S76 Down: Seoul, Korea

[Savoia]

SEOUL, Nov. 16 (Yonhap) -- A helicopter on Saturday crashed into an apartment building located in the affluent southern part of the capital amid thick fog, leaving two people aboard dead, fire fighters said.

At around 8:55 a.m., the helicopter collided into the upper section of the posh high-rise apartment building located in Samseong-dong before falling to the ground, according to fire fighters.

The accident left the two pilots dead while no residents of the apartment were harmed as they were mostly evacuated, according to the authorities.

"It seemed that the helicopter lost visibility due to the thick fog," said an official at the National Emergency Management Agency.

Police and fire fighters are seeking to retrieve the bodies from the debris of the fallen helicopter, they added. The collision damaged the outer wall of the building spanning the 21st to 27th floors.

They said that they are seeking to find the exact cause of the accident.

The helicopter is owned by consumer electronics giant LG Electronics Inc.

Helicopter crashes into Seoul apartment building | GlobalPost (http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/yonhap-news-agency/131115/helicopter-crashes-seoul-apartment-building-1)

Note: The type has not yet been confirmed but .. it is fairly well-known that LGE operate one or more corporate S76's based in Seoul (see below):

http://s1.ibtimes.com/sites/www.ibtimes.com/files/styles/v2_article_large/public/2013/03/05/sikorksy-s-76c-helicopter.jpg

[skadi]

Sad news, a deja vu to the London accident:

Helicopter crashes into 38-story residential apartment in Seoul, killing 2 pilots | Fox News (http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/11/15/helicopter-crashes-into-38-story-residential-apartment-in-seoul-killing-2/)

skadi

[Savoia]

Some images now being posted online and which would appear to confirm the aircraft type as being an S76:

http://media.bellinghamherald.com/smedia/2013/11/16/01/56/459-qGx1G.AuSt.55.jpeg
Police officers inspect the wreckage of a helicopter which crashed in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2013. The helicopter belonging to the LG Group plunged to the ground on Saturday, killing the two pilots after its propeller clipped the side of a 38-story luxury apartment building. AHN YOUNG-JOON — AP Photo

http://media.bellinghamherald.com/smedia/2013/11/16/01/56/101-zpbPR.AuSt.55.jpeg
Firefighters inspect the wreckage of a helicopter which crashed in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2013. The helicopter belonging to the LG Group plunged to the ground on Saturday, killing the two pilots after its propeller clipped the side of a 38-story luxury apartment building. AHN YOUNG-JOON — AP Photo

http://media.bellinghamherald.com/smedia/2013/11/16/01/56/97-1uCKp3.AuSt.55.jpeg

SEOUL, South Korea: Copter crashes into Seoul high-rise, killing 2 | World | The Bellingham Herald (http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2013/11/15/3318020/copter-crashes-into-seoul-high.html)

[Savoia]

Aircraft registration not (as yet) confirmed. However, it is possible that the aircraft is HL9294:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Y86ycSoTqYw/UocwwOkGoyI/AAAAAAAAPbA/rWjxZjfFPpc/w800-h454-no/LG+Electronics+S76C%252B%252B+HL9294+Seoul+Gimpo+Int+Apt+10+ Sep+09+%2528Choi+Jae-moon%2529.jpg
LG Electronics S76C++ HL9294 departing Seoul's Gimpo International Airport on 10th September 2009 (Photo: Choi Jae-moon)

[Savoia]

The building being cited as where the aircraft impacted is the I-Park Complex in Gangnam, southeast Seoul:

http://www.asianarchitecture.info/LegacyImages/I/I-ParkSamsung-200902-002.jpg

The private helicopter hit several apartments near the top of the 30-storey building before plunging to the ground, said the National Emergency Management Agency.

Two pilots - the sole passengers of the aircraft owned by LG Electronics - were found dead. No residents of the building were killed or injured, an agency official told AFP.

"It appears that the pilots lost visual due to extremely foggy weather," said the official who declined to be named.

The helicopter was set to pick up an LG executive in Gangnam for a business trip to the southern city of Jeonju, Jeon Myeong-Wu, LG's PR executive said in an interview with the YTN news channel.

TV news footage showed windows broken and walls collapsed at the luxury apartment block and the crumpled wreckage of the helicopter with the LG logo.

Hundreds of police officers, rescue workers and soldiers have been deployed to help clear the wreckage and evacuate residents after the rare accident.

The upscale district of the South's capital -- home to high-end shopping malls and million-dollar apartments -- was made famous by last year's global hit song "Gangnam Style" by South Korean rapper Psy.

Helicopter crashes into apartment block in South Korea's Gangnam district, two dead | NDTV.com (http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/helicopter-crashes-into-apartment-block-in-south-korea-s-gangnam-district-two-dead-446814)

[Savoia]

4MUBW88hSlw

[212man]

Sad, but has a familiar ring to it....

[zalt]

The accident report is out.
CFIT Gangnam Style - Korean S-76C++ and Decision Making (http://aerossurance.com/helicopters/cfit-gangnam-style/)

[AnFI]

(Report refers to Japanese another fatal DOUBLE ENGINE power FAILURE in A109 in town)

[zalt]

Uh? Its a comprehensive report on the LG aircraft flying into a condo in Korea.

What are you looking at?

[AnFI]

zalt
this is in the comprehensive report:


We have also discussed the heighten risk of last minute changes in plan:

Beware Last Minute Changes in Plan (http://aerossurance.com/helicopters/beware-last-minute-changes) (EC130B4 in Colorado)
Fatal Police Helicopter Double Engine Flameout Over City Centre (http://aerossurance.com/?p=1260) (A109E in Japan)
‘Procedural Drift’: Lynx CFIT in Afghanistan (http://aerossurance.com/helicopters/procedural-drift-lynx-cfit/)

the middle one is ANOTHER power failure in a twin! ................. also 'pilot judgement'


( Accident Report: Fatal Police Helicopter Double Engine Flameout Over City Centre - Aerossurance (http://aerossurance.com/helicopters/accident-report-fatal-police-helicopter-double-engine-flameout-city-centre/) )

[Never Fretter]

AnFi
A109E in Japan: running out of fuel is no respector of engine number.

[76fan]

LG 76. Same old story isn't it? Press-on-itis in the private/exec world where the pressure is put on the crew to satisfy the owner/boss and good airmanship/flight safety goes out the window.