Flying a U/S chopper

[B429]

I'v been asked to test fly a helicopter after MPI. On completion of my flight I was told that the engineer oversped the chopper before my flight and tried to hide it. The engine was removed and found to be severely damaged.
It seems to me that I cant take any steps against the AMO and their BAD attitude.
Any sugestions?:confused::*

[SASless]

Document what you can and take it to the local CAA....or just chalk that one up to a bad day and make sure you have nothing to do with them ever again.

Perhaps a civil suit for Reckless Endangerment would work too.....might get the offer of a cash settlement or something along that line.

A good chat with both a lawyer and a Prosecuting Attorney re criminal charges wouldn't hurt. For sure you can run the culprit out of town by taking some sort of legal action.

Under American law....there would be several ways to address the problem.

[krypton_john]

The LAME needs to be reported the authorities so he either gets his ticket pulled or put under supervision. Also sounds like a criminal offense to me as well. This guy needs to be stopped before he kills someone.

[Heliringer]

Are engineers allowed to start helicopters in SA?

[IceHeli]

Someone trying to cover up an incident, and dispatching an un-airworthy aircraft, IS jeopardizing flight safety!

In JAA land, some items are considered mandatory to report to the CAA.

Does a MOR (mandatory occurrence report) exist in SA to CAA, if so that would be the logical step to take.

Considering reporting up the chain of command would be the next option.

IceHeli

[albatross]

I would make sure the engineer would be removed to the local hospital and be found to be severely damaged.:E

Just joking - violence, of course, while well deserved, would not be an option.:=

[SASless]

Why not?

He tried to murder the guy....fair is fair is it not?

As is said in Texas...."That guy needed killing!"

[albatross]

Just trying to be PC there SASless!

Wouldn't want to have to attend the dreaded "Anger Management training.":mad:

STRESS - When your mind overcomes your body's completely justified desire to choke the life out of some idiot who desperately deserves it.:E

[Choppie]

Are engineers allowed to start helicopters in SA?

Yes they are. I don't know what the legal requirements are for it. But I know Eurocopter engineers do ground runs on helicopters. They have one engineer sitting behind the controls while another does whatever he needs to do. Yes, things can go wrong but so can it with a pilot. As long as they just don't try and cover it up it should be fine.

[Heliringer]

Thanks Choppie, Here in Australia it must be a licenced Pilot at the controls when it needs to be run. Thanks for that

[spinwing]

Mmmm....

B429 ....

You MUST bring the circumstances of this incident to the notice of your regulating authority.

You MUST also get your company Chief Engineer AND Chief Pilot involved as the circumstances appear to have effectively voided the aircraft airworthiness certificate and thus any insurance you might have thought you had.

It is beholding of any person who knows/suspects that for any reason that an aircraft no longer be airworthy bring that to the notice of the person responsible for the airworthiness of that aircraft in this case the maintenance controller of your company.

The engineer who caused the overspeed should have made an immediate entry in the aircraft maintenance release grounding the aircraft pending further inspection/action as required.

The engineer (if he is licensed)is directly responsible to the licensing authority even before he is responsible to his employer (who just pays him!) and not that many companies really understand this distinction.

That engineer has to do some explaining!


:eek:

[ericferret]

Reminds me of an incident in the late nineties.

A helicopter manufacturer had placed an aircraft with a major operator for training and the sale of 2 aircraft.

On returning from leave I was told by one of the pilots converting to type that there had been an incident on the ground that had lead to both engines putting out a 12 foot plume of flame and that the temps had gone off the clock.

On inquiring further I was told that the aircraft had been flown to it's normal base by the manufacturers crew been inspected and declared serviceable.

This I found difficult to believe, however my return coincided with the arrival of a new manufacturers tech rep. I told him the story and he said that all the exceedences would be logged in the computer and he could download them for us to look at.

After downloading his first words were oh s**t.

One engine had exceeded its max temperature and the other was within by 1.5 degrees.

To prove a point the engine was run and it failed its power assurance check.

So I then helped him change the engine.

It turned out that after the overtemp the aircraft had flown almost 50 hours crew training.
The operator cancelled the contract and told them to bugger off with their aircraft!!!!!!!!!

[nigelh]

If an aircraft gets ground resonance at full rpm one of the ways to stop it destroying itself is to lift off ...i presume the engineer would not be able to do that . Even if you shut down during it you are probably going to have done some damage. An engineer was killed ground running a 300 due to this as he had not secred his seatbelt and was thrown through the screen and into the blades .:eek:

[spinwing]

nigelh...

Just what has your post got to do the original question?


:confused:

[topendtorque]

Just what has your post got to do the original question?

Elementary deat chap, very elementary. check this first line out.

I was told that the engineer oversped the chopper before my flight

My guess is that nigelh is saying that if'n you canner finish something then bloody don't start it. Which is a problem with non pilots flaunting their non ability against non synch undercarriage and or fully articulated heads that might not be just good, this time.. comprez?

[ericferret]

Helikopter Service had engineers cleared for rotors running ground runs on their S61's. Not sure about their policy on other types. As far as I am aware without incident.

I remember that there was a minimum fuel weight required, other requirements I know not.


A number of years ago I was conducting a tail rotor balance on an Enstrom being run by an engineer, he shoved in the wrong pedal and I was gratefull for the companies brown overalls as the tail came my way at speed!!!!!!!!!!

I have only seen ground resonance on two aircraft, strangely both with skids. One being a Lama and the other a 365C.

The Lama was probably due to uneven ground and the 365C defective undercarriage dampers.

[quichemech]

Helikopter Sevice regularly checks the approved Engineers in the sim, also some authorities will allow engineering ground runs if the Aircraft is tied down.

Don't forget that Engineers in the fixed wing world are allowed to run and Taxi aircraft. Granted a 747 won't suffer from Ground resonance, but then again how often do helicopters these days. Proper training could sort the issue as is done in Norway.

Sorry drifted off thread slightly there.