Originally Posted by
Madbob
Kudos to the pilot for a good outcome from a very nasty "event".
The only question I have is, surely this ought not to have been a task for a single-engined helo? Anyone tasking this must, when doing even a rudimentary risk assessment, have realised that a twin engined aircraft would have been the sensible option given the terrain and obsticales.....
MB
I agree on the kudos to the pilot: I suspect he had the collective well under his armpit when he 'arrived', and a slightly elevated pulse rate when the pitot came to rest against the roofing. And as for the load not even cracking the glass
Being JAA land the issue of twin accountability seems to be a bit fuzzy, and we have a similar issue at times here in Oz. I won quite a few lifting jobs because I had a BK117: not due to CASA Regs but the good old Elfin Safety in the form of our WorkSafe Victoria and their oversight of JSA (Job Safety Analysis). Based on the premise that we would jettison the load over a safe area thus giving SE flyaway capability, I guess the rooftop in this example would have required a split second timing to dump the load!
Then again, with one engine still operating a twin should have hover capability once the load hits the roof? At which stage, if not done already, the load can be pickled off and a SE recovery made? Just thinking out loud, but something which is worth considering.