Robinson R44 Accident Panama 19th Feb 09 3 fatalities

[TunaSandwich]

According to the media reports an R44 Raven ll aparently exploded in mid air and crashed at Tocumen International airport killing all three on board. From the photos it looks unlikely to be an airborn explosion as it seems to be a small impact area, and what the heck would cause an R44 to explode mid air? Apparently the pilot reported mechanical problems and asked to land at the airport, they were returning from the Darien. I new one of those onboard... RIP:(

[redorangedog]

Were any of those on board of Austrian origin ?

[Schumi - Red Baron]

Doesn't seems like...They are considered to be Panamanian citizens......

3 dead in civilian helicopter crash in Panama - MSNBC Wire Services- msnbc.com (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29291319/)


Here is a picture (not really expressive though)

Helicopter crash in panama city - iReport.com (http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-216609?ref=feeds%2Foncnn)

[TunaSandwich]

No, I think I know to whom you are refering but as far as the reports say this was a private Helicopter so I assume no operator involved. See Prensa.com or Reuters.com for pictures and reports.

[R44-pilot]

Its become a real bad start to 2009 ey?!

[coptercop]

My good friend of 40+ years was the pilot in this one. He was an excellent pilot - the best. Early reports are that the R44 caught fire at 800ft altitude, over Panama City International Airport. There may have been an explosion. Two passengers. One occopant and two suitcases exited the copter before it hit the ground, and many meters from impact. Impact was by the approach road to the terminal. There were witnesses, so the account should get filled in.

My gnawing question is: Have there been any other R44 in flight fires, and what could be the cause? Perhaps a missing Fuel Filler cap? Burned bearing? Exhaust Leak? Fuel line leak? I am at a loss. Any ideas?

For Gary to go, it had to be a fatal mech failure of some kind. He was a very cautious and skilled pilot. The best I ever knew. He gave me my first flying lesson in 1968.

Since there are no other incidents I could find of inflight fires for the R44, and Gary was so careful with maintenance, preflight inspections, and piloting, I even wonder if there was some foul play? It would not have been directed at Gary personally. Perhaps his passengers. Everybody liked and respected Gary Vaucher. I look forward to a detailed investigation of the accident remains and circumstances.

[pplh]

I very sorry for your loss coptercop.
You seem certain that it was a fire close to the engine or to do with fuel, however a electrical fire cannot be ruled out, which could have occurred in the cockpit.
You don't have much time to react at 800 ft and if your cockpit becomes full of smoke which makes it hard to see and breath, then you are in a very difficult situation.

Here's another thread that you may find interesting reading:
http://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/361814-robinson-r44-cockpit-fire-flight-what-if.html

Once again I'm very sorry for you loss of a close friend.

[coptercop]

The occupants who rode to the ground were partially burned, but not burned up. There is a photo of one of the bodies (not Gary) being carried away in one of the articles, and most of him was not burned. Perhaps it was the one who exited early and he was also burned, I cannot tell. An electrical fire would probably not have generated as much flame as was apparently seen surrounding the copter as it came down. I think it was fuel.

Certainly the pilot Gary Vaucher made a valiant effort to get on the ground when the flames broke out. Perhaps all the more he could have done is descend immediately instead of making a turn to get on the airport grounds. Perhaps he smelled smoke or fuel. One account said He requested of the tower to deviate from his track to his destination airport and turn to the international airport. I guess the lesson here is get down NOW if you smell fuel or smoke, and shut down what may be making it. That is the universal recommendation. We will see if the impact, or smoke and fire inhalation was the reason they did not survive.

[coptercop]

Did you know the pilot Gary Vaucher, my friend of 40+ years?

[coptercop]

As time goes by, you may have to search these sites for the article.

This one shows where Pilot Gary Vaucher fell from the helicopter through the roof of the parking garage.

Translated version of http://laestrella.com.pa/ (http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://laestrella.com.pa/&ei=5g-fSYOFC4KEsAOsv_zGCQ&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=2&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dportada%2Btragedia%2Ben%2Btocumen%26hl%3Den%26r lz%3D1T4GPEA_enUS294US294)

find headline: "Pilot Fell Before" (you may have to look under most emailed links, or search the site for this)

Then look on that page under related links for: "Voucher Pilot Fell From 800 Meters" to see photo of parking structure damage.

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AAC-Release No 1
Translated version of http://www.aeronautica.gob.pa/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=619&Itemid=1 (http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://www.aeronautica.gob.pa/index.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26task%3Dview%26id%3D619%26 Itemid%3D1&ei=-3WgSdvxMYm4sAP53ZjICQ&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=5&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dgary%2Bvaucher%26start%3D10%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1 T4RNWN_enUS266US267%26sa%3DN)

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Look for headline "Helicopter Drops and Leaves 3 Dead"
Translated version of http://www.elsiglo.com/siglov2/La_Roja.php?idsec=8&fechaz=20-02-2009 (http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://www.elsiglo.com/siglov2/La_Roja.php%3Fidsec%3D8%26fechaz%3D20-02-2009&ei=bxCfSf3BBJqqtQOZjLjdCQ&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=3&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dla%2Broja%2Bhelicoptero%2Bcae%2By%2Bdeja%2B3%2B muertos%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4GPEA_enUS294US294)

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Article Headline "Exploded in Flight"
Translated version of http://www.critica.com.pa/archivo/02202009/portada.html (http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://www.critica.com.pa/archivo/02202009/portada.html&ei=aA-fSZ_4NoKEsAPjwIDHCQ&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=1&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dexploto%2Ben%2Bvuelo%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4GPEA_ enUS294US294)

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"Three People Die by Falling Helicopter in Panama"
Translated version of http://latercera.com/contenido/678_103092_9.shtml (http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://latercera.com/contenido/678_103092_9.shtml&ei=HwKfSf2WJZKasAOAzOXOCQ&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=1&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3D19/2/2009%2Bmueren%2Btres%2Bpersonas%2Bal%2Bcaer%2Bhelicoptero%2B privado%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4GPEA_enUS294US294%26sa%3DG)

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"Three Killed by Falling Helicopter"
Translated version of http://www.midiario.com/article.asp?art=852&edit=59 (http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://www.midiario.com/article.asp%3Fart%3D852%26edit%3D59&ei=CgefScL2FoHasAOF2-3TCQ&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=5&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dmueren%2Btres%2Bpersonas%2Bal%2Bcaer%2Bhelicopt ero%2Bprivado%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4GPEA_enUS294US294)

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"Three Dead on Falling Helicopter at Airport"
Translated version of http://www.critica.com.pa/ (http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://www.critica.com.pa/&ei=xwufSfwZgfCwA6egiMkJ&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=1&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dhelicoptero%2Bprivado%2Bultimas%2Bnoticias%2Bdi aadiaonline%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4GPEA_enUS294US294)

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"Three Dead in Helicopter Crash" (New Photo)
Three dead in helicopter crash :: La Estrella Panamá :: laestrella.com.pa :: 2009 (http://www.laestrella.com.pa/mensual/2009/02/21/contenido/66972.asp)#

if these links do not work, let me know.

[coptercop]

This report, just out today identifies the person who was ejected or fell from the R44 before it crashed as being the Pilot, Gary Vaucher. The report also stated that he did not have burns on his body. Earlier news reports indicated that a witness said the person who fell was accompanied by two suitcases. This is a very strange outcome.

Link to Article:

Translated version of http://laestrella.com.pa/ (http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://laestrella.com.pa/&ei=5g-fSYOFC4KEsAOsv_zGCQ&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=2&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dportada%2Btragedia%2Ben%2Btocumen%26hl%3Den%26r lz%3D1T4GPEA_enUS294US294)

find headline: "Pilot Fell Before" (you may have to look under most emailed links, or search the site for this)

Then look on that page under related links for: "Voucher Pilot Fell From 800 Meters" to see photo of parking structure damage.

[coptercop]

In conversation tonight with another of Pilot's 40 year plus friends, Jack, we both agreed that the pilot Gary Vaucher would never intentionally depart from the cushioning structure of the aircraft, and any control, no matter how grave the situation, and NEVER EVER abandon his passengers.

The burning question is why did the pilot Gary Vaucher have his safety harness off?

Secondly, how did the door get opened?

Thirdly, Why were there suitcases on the ground by the Pilot.

WHY WAS THE PILOT'S HARNESS OFF?:
A link in a blog above, http://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/361814-robinson-r44-cockpit-fire-flight-what-if.html),
refers to discussions about the location of the fire extinguisher in the cockpit of the R44. Some of the bloggers said the fire extinguisher is located on the opposite side of the cabin, out of reach of the pilot. The specific statement was that to reach the fire extinguisher, the pilot would have to release his safety harness. This seems plausable in the case of this accident. (There was also the blog that said if a fire extinguisher were discharged in the cabin, it would make it impossible to see, and the powder would adhere to the inside of the windshield). If not the fire extinguisher, the pilot may have released his harness to reach or retrieve an emergency checklist or some other item.

WHY WERE THE DOORS OPEN? First, there was a witness report that there was an explosion and fire in the cabin before the Pilot came out of the helicopter. The explosion itself could have blown the doors open from their latches. Another explanation is that there was smoke or fuel fumes in the cabin, and the doors had been cracked open for ventilation by the pilot and passengers. This is highly likely.

WHY WERE THERE SUITCASES BY THE PILOT ON THE GROUND? There appears a large dent in a vehicle behind the body in a photo from the news, along with a large black item. Closer inspection supports the idea that the black item is a large suitcase, and the dent in the car could have been from the suitcase. Both are inside of the police caution tape, under the hole in the metal roof.

Perhaps the suitcases were Behind the pilot, not tied down, on the same side of the helicopter. While Gary had his harness off to reach for the fire extinguisher, perhaps the cyclical was pushed to the side, and/or the collective was pressed down, or the Yaw pedal was pressed, and the helicopter attitude shifted. Both the unsecured pilot and the unsecured suitcases would have come out because the doors were unlatched.

Jack and I have also speculated that the suitcases may have been in the front with the pilot, and were perhaps in the way to getting to the fire extinguisher, or perhaps they were heavy and burdening the helicopter, or for some reason had to be removed. In this case, we speculate the pilot removed his harness to toss the suitcases out and perhaps to get to the fire extinguisher. The suitcases could have slipped across against the controls. An inadvertant push on the cyclical, or some other change in the attitude of the helicopter could easily have sent Gary out the door with the suitcases.

These are the ONLY reasonable explanations we can come up with for Gary exiting the helicopter before his passengers. We believe one of these explanations IS the explanation for this bizarre event. Gary FELL out the door. He would not and could not exit voluntarily. We know him very well. He would have taken whatever control he had to care for his passengers.

It is also highly likely that if Gary had not slipped out of the helicopter, he may have put it on the ground in a survivable way.

[coptercop]

In another conversation with a fellow pilot, he suggested that instead of the controls being accidentally pushed while the pilot was unstrapped, the engine and drivetrain could have frozen. The resultant instant torque from stopping the main rotor mass could have been severe, tossing the unsecured pilot and luggage through the doors, whether they were latched or not.

One witness account said that the main rotor had folded up. This may be another indication that the main rotar shaft made an abrupt stop. More details from witnesses could help here. I noticed in the crash photo that both rotors were still placed as if they were attached on impact. However, one seemed to be missing the inner portion of the blade, with the tubular spar exposed.

[blakmax]

I am aware of one case where blade impact on the fuselage during break-up apparently resulted in a ruptured fuel tank and consequent fire before the aircraft impacted the ground. The fire appears to have been as a result of the initial event. The fire was not the cause of the crash.

[coptercop]

Blakmax:
Thank you for that information. The NTSB has been called in on this one. Hopefully they get to the eyewitnesses before their memories get foggy. To reconstruct the events, as unusual as they seem to be, I think these eyewitnesses need to be questioned immediately. The news reports gave some of the accounts, and perhaps they can help to find the eyewitnesses.

- Coptercop

[coptercop]

The accident January 26, in Austria, did not have any fire. It was a ferry flight after maintenance. Perhaps fuel exhaustion, came down in thick trees. Helicopter spent time circling a village before crash. No apparent similarities to this accident.

[TunaSandwich]

The request to deviate to Tocumen was weather related and no emergency was declared. Just a coincidence that the explosion happened shortly after and it appears that there was no prior warning of a problem and nothing Gary could have done. I suppose the explosion must have been in the cabin for the pilot to have been ejected, we'll have to wait for the final investigation report to see if they were carrying any dangerous goods.

[blakmax]

Has anyone heard any updates on the NTSB investigations?

[singesavant]

Hi there,

sad story though.:sad:

Among the posts I have read a question about a similar fire in flight regardless of R44. I have myself been taught a story about a R44 catching fire in flight in Haiti too...

one thing to consider maybe during preflying.

Davy

[TunaSandwich]

Hi Blakmax,

The Investigation is not being undertaken by the NTSB, they are just reporting what is given to them by the Panamanian authority, which is didley squat... The Panama CAA website has not been updated since the accident and just contains a couple of grisly photos followed by a couple of "Intentionally Blank" pages

Saludos
TS

[coptercop]

My theory is that the main rotor gearbox or the engine seized. This would have twisted the cabin violently to the right, throwing the pilot against his door. He probably had his harness off to reach something in the cabin... fire extinguisher, charts, loose bag, sunglasses, who knows. I asked Gary about the safety of having the doors off, as he often did. He told me the door latches were extremely weak, and they would not hold you in if you lurched into the door. He said it wasn't important because you always had your harness on. If the rotor seized, it wouldn't have mattered anyway, because helicopters don't fly with seized rotors, and 800 feet is too high to survive. I didn't see any reports about whether the rotor was turning after the "explosion". I would be very interested.

[chopjock]

My theory is that the main rotor gearbox or the engine seized. This would have twisted the cabin violently to the right, throwing the pilot against his door.I'm not so sure the cabin would go to the right. If the engine seized, the sprag clutch would allow the blades to freewheel. If the gearbox or the output shaft bearings seized, the friction created from the inertia of the blades would cause the cabin to go to the left. (try applying the rotor brake whilst shutting down floating on floats will demonstrate this).

[frankhr]

Hi,

I'm currently listening to a book, Path Between Two Seas, about the building of the Panama Canal. It took me to pleasant memories of my flying with your good friend Gary Vaucher when he lived in Santa Barbara, CA in the mid to late 1960s, and also in Panama when i visited him there in 1972 when we flew the Canal in 172. I still have several pictures of the canal that we took from about 500 feet.

I enjoyed my stay in Panama greatly. Since I had never since heard from him, nor he from me, I was concerned that something happened to him. This morning I read of his tragic death now more than six years ago. My condolences to you, his good friend.

Where would I find an official version of the probable cause? Is there a way I can contact his widow? I would be most grateful for any help you might provide. Gary was a great guy, and as you said, an excellent pilot.

My name is Frank Robinson, though I'm no relation to the Founder and CEO of the company that makes the R44. Several of my friends have R44s so I would most interested to learn more about the cause.

My email address is [email protected] (not case sensitive). I've been a pilot since 1959 and own a Cessna T310R which I fly weekly for business and pleasure.

I live in California. If it's useful you can visit my business website: SyncDev (http://www.syncdev.com) for more contact data. I would welcome a call at US 805-689-7930 or a number at which I could call you.

I hope to hear from you.

Best,
Frank

[coptercop]

My newest theory of the cause of the crash is there were fuel vapors on the cabin, and Gary switched on the landing light to cross the airport. The switch would not be explosion proof, and may have ignited fuel vapors, blasting anything not tied down through the doors that have weak latches. That would have included Gary, if his harness were not fastened. If he had stayed in, he may have made a successful emergency landing.... I like to think he would.

[bam-ba-lam]

But… for now I will share some facts and where noted, a couple of probabilities and a few possibilities.

The pilot did not jump out to save himself. The suitcases seen near the pilot were not onboard the heli (1st responders equipment). Nothing mechanical seized up. The event did not start with a “typical” onboard fire. There was no contact between the main rotor and the fuselage. The heli’s fuel system was not compromised.

This was a cross country flight that required carrying additional fuel which is very common in this area. They had already refueled and placed the “empty” plastic containers back under the seats for the return flight. Unrelated circumstances dictated that the flight deviate from the typical coast route to fly inland, cross PTY midfield and arc back down to MAG. The event just happened to happen while over the terminal building of PTY.

The fuel containers being used were susceptible to poorly fitting caps allowing gases to escape with minimal pressure applied to the sides of the container. The containers had to lay on their side to just fit under the seats. It is very probable that a small amount of fuel remained in each container. Temp was hot and turbulence was reported in the area. With the heat expanding the fuel gases in the container and the bouncing of the passenger on the seat, compressing the container, those gases were pumped into the baggage compartment and/or fuel leaked on the first leg of the flight and saturated the foam liner in the baggage compartment. Once the baggage compartment fills up it flows into the cabin.

You may be asking yourself “wouldn’t they have smelled the fuel?” Of course they smelled fuel. The pilot had just filled from 5 different containers (two 5 gallon and three 2.5 gallon), he had it all over his hands. Now you ask “wouldn’t they continue to smell fuel?” No, the human nose ignores constant smells after about 4 seconds.

This is where all the holes in the cheese align. This same type of flight with relatively same equipment had been accomplished safely numerous times in the past and was considered a safe practice, except this heli was one of, if not the first, air conditioned R44 in the country. Normally the doors would have been removed and/or all of the vents open, but with the A/C running, the cabin was all sealed up and the fumes were just recirculated, waiting for a spark.

The explosion started under the aft right seat blowing the passenger upward and the pilot forward through the windscreen. It was not confirmed, but it appeared the pilot’s seat belt was unbuckled before the explosion.

There were other items stowed in the baggage compartment along with the plastic containers. Nylon rope, a flair gun (plastic), flairs, blade tie downs (acrylic/nylon), auto inflating life vest, headsets, etc. A combination of items from each end of the Triboelectric Chart (makes sparks when rubbed together). This is the most probable cause of the spark, although the A/C fan motor could be ruled out. One or both of the passengers were smokers, but the pilot’s background made it very unlikely he would have allowed smoking in the cabin. There is also the possibility that the passenger was fidgeting with a lighter. Coptercop took a good swing at it with the landing light switch, but they were leaving the airport not approaching it, he would have turned it on earlier.

Now you’re asking “how does this guy know all of this?”
I was part of the investigation team.

[fdr]

Bam ba lam, thanks for the information on a perplexing accident. The seat bases do not normally bend under static loads, they are part of the crash structure, so I would suspect that venting was related to a difference in pressure on closing the container and that at altitude. The ignition source would have been a major part of the investigation; the normal wiring system is pretty well put together on the RHC product, but in the vicinity of the rear seats there are a number of earthing points, and some live power services. The governor system sits back on the front side of the firewall, and that would be a point of interest. The RHC seat belt latch requires a greater throw than a car latch; if debris was projected forward from the rear between the seats, it is always possible that it impacts the latch on an upward trajectory and releases the latch. I have not come across any rotorcraft pilot that would undo their belt voluntarily, and any attempt to do that airborne single pilot is going to be a risky venture, much less so in a 44 than a 22, but not a good place to be.

An explosion sufficient to put the pilot through the windscreen, centered behind the pilot is probably going to compromise the flight control system which runs just below the floor in that area in its tunnel. One way or other, after such an explosion, it is not going to end well.

The Helipod externally mounted cargo pods give some way of carrying additional fuel, but it is always going to have an increased risk.

[Hot and Hi]

bamlabam, where is the accident report published?

[Watson1963]

https://www.aeronautica.gob.pa/upia/
click on the 2009 heading.
If you need it, you can use an online translator to do a rough translation of the pdf, eg https://www.onlinedoctranslator.com/en/translationform
hope this helps

[Hot and Hi]

Thank you, bambalam and Watson, that solves this mystery.

I thought it was common cause that plastic containers were unsuitable for fuel, because of risk of static electricity, and that the plastic container ruptures when the pressure inside increases (provided the lid seals in the first place). Could there be a similar problem with standard steel jerry cans? They seem to be 100% airtight, can be properly bonded with an earth cable and seem to withstand high pressure differentials without deforming a bit.

The only thing that’s puzzling me now is why was the pilot's seat belt not fastened...