is so, so much fun...

..and I still love every day.

I'm looking forward to the rest of my flying career.

Coming up later,

a brave passer-by acts to try and save an elderly couple

when their car becomes a fireball.

I think they were in shock.

Somebody had to help them.

Cadwell Park, Lincolnshire.

Amateur racing driver, Kevin Brent,

is battling for top spot in the big race of the weekend.

But as he exits a corner,

his car is clipped from behind at more than 80mph

and cartwheels violently down the track, smashing into a barrier.

My reaction was, if he's alive it's going to be a miracle, really.

50-year-old Kevin Brent is passionate about cars.

He dreamt about becoming a racing driver

from a very young age.

I've always been pretty competitive and I've always fancied the racing.

I've played at go-karting and various other things

just like I think probably most boys have, most kids have.

Now married and with three kids of his own,

it wasn't until Kevin was in his mid-40s

that his boyhood dream finally became a reality.

I was looking for a fairly low-cost entry series

but one that was really competitive, had lots of other drivers in it,

that would be really good fun and the MX5s fitted that bill.

The popular open-top Mazda road car

has been modified to make it faster and safer for high-speed racing.

It's fitted with a roll cage, a fire extinguisher and a racing harness.

Kevin's been competing for three years now

and still thrives on the rush he gets when he's sitting behind the wheel.

There's just nothing really quite like it.

The anticipation when you're on the start line ready for it

and particularly when, I could still remember the first time

I was sat right at the back of the grid

for the first-ever race and your heart's pounding.

Kevin has moved through the ranks

and is now one of the most competitive racers

on the amateur circuit.

The first time I got on the podium was absolutely fantastic.

You know, going from being right at the back

to then having some 20-odd cars behind you

is absolutely...that's really, that's really good.

And for his latest race,

Kevin has brought his MX5 to Cadwell Park

for a weekend's competition.

Also racing is his close competitor Richard Collins, known as Ric.

Kevin and I have always been fairly close

with regards to our abilities and where we finish in races.

I'd beaten him before, so I knew that

I'd got a chance of at least gaining one more place.

As always, watching Ric from the stands is his partner, Shelley.

I love the buzz that you get at a race weekend.

And when everybody's going out on the track.

It's that moment where the lights go out and everybody goes.

Ric and Kevin are both driving well

and come Sunday, Kevin is on pole position

with Ric behind him in line two on the grid

for the final race of the weekend.

A TV crew is filming the event for an online motorsport show.

This is their race footage.

-COMMENTATOR:

-Very quickly away is David Henderson

from third on the grid

but first and second, Kevin Brent and David Hart, have got away well.

Richard Collins is on the outside of row two,

followed by Harry Dean in 15.

A good start.

Had a little bit of a touch, so I lost a bit of momentum,

lost a couple of places.

...at the moment.

The battle for a podium place is on as Kevin, and Ric just behind him,

approach one of the circuit bends known as Charlie's Corner.

Kevin is in the red number 41 car,

Ric is behind him in the black number five.

We'd come out of a corner called Charlie's

on to quite a long straight.

Coming out of Charlie's, I had a little bit of a slide.

I think he perhaps dropped a wheel off the actual tarmac

and kicked up some dust.

What that told me was he was going to be a little bit slower

coming out of the corner than I would be.

He had a much better exit out of that,

carrying much more speed.

As I came out of the corner, I changed up into fourth gear

and Kevin had straightened up

but I could see that I was gaining on him

and coming alongside him on his right-hand side.

And he touched.

His front left wheel hit my rear right.

Both cars came up in the air then, wheels off the ground,

probably about 85mph at that point

and from that point on, neither of us had any control whatsoever,

went straight into the tyre wall.

-COMMENTATOR:

-Into Park Straight

and the challenge on here by Richard Collins.

Goodness me, that is a very, very nasty accident.

TYRES SCREECH

The slightest of touches has led to a horrifying crash.

Kevin's car somersaults four times down the track.

His head is thrown around violently.

Footage from the car immediately behind the collision

shows Ric's black MX5 bouncing back onto the circuit

before being shunted,

spinning him around, leaving him facing the other drivers head-on.

I remember looking the wrong way up the circuit

at the oncoming traffic thinking, you know,

"I just don't want you to hit me."

At the same time I actually saw Kevin somersaulting in the air.

Later, emergency doctors race to help both drivers

and in the crowd, Ric's partner, Shelley, is unsure who's involved.

The commentator, all of a sudden he went really quiet

and all he said was, "That's absolutely horrific."

I remember his word, he said it was horrific.

And when Ric's car fails to reappear, she's frantic with worry.

I just literally, I just kept saying to myself, "Don't be dead."

Grasmere, in the Lake District.

A car is blazing dangerously out of control.

The owner, Chris, is desperate to save his wife, Brenda,

who is still right by the burning car.

I couldn't reach her, the fire was so intense.

If Brenda doesn't get away soon, she'll choke in the toxic smoke.

Chris and Brenda Tyrrall have been together for over 60 years.

Now in their 80s,

they were just 17 when they first set eyes on each other.

We met at a local dance hall in Middleton, where I was born.

He just came to ask me for a dance, yeah, that was it.

And she survived the fact that I wasn't very good at dancing

and was constantly treading on her toes.

The pair have been inseparable ever since.

One of their favourite things to do

is take breaks in the beauty and tranquillity of the Lake District.

One May day, they set off on the 90-mile journey

from their home in Rochdale,

heading for one of their favourite spots,

St Oswald's Church in the village of Grasmere.

Whenever we go, we have to go to that church.

I do like to make my own private prayer

and I find St Oswald's is the ideal spot.

It's just peaceful.

But on this occasion, they're disappointed.

It was closed.

It was six o'clock, so I said, "It's closed."

But when they go to leave and Chris starts up the car again,

it turns into a trip the couple will never forget.

Almost immediately Brenda said,

"There's smoke coming from underneath the seat."

So, I said to my wife, "You get out of the car immediately."

"Oh, I'll get a spanner," he said, and disconnect the battery.

While Chris heads to the front of the car,

Brenda leans in to the back seat to grab their things,

including their walking sticks.

So, he was at the bonnet and I thought, "It's coming more."

I just got as many things as I could

and walked round and put them on the floor

and the things off the back seat, I put on the church wall.

Chris is trying to disconnect the battery

but is forced to give up.

And by that time, I was being choked by the smoke.

While the couple deal with the crisis,

two walkers, Mark and Erica,

who were also visiting Grasmere for the day, spot what's happening.

You could see the smoke starting to develop

and there was quite a crowd congregating.

And then saw from a distance,

a little bit of a fire in the well of the car.

Suddenly, the situation gets much worse.

Just...ignited.

It went off like you've never seen before.

Shocked visitors and locals at the far end of the street

are brought to a standstill.

Some take pictures on their phones.

Close up, this photo shows Chris frantically looking for Brenda.

He can't see her through the raging fire in front of him.

I couldn't reach her, the fire was so intense.

Mark and Erica can see Chris desperately searching for someone

in the fire.

The wind is picking up, fanning the flames dangerously.

They looked an elderly couple.

They were moving very slowly.

I think they were in shock.

Somebody had to help them.

Somebody had to go and get the couple out of the way.

Mark decides it's him.

He sprints towards Chris as an anxious Erica watches on,

terrified the fire will spread to the fuel tank.

The flames were hitting 20ft.

If it blows, it would kill people instantly.

My beeline was him

but he started to move slightly away with me screaming and shouting.

Mark needs to find Brenda.

Bravely he walks towards the burning car,

which could explode at any moment.

He finds Brenda confused and disorientated

between the car and the church wall, where she's put their belongings.

Blinded by the smoke, she's not fully aware of the danger

and is looking for her husband.

I thought, "Where is everybody?" And then Mark came.

I just dragged her.

I had three walking sticks and her, like, "Come on."

Mark pulls Brenda away and through a gate in the church wall.

He took me to the other side of the churchyard

and we were on the pathway and I sat down.

And all the time she was asking for her husband.

Next, Mark reunites a very relieved Chris with his wife.

I was very grateful to God that she'd not got injured.

I thought, "Thank goodness, we're OK."

Erica's also relieved to see Mark is unharmed

after his rescue efforts took him into a very dangerous situation.

Yeah, I gave him a big hug.

I think I gave him a bit of a slap to say,

"Don't frighten me like that again."

The fire service arrived to put out the car.

They believe the blaze was caused by an electrical short circuit.

After the fire has been extinguished,

Mark returns to retrieve Brenda's handbag from the church wall.

The damage done to it shows just how close to harm she came.

I ran over and I thought, "No way am I touching that."

It wasn't on fire, it was melting from the heat.

Without doubt she would have got burned and possibly got killed.

I'm just very, very grateful that, you know, I thought,

"Oh, thank goodness, Mark's here."

Brenda and Chris have another car now

and their experience hasn't put them off

returning to the Lake District together, as always.

We both have comfort by the fact that

we're both looking out for each other.

And it just reinforced the strength of our marriage, really.

I think she must feel that it wasn't a bad decision after 59 years.

When things go wrong,

we count on the emergency services to come to the rescue.

But sometimes it's a member of the public

who becomes the hero of the hour.

Back to Cadwell Park race track,

where TV cameras are recording when two cars collide

as they fight it out for a podium finish.

Ric Collins, in the black car,

has clipped the rear wheel of Kevin Brent's red car

at more than 80mph,

causing marshals to run for their lives.

Kevin's car is reduced to a tangle of metal

as it somersaults along the track.

As the car lands back on all four wheels,

Kevin is motionless and unconscious.

Race marshal, Andy Spencer,

had a terrifying track-side view of the smash.

Fear is a strange thing.

The reaction was just literally run.

Yell, "Run" and go.

It probably came within 10ft of where we were.

The impact that was felt was tremendous.

You could actually feel it in your chest

as the air came through the barriers.

My reaction was, "That's not going to be very nice."

If he's alive, it's going to be a miracle, really.

Andy immediately springs into action, waving a red flag to stop the race.

His colleagues rush towards both cars.

The emergency paramedics are just moments behind.

While Kevin remains unconscious, Ric is in shock.

After Kevin and I touched, I knew it wasn't going to end well.

And I think my initial thought and probably only thought at the time

was, "This is really going to hurt."

His partner, Shelley, is at the far side of the circuit.

Unsighted, she has no idea who's been involved in the smash

but she can hear that it's a bad one

by the horror in the voice of the race announcer.

The commentator, all of a sudden, he went really quiet.

And all he said was, "That's absolutely horrific."

I remember his word, he said it was horrific.

When Ric's car doesn't appear from around the bend,

Shelley knows he's been involved.

She fears the worst.

"Don't be dead."

I just literary, I just kept saying to myself, "Don't be dead."

The only pain really was when I moved or breathed,

so I knew that I'd done some sort of damage to my chest area.

I climbed out of the passenger side,

where I was then put on a stretcher and taken off to the medical centre.

Ric has had a lucky escape.

Kevin though is still motionless in his wrecked vehicle.

One of the marshals lets off the car's in-built fire extinguisher

and flicks the kill switch to turn off the battery power.

All the activity brings a groggy Kevin back round.

I was pretty dazed.

I had blacked out and I think I was probably out for about 20 seconds.

Two things I clearly remember was being covered in foam on my legs

but also wanting to get my helmet off, get the straps off

and I just wanted to get out of the car as quickly as possible.

The race has been halted but the cameras are still rolling.

To everyone's surprise, Kevin isn't showing any signs of injury.

Doctors allow him to walk to the nearby emergency vehicle,

much to marshal Andy's amazement.

The next thing you know he's unbuckling his seat

and standing up and walking towards the ambulance,

which was such a surreal thing to see.

You know, I was expecting him to be cut out of the car

and on body boards and everything and he literally just got out,

and walked away.

I remember getting in the ambulance

and then I was taken straight to the medical centre.

Also there being checked out by the doctors is Ric,

who isn't badly injured either.

It's a great relief for Shelley when she hears the news.

This really, really sweet guy, this paramedic, came up to me

and he turned round and he said...

He literally just said, "Look, it's OK. He's all right, he's fine."

A couple of cracked ribs and then damage to my knee

where the impact had pushed my door into my leg

and through the roll cage.

How both drivers managed to escape from such an extreme accident,

relatively unharmed, is down to good luck.

But Kevin is also sure it's the safety modifications to his car

that helped to save his life.

The regulations that we have to adhere to

are clearly there for a very good reason

and it shows that it works.

You know, without that cage, I think I would have been crushed

and definitely would not have walked away from that.

Pictures taken after the crash show just how badly battered

Kevin's car is.

Unsurprisingly, his MX5 was written off.

He's managed to salvage the engine and built a new car around it.

Just two weeks after the crash he was back on the track

competing in the sport he loves.

I could have jacked it in there and just thought,

"You know, that's it."

There was a bit of me that was tempted to do that

but equally I knew that... I thought if I didn't actually get back

and get in a car pretty quickly, it would get harder to do it.

That's all for now.

Join us again next time to hear more experiences from people

about the day they had a close call.