SAS, you really like to use absolutes. There are a lot of fingers to be pointed.
There is a lot of data in that report, takes a while to get through it.
Thomas:
The whole fiasco stinks. Not only did the engine saga stink, but the Carson inditement did too.
Apparently here we had an operator flying duff engines on duff airframes. WTF
The engines were good, but asked to do more than they were capable of. Topping is topping, that's all you get.
1.18.2 Pilot Interviews
NTSB investigators interviewed five former CHSI pilots following the accident. Four of the pilots reported that, while it was not normal to reach engine topping during passenger-carrying operations, it was a more common occurrence during water-hauling or logging operations. One pilot stated that, “when you reach topping, you jettison. This is a daily experience that pilots deal with when carrying water rather than passengers.” Another pilot stated the following:
Logging and passenger operations provide an entirely different environment. In logging, the aircraft has no interior or seats, bare metal and wiring, and carries only what is necessary for the operation. Time is money, and logging is a timed event paid by board foot. By contrast, passenger operations are [paid] by the hour. You cannot jettison loads. Topping is normal in logging, but only as an emergency measure. It is not normal with passengers, where calculations are based on takeoff power rather than topping.
In earlier times, pilots would try to carry more than the helicopter was capable of carrying. Therefore, load calculations are now made as a guide and are rigorously held to in Part 135 operations. With firefighting operations, when carrying water, these calculations are not etched in stone. You trim for comfort, check power
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NTSB Aircraft Accident Report
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available before loading water, then take on water. For example, you pull in 81% torque as the best power before drooping, therefore at 71% torque you stop loading water.
The pilots reported that, typically, on water-dropping missions, an in-flight power check
I agree that the Carson execs acted criminally and should be punished as such. Their acts were designed to deceive. Again, not the only operator out there that does this, by far.
I've had another operator try the same things on the same airframe.
The problem is, to quote you from another thread:
What were the guys thinking using topping on one take-off after another to struggle over the trees and saying the power is "good"? Clearly there was culture of exceeding limitations that they either agreed with or had aquiesced to.
I agree that the falsified charts would lead them into the problem, but they have access to an unaltered RFM. That was a huge first hole in the cheese (criminally so)and if they had restricted themselves to RFM t/o limits, they would have landed back and kicked some guys out.
NTSB:
During the two previous departures on the day of the accident, the pilots had the opportunity to realize that the helicopter was overweight or at least that it was not performing in a manner consistent with the load calculations. The NG gauges would have shown that the engines were being operated in excess of the flight manual takeoff NG limit of 100 percent (shown on the NG gauges as a red line) and were at topping power. Additionally, the droop in NR would have been audible to the pilots and visible on the triple tachometer. Nonetheless, neither
...
pilot mentioned that the engines were at topping, even though the load calculations showed that they should have been well below the helicopter’s maximum performance capabilities. Further, neither pilot called attention to the discrepancy between the predicted and actual performance of the helicopter or suggested postponing further flight until the discrepancy could be resolved.
The PIC had accumulated the majority of his experience flying helicopters in the logging and firefighting industries. As revealed by the comments of other S-61 pilots, the operating procedures are significantly different when carrying logs or water than when carrying passengers. In both logging and water-dropping missions, the pilots do not routinely rely on load calculations. In logging, the operation of flights is driven by the maximum power capabilities of the helicopter as indicated by the torque gauges, and pilots consistently load the helicopter until it reaches its maximum performance capability, knowing that they can jettison the load and instantaneously decrease the power required to hover or climb.
I can't believe that the engine manufacturer is being tagged to pay out on this. Insane.