A woman was injured when she was hit by a cricket pitch cover blown over by an air ambulance helicopter.

The Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex (AAKSS) planned to land in the centre of Bearsted Cricket Club shortly after 4pm on October 11, last year.

An investigation by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) found the crew had been called to assist a different person already being treated by emergency services.

The report by the AAIB said the two pilots believed an approach within the cricket field, and around 80m away from the casualty, was the best position to land the helicopter.

They said this also allowed the vehicle’s landing to be carried out largely into the wind.

However, upon their final approach, the crew noticed two previously unseen members of the public had appeared at the edge of the cricket square.

Although the pilot stopped the descent, to minimise the effect of the rotor’s downwash, a medical crew member within the cabin noticed the ground covers had rolled from their original position.

The pilot decided to continue with the landing and believed any further manoeuvring would have risked blowing the covers further.

After landing, onlookers then alerted the crew to a lady who had been injured by one of the covers.

The medical crew responded to the primary incident they had been dispatched to, then treated the injured lady and carried out first aid.

She had suffered a cut to her leg when one of the covers rolled and hit her.

She was assessed at the scene by a critical care paramedic before being taken to hospital.

The report noted the pitch cover was fitted with brakes, which were not applied.

It read: “The serious incident happened when a ground cover, moved by downwash from the approaching HEMS helicopter, struck a bystander in the leg.

“The cover was mounted on wheels equipped with brakes, but the brakes had not been applied.

“Downwash can be a significant risk, especially when operating in an urban environment.

“Even at 160ft above the surface, there was sufficient downwash to move the ground covers.”

A statement released by Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex said: “The safety of the public, our patients and our staff is always our highest priority and we fully support this investigation carried out by the AAIB into this incident.

“We take such matters very seriously and will continue to work closely with our regulators, our aviation partners and other partners, and the wider air ambulance and aviation community, to ensure the safest and highest possible standards in the delivery of our life-saving service.

“We welcome the action taken by our aviation partner following the incident and the learning from this report to help us to further safeguard against any future incidents.”

The cricket club said since the incident the covers have been better secured both on the pitch while in use and at the top of the green when they are not being used.