Originally Posted by
JohnDixson
Media reported:"after undergoing maintenance", in an earlier post. One would think that the ground run part would include trying small control movements and looking for the correct rotor response ( assume one can move the pedals on this model before starting the engine and confirming that control input is free and properly phased. Then, before getting energetic about getting up and away, lift it to just skids beginning to break ground and again, small control inputs, after which a very slow lift to a low hover and repeat the control inputs etc. Not what the video shows, but then again, perhaps something went amiss as they were just slowly lifting and the result was beyond their ability to perform any corrective action. Test flights following maintenance have to be treated very carefully.
I haven't flown a 206 for a quarter century, but I have a few thousand hours in'em, thousands of starts and tens of thousands of takeoffs.
reflight! Preflight! Preflight!. If it's coming out of maintenance review the record and talk to those who did the work.
Part of the (my?) cockpit set up prestart checklist is run the controls through as much of their range as you can, watch the rotors change position appropriately.
The 206 cockpit is narrow, so one can't really 'wipe' the cockpit with the cyclic, but you can check for full and free movement of the pedals and collective. Full right pedal, open the door and lean out to look at the T/R blades for appropriate pitch.
The normal post start included checking that one could isolate the hydraulic system from the pump and the change in control effort is obvious. I can't remember if the controls moved to their trim position in the 206, but one would move them to assure that you could.
A guess as to why this aircraft crashed? A yank and bank gone wrong?