Fiordland helicopter crash lands

[JezusNut]

Just out on www.stuff.co.nz (http://www.stuff.co.nz)......


A Southern Lakes helicopter made a dramatic aeroplane-style landing in Fiordland National Park this morning after losing its rear rotor.
No-one was hurt in the incident in which police say the very experienced pilot did a ''brilliant job'' to land safely.
Police have not yet named the pilot.
Around 7:50 this morning, the Southern Lakes helicopter was hovering in a clearing believed to be one of the wapiti hunting blocks in Fiordland National Park.
The helicopter attempted to drop off a passenger, Sergeant Tod Hollebon of Te Anau police said.
''At that time they've had a problem. It looks like some equipment went through the tail rotor.''
The chopper, a Robinson 44 Raven, continued flying ''for quite some time'' until a clearing could be found for a landing.
''He's managed to carry on and he's actually flown back without the tail rotor.
He landed it more like a plane - like an aircraft landing. He did a brilliant job to land it safely like that,'' Hollebon said.
The chopper dragged along 45 metres in a field before coming to a stop.
It was believed a sling attached to the aircraft had lodged in the rear rotor, causing significant damage.
''As you can imagine, there's not too many places you can do a longer landing in the Fiordland National Park - it's all steep, rugged terrain.''
A report will be lodged with the Civil Aviation Authority over the incident.
No-one from Southern Lakes Helicopters was available for comment this morning.


I imagine R44's don't fly too well with a sling wrapped up in their tail rotor. Must have been a pretty good pedal jam!!

[Brian Abraham]

No jam if the article is correct.

he's actually flown back without the tail rotor.

That sort of thing can put you in a real jam tho.

[Senior Pilot]

New Zealand Herald (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10493099)

Pilot's 'exceptional flying' saves $540,000 helicopter
2:55PM Monday February 18, 2008
By Cullen Smith

"Exceptional flying" by a Fiordland pilot saved a $540,000 helicopter from destruction today as he nursed the crippled machine for almost half an hour before making a safe emergency landing.

Southern Lakes Helicopters pilot Richard Hayes was on a venison recovery operation in Fiordland National Park when his Robinson R44 helicopter lost its tail rotor about 7.15am.

Mr Hayes, who is more used to showing tourists the grandeur of one of New Zealand's remotest areas, flew for some 25 minutes - including a section across Lake Te Anau - before landing the chopper like a fixed wing aircraft into an agricultural airstrip in the Ramparts area.

Southern Lakes Helicopters operations manager Lloyd Matheson said after the "complete disintegration" of the tail rotor at an altitude of about 4500ft, Mr Hayes' only option was to maintain forward momentum to steer the aircraft and keep it stable.

That meant him landing at a speed of 80 knots, risking his main rotors hitting the ground and possibly destroying the aircraft as it skidded some 45 metres along the ground.

Mr Hayes, the only occupant of the four-seater R44, walked away unscathed.

"It was an exceptional piece of flying," Mr Matheson told NZPA.

"It's what they practice for," he said of the pilot, who also flies rescue missions in the Fiordland area.

"The structure stood up to that mid-air disintegration and he's coped with it very well."

Mr Matheson said the "status" of the chopper - insured for just under $540,000 - "dictated the end result".

He said it appeared something had come out of the helicopter - which was flying with its doors open - and gone through the tail rotor.

"It was total disintegration of the tail rotor system."

Mr Matheson said while Mr Hayes was nursing the stricken aircraft, staff at the company's Te Anau base were assessing options for landing the helicopter safely.

"We were trying to look for some flat land, but of course there's no flat land or paddocks in Fiordland National Park."

Mr Hayes was told to fly to Waiau airstrip where emergency services were heading to prepare for a crash landing, "but he didn't quite make it there", instead coming in over open country to the agricultural airstrip, about 10km east of Te Anau Aerodrome. Mr Matheson said fire and ambulance crews ended up at a maintenance base "quite some distance away from where he landed".

The almost new aircraft was repairable, he said.

The Civil Aviation Authority is investigating.

- NZPA

[Flyin'ematlast]

Congratulations to Richard for doing us all proud and turning a potential media "bad news in helicopter" story into a good one.

Well done mate.

Ian.

[Scissorlink]

Great effort to get it back in one piece, that must be his first incident in 25,000 odd hours.

SL


Not that I am into superstition but that was number two guys so be careful

[Flying Bull]

Hi all, if I read correct, this piece of exceptional flying (well done) was necessary, because some stuff flew out of the helicopter, which was operated with open doors. I would call that a very very bad preflight. An incident, which could have ended in an accident, only because the pilot was to lazy to secure the stuff in the helicopter correct. (shame on the pilot) Greetings Flying Bull

[Scissorlink]

Go back to your radio control helicopter Flying bull with teeth marks in the skids


SL

[Te_Kahu]

Now, now Scissorlink. That's not a very warm friendly Kiwi greeting.

Flying Bull.

I think you will find that the aircraft was engaged on deer recovery and the strop ended up entangled in the tail rotor. How this happened I do not yet know.

In regard to the pilot! Richard "Hannibal" Hayes is one of this country's most highly skiled, experienced and respected pilots.

Last year he receieved an international outstanding airmanship award.

Obviously something went wrong. But, lack of pre-flight! I don't think so my friend.

Having putting the R44 down safely this morning he was back in action this afternoon playing his part in a four helo offshore winch rescue of 10 french sailors; who ended up in the sea when their round the world race catamaran capsized 150 kilometres off the Otago Coast.

TK

[Scissorlink]

Sorry Te Kahu :bored:

SL

[topendtorque]

Just a harmless query, why was it that he had to run on at eighty knots?

t/r failure landing are often taught and practiced to be accomplished at virtually zero airspeed.
far safer.

however the relocation to a open pad with forward flight at speed is appropriate.

can I say it this way.
to land a helicopter without effective t/r is to have descended to zero altitude with nothing, i/e. everything is washed off, no need for a t/r when doing that. A total excercise in losing everything to get to nothing.

but perhaps I know nothing in the face of Mr. Plod who after all, is always the expert.

[opotiki]

'Hannibal' is a truly exceptional pilot.:ooh:

I did'nt know anyone used 44's on venison....that can't be easy with the 10m+ main rotors!

[XV666]

Sounds as if he had another routine day ;)

Helicopter pilot crash-lands in morning, rescues yachties in afternoon
6:00AM Tuesday February 19, 2008

Pilot, Richard Hayes from Southern Lakes Helicopters. Photo / Richard Purcell.
Just hours after winning widespread praise for safely landing his crippled helicopter, pilot Richard "Hannibal" Hayes was back in action rescuing French sailors from their capsized yacht off the Otago coast.

Southern Lakes Helicopter pilot Mr Hayes had started his day in spectacular fashion, by flying for 25 minutes in a helicopter with a broken tail rotor.

Southern Lakes Helicopters operations manager Lloyd Matheson said after the "complete disintegration" of the tail rotor at an altitude of about 4500ft, Mr Hayes' only option was to maintain forward momentum to steer the aircraft and keep it stable.

Mr Matheson said it had been "an exceptional piece of flying" on Mr Hayes' part to land the craft and walk away unscathed.

Hours later, Mr Hayes was back in the helicopter to help rescue 10 French sailors from their capsized yacht.

The sailors were taking part in the Jules Verne Round the World Yacht Race when their craft overturned.

Three rescue helicopters winched the crew off the hull of the Groupama III about 3.30pm.

Flying New Zealand president John McLean told the Southland Times Mr Hayes' actions yesterday were brilliant, but not surprising.

"That's outstanding - what he's done - but it doesn't come as a surprise that someone like Richard would actually do that.

"If he's called on to do things, he would just go on to do them."

To land a helicopter after losing the tail rotor was "exceptional", he said.

"It's pretty much all over when you lose your tail rotor, I would've thought, because you lose your stability.

"If you lose that, your ability to control it becomes very limited. To actually put it down, it's pretty exceptional."

Mr Hayes was a legendary pilot who was at the top of his profession, Mr McLean said.

He had been made a MNZM (Member of New Zealand Order of Merit) for his services to search and rescue, and last December was a recipient of the FAI (Federation Aeronautique Internationale) Outstanding Airman Award for helping to save lives in a 2005 Queenstown fire.

Only one pilot in the world is given the award in any year and Mr Hayes was the first New Zealander to receive it.

The award recognised Mr Hayes' work during a night-time bush fire near Queenstown in November 2005 when, using night-vision goggles, he flew for six hours above advancing flames, repeatedly dousing endangered houses with a monsoon bucket.

- NZPA

http://media.apn.co.nz/webcontent/image/jpg/hayes160.jpg


New Zealand Herald (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10493253)

[Backward Blade]

Fair enough, but note that he lost the whole thing. Try putting in full right pedal, low on fuel, missing a big chunk off your arse (W+B)...now land it at 0 airspeed and keep her right side up. Absolutely Exceptional in my opinion.:D

BWB

This is in response to statement that it could have possibly been done at 60 kts....who cares. He did it:ok: And with his credentials who the hell am I to judge.:= I would love to read the Pilot's write-up for all our own sakes though. That would give all us bench warmers something to honour, absorb and learn from. Again Mr Hayes...Good F#####G JOB!!!

[Flying Bull]

Hi Scissorlink,
never had a remote helicopter - I rather stick to the real thing!

Hi Te_Kahu,

Greetings to all the Kiwis ;-)

Back to the topic,
regardeless of the history of Richard Hayes - and the job he has done that afternoon and the jobs he will do in the future,

we're in a forum of helicopterpilots, to see, what's going on around somewhere else, to hear stories about the industrie and sometime to learn from the things, that have happend, so that we have more chances to survive in an enviroment, which has a fairly high number of deadly accidents.
(Sorry to have to say, that most of them are due to human errors/faults/misjudgements - only a few percentage due to mechanical break ups)

So Richard Hayes has a story to tell, how he managed one of the nightmares in helicopter flying and it might save someones live, if he does.

Still, much more interesting is the question, what lessons to be learned, that the cause of this incedent won't happen again.

May be, the way the operations performed in the past just waited for this to happen and things have to be modified, so that it won't happen again?

Or may be, it was just a little negligence with drastic outcome? If so, should others know about it, so that they won't give Murphy and his laws another chance?

Personal attacks won't bring us the answers. If you're down there and have more information, share them.

Greetings Flying Bull

[Scissorlink]

Flying Bull, that should have been your first post :). I hope that it gets made available as well how he got out of it because it is much better to have some background knowledge if the situation ever arises when flying yourself,



Cheers SL

[Te_Kahu]

A quick update before I dash out the door.

As I understand it! One end of the strop was on the hook and the rest of it was in the cabin. It wasn't secured, or became unsecured, and departed the cabin.

The flailing end of the strop hit the boom and servered the tail rotor drive shaft. The tail assembly stayed in tact but the tailrotor stopped

Any update on that from folk further South?

SL, perhaps be a little careful not to misinterpret Flying Bull's initial comments. Do you speak German as well as he speaks English?

TK

[Scissorlink]

Hell no, I'm just happy this thing has spell check :ok:


SL

[skidbiter2]

opotiki
I did'nt know anyone used 44's on venison....that can't be easy with the 10m+ main rotors!Not so much of a problem racing around the South Islands tussock country.


Scissorlink
Go back to your radio control helicopter Flying bull with teeth marks in the skidsYou sure did get your t1ts in a tangle :E
I think you have been land locked too long, put that hammer down and get back in the seat!!! :ok:


Flying Bull:
So Richard Hayes has a story to tell, how he managed one of the nightmares in helicopter flying and it might save someones live, if he does.

Although a walk through of the incident may be nice to hear, I very much doubt you will find Richard posting on here, I could be wrong....I have been wrong 'once' before ;)

[bruce hand]

I grew up with Richard in the bad old days. Milton Crew
He let me fly with him when he first got his fixed wing licence and heli licence. I think it was a Hughs 500
Used to fly the heli over my house before he ventured of to Central Otago. Sickest noise around better than those deep freeze planes that used to go over.
Best pilot I ever knew, so people on this forum get the facts before mouthing off, I would put any pilot up against Richard.
A person that thinks of his crew first and himself last thats the kind of pilot that I want to fly with.
Congratulations Richard on your rescent awards. From the Milton Crew 1973. You have done us proud

B HAND, B MURDOCK, M HUGHES, R GARSIDE, S AlGIE, P RUSSELL, S POWELL, V STOKMAN.................................................

[heli-cal]

Gee Bruce, you waited since Feb' 2008 to post that! http://i666.photobucket.com/albums/vv29/helixpteron/tired-sleeping-smiley-17403.gif

[stringfellow]

what a brilliant story the man is a legend.

[Ned-Air2Air]

The chances of Hannibal coming on here and blowing his own trumpet are slim and $hits show. He shies away from any media exposure and is quite content to carry on with his flying in the background.

For those who have gone out on venison recovery ops things do happen, often when you least expect it, and this was obviously what happened. Would I ever accuse Hannibal of not doing a thorough pre flight of his machine, hell no.

Here are a few pics to show you what its like out hunting, and yes its the best type of flying there is, at least for a photographer like me :ok::ok:

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g100/KiwiNed/hunt1.jpg?t=1244065973

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g100/KiwiNed/hot16.jpg?t=1244066039

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g100/KiwiNed/hot11.jpg?t=1244066075

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g100/KiwiNed/hot5.jpg?t=1244066101

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g100/KiwiNed/hot2.jpg?t=1244066129

[Akutan]

Amazing photos Ned - another day at the office for the 500