Fact of the matter is that the Huey was sabotaged!!!! I interviewed the owner yesterday, and here is his side of the story. From the horses mouth.
For the first time since operations began during December 2002, the Huey slept out on the WIN pad at the Waterfront last Friday night. The reason for this I understand, was that it was scheduled for an air to air film flight at 07.00am Saturday.
Apparently the owner and the engineer arrived at 06.00am, pre-flighted the machine, and took off for the Delta 200, where it was to be joined by the film ship. After some 20 minutes of uneventful flying, it was agreed that a landing will be made in order to discuss further filming. On approach to the landing site, the pilot encountered what he thought was a compressor stall. He shut down the engine after landing, and instructed the engineer to inspect it. The Inlet Guide Vanes were inspected, and the engineer noticed something sinister. It appeared that the engine had ingested some foreign object, as the damage to the IGV's were evident.
The pilot then decided not to fly the helicopter, but to arrange for road transportation on a low bed back to base. Whilst the aircraft was being prepared for road transportation, which meant removing the main and tail rotor blades, an opposition helicopter landed there and inquired what was going on. Approximately 1 hour later, the Huey Club started getting calls from newspapers, magazines, pilots, aviation companies et al, as a rumour was doing the rounds that the Huey had crashed killing all 16 on board, and stories ranged from engine failure to total loss etc. Elvis even went so far as to fly the press out to the site in his LongRanger, teling the pilot John Eccles to hover close around the Huey, therefore blowing it full of sand and dust. Now if that is airmenship, I don't know. It again proves to what lengths the Huey opposition wil go to to shoot it down. When John Eccles was phoned by the owner last night, all he could say was to "speak to my boss". The actions are bordering on total idiocy. Maybe it is to be expected from the kind of people one is dealing with here.
Anyway, the Huey is back in its Culemborg hangar, free of any damage. The engineers have opened the engine, and it is an established fact that the engine ingested a foreign object. Sabotage has not been ruled out, as a piece of metal bar (Not an engine part) about 10 mm thick and 15mm long, had been found embedded in the rear section of the turbine wheel housing.
Very strange indeed!
In the mean time, The Huey Club has been contacted by the press, the TV, the Police on information regarding this occurence. It is clear from the calls received, that the opposition h as once again decided to go overboard on the issue, and to sensationalize it as much as they can. Little do they know that any publicity is good publicity.
