Originally Posted by
Hot and Hi
- The guys are training ship landings, yet no instructor on board - Rather have 3 non-pilot crew on board (Tactical Coordinator, Sensor-Operator, Hoist-Operator)
As mentioned before, the training was to keep the guys on deck current, not the crew in the helicopter.
Originally Posted by
Hot and Hi
- The pilot egressed but got entangled "in a connecting line to the helicopter" and equally drowned. The story about that line is a bit cryptic (well, call it Dutch), but it seems to be a cable between an inflatable dinghy and the pilot suit. And the pilot sits on the dinghy. Anyway, maybe somebody else can shed some light onto this...
Correct, it was a connecting line to a dinghy. That dinghy was found inflated next to the helicopter and somehow trapped the pilot against the helicopter. The rescue team had to cut the connecting line, after which the dinghy floated away and the pilot's body was freed. No more details in the report unfortunately.
Originally Posted by
Hot and Hi
On this 8th one, they wanted to get in photos of the 'foredeck' (I am not a boats person, that's what Google Translate calls it).
Something like forward deck area or bow. The report uses a quaint Dutch term 'de bak' that probably makes sense to navy guys but I can only guess.