RSAF Apache forced landing

[Nigd3]

I dropped on here to see if there were any further details about the RSAF Apache heli that made a reported crash landing in Singapore.

No thread yet started quite surprisingly......so anyone know any more????

Link to one of the news clips below:

Attack helicopter ditches in Singapore - Yahoo! News UK (http://uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20100930/twl-attack-helicopter-ditches-in-singapo-41f21e0.html)

A helicopter belonging to the Singapore military was forced to land in a residential neighbourhood after encountering engine problems. A statement put out by the Singapore Ministry of Defence said the helicopter had been on a routine maintenance flight when the problems began.
The pilots onboard decided to land the aircraft in an open field in the Woodlands neighbourhood, in the northern part of the city-state, on Thursday afternoon.
The statement says the tail section of the RSAF AH-64 Apache helicopter was damaged in the landing.
Local media quoted a passerby as saying that he thought the helicopter had landed in the field as part of some sort of military display.
This was the second emergency landing of a Singaporean military helicopter in the past seven months, local media report. No one was injured in the incident.

[Hedge36]

:= "Forced" isn't "crashed".

[ecureilx]

Drove by .. and looked like it was an auto ...

I could see that it was in pieces .. (sections ??)

After all, since there was no major injury and when it is Mindef Property, nobody wants to know much I guess :D

And the place was 'sweeped' up fast .. like the EC 120 that auto'd into a field.

Not much of a new here anyway ..

[Furia]

A common occurence lately

http://theasiandefence.********.com/2009/09/israel-air-force-apache-makes-emergency.html

Apache Makes Emergency Landing in NC | VTOLBLOG (http://vtolblog.com/?p=3420)

[ecureilx]

The first link is 'eaten' up ..

second link - What's that funny bump below the tail of the US Apache ??

[Saint Jack]

Todays 'Straits Times' newspaper is saying "...The helicopter was on a routine maintenance flight when it encountered engine problems..." From the photograph on the front page the tailboom appears to have separated approximately midway along its length and, looking closely at the photograph, one main rotor blade has a slight kink approximately one meter from the root end and is drooped significantly lower than the others. My initial thoughts (and I know some of you will jump on me for this) are that the pilot was in autorotation but failed to arrest the decent and landed heavily on the tail wheel severing the tailboom while the fuselage landed heavily and kinked one main rotor blade. Luckily, given the Apaches narrow track main gear and the fact it came down in a field, the helicopter remained upright.

[ecureilx]

Saint Jack: Still all the bits and pieces belong to MinDef :D I saw some photos of guys picking the bits and pieces .. no further investigation on-site ???

[Nigd3]

Anyone want to define the difference between forced and crashed.
Degree of damage/degree of control to forced/crash landing site?

[ecureilx]

Nigd3: how about landed with a high rate of descent that caused separation of parts ??? :mad: :mad:

[Nigd3]

ecureilx
It was meant to be a question to Hedge36 but also a general one to anyone.

[Ian Corrigible]

What's that funny bump below the tail of the US Apache?

Principally the AN/ASN-128 Doppler nav system radar antenna, though it also houses the ADF and radar altimeter antennae.

I/C

[Gingie]

Date:30-SEP-2010 Time:15:30 LT Type:Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow (http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/dblist.php?AcType=H64) Operator:Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) Registration: 069/01-02069 C/n / msn: SN020 Fatalities:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 Other fatalities:0 Airplane damage: Substantial Location:Woodlands - http://aviation-safety.net/database/country/flags_15/9V.gif Singapore (http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/dblist.php?Country=9V) Phase: En route Nature:Test Departure airport:Sembawang Air Force Base Destination airport:Sembawang Air Force Base Narrative:
A Republic of Singapore Air Force's (RSAF) Apache Longbow Attack Helicopters (AH-64D) has crashed in an open field in the north of Singapore.
According to a statement from Singapore's Ministry of Defence (MINDEF), the helicopter made an emergency landing at the open field between Woodlands Avenue 12 and Woodlands Drive 64 at about 3.30 in the afternoon today.
The Apache has a crew of two, and it is believed that the aircrew were not injured in the forced landing as MINDEF said that there was no reported injury to personnel.
There was no damage to civilian property, according to the Defence Ministry.

[Hedge36]

Nigd3: "It was meant to be a question to Hedge36 but also a general one to anyone."

I was just making wise of the fact that the initial report was that the bird was forced to land - and that the damage description and lack of injuries suggested something less than a "crash" :)

The additional information suggests that - for once - the initial newsie release was significantly understated.

[ecureilx]

Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean has revealed that corroded valves were the cause behind the Republic of Singapore Air Force (http://sg.search.yahoo.com/search?p=Republic+of+Singapore+Air+Force&fr=fp-today&cs=bz) (RSAF) Apache AH-64 (http://sg.search.yahoo.com/search?p=Apache+AH+64&fr=fp-today&cs=bz) helicopter’s emergency landing last month.
Speaking in Parliament on Monday, Mr Teo said investigations showed that the defective component known as the Anti-Ice Start Bleed Valve (AISBV), which is found in both engines of the Apache, had corroded over time.
This caused both engines to shut down, which forced the pilot to make an emergency landing in an open field in Woodlands.
Mr Teo ruled out manufacturing defects and maintenance lapses, and added that current maintenance procedures do not call for the RSAF to open up the AISBV as it is a task that only the manufacturer can perform.
MINDEF (http://sg.search.yahoo.com/search?p=MINDEF&fr=fp-today&cs=bz) is now working with the helicopter manufacturer to improve maintenance procedures to prevent similar occurrences in future, and ensure early detection and correction should it occur again.
The Defence Minister added that to ensure the helicopters are fitted only with functioning valves, the RSAF will replace all existing valves and each helicopter’s engine will be tested thoroughly before being cleared for flight.
Since the incident, the fleet of Apache AH-64 helicopters as well as the Sikorsky S-70B helicopter, which has a similar engine to the Apache have been grounded, with training suspended. Mr Teo said that the helicopters will progressively resume flying this week.

[Fortyodd2]

Aircraft flying alright , aircraft stops :mad::eek:. Engine off, walk away :ok:
Good drills crew :D:D

[Saint Jack]

Am I missing something here? The report says "....the defective component known as the Anti-Ice Start Bleed Valve (AISBV), which is found in both engines of the Apache, had corroded over time. This caused both engines to shut down, which forced the pilot to make an emergency landing.." Noticeably there was no comment on the less-than-successful autorotation.

Given that the Apache design and operating philosophy is based largely on 'survivability' what are the odds against the same component in each engine failing in the same way at the same time and causing each engines to fail at the same time - rather high I suspect. Wasn't 'totally independent engines and associated systems' part of this 'survivability' philosophy?

As for the reported corrosion in the Anti-Ice Start Bleed Valve (AISBV), my initial thoughts are that the drying procedure following engine washes may be lacking a requirement to open/cycle the AISBV to ensure it gets thoroughly dried.

Are there any knoweldgable Apache people out there who can shed some light?

[ecureilx]

Given that the Apache design and operating philosophy is based largely on 'survivability' what are the odds against the same component in each engine failing in the same way at the same time and causing each engines to fail at the same time - rather high I suspect. Wasn't 'totally independent engines and associated systems' part of this 'survivability' philosophy?

Nobody bothered with the Anti-Ice thingy - Maybe because there is no ice in Singapore ??? :ok: :ok: I may tell you but I may also not tell you that most of the Apaches of RSAF are somewhere .. cold :p

[skiddriver]

Corroded AISBAVs in T-700 series engines have been causing engine outs for the last 25 years. The cam, etc are driven by fuel from the HMU high pressure fuel pump and when the AISBAV hangs up momentarily from corrosion or engine wash soap, and then releases, it causes an interruption in fuel flow to the injectors. Engine then flames out and winds down.

We had to change our AH-1W engine wash procedures back in the 1980s to prevent the soap from building up in the AISBAV and causing this problem.

There is supposed to be a maintenance test using a spring scale to check the resistance of the AISBAV piston to movement. Someone must have forgotten to tell the RSAF.