Cyprus does. D-HSPO crashed doing it.
Chopper crashes while cleaning pylons
By Jacqueline Agathocleous
THE PILOT and co-pilot of a helicopter employed by the Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) to clean one of its pylons walked away with only slight injuries after the aircraft crashed near Moni yesterday
MxxxxxxMxxxxxxx, 40, and his co pilot Yxxxxxx Axxxxxxx, 25, were only slightly injured in the crash, which is being investigated by civil aviation authorities.
The pilots were cleaning the insulator of the Moni-Vasiliko 132MW transmission line at the time of the crash. The chopper fell from a low altitude of around 24 metres after its tail got caught in one of the pylon’s wires.
The two men were rushed to Limassol General Hospital for treatment, where it was found they hadn’t suffered serious injury. They were kept in however for precautionary reasons.
The scene of the crash was not inhabited, nor was it close to a road.
The accident was noticed straight away as when the helicopter tail got caught in the wire, the area suffered a black-out, which alerted the EAC switch board.
Fire services, police, Civil Aviation and the Labour Inspection Department rushed to the scene and rushed the two men to hospital.
The Chairman of the Air Accidents and Incidents Investigation Board, Costas Orphanos, yesterday said that the Committee was investigating all aspects of the matter. He added that initial investigations had shown that the helicopter’s tail had got caught in the EAC wires, which caused it to fall.
“It is too early to determine whether the helicopter was at a safe distance from the pylon and whether the necessary specifications had been followed,” said Orphanos. He said this would be determined once they have statements from the pilot and co pilot.
Orphanos said the reason the pilots hadn’t been electrocuted was because as soon as the tail had made contact with the wires, the electricity was cut off automatically
According to an EAC announcement, a sudden gust of wind had pushed the helicopter onto the wires. “At the time of the accident, there were two people on the helicopter, one of whom was fortunately only slightly injured.”
The Authority said cleaning their insulators was a regular part of their maintenance scheme, contributing to a reduction of possible faults that could provoke black outs.
“During this particular exercise, the helicopter necessarily flies at a low altitude and cleans the insulators with water. This happens once a year and a private company is employed following international tenders.”
The EAC said President Demetris Christofias had been informed about the incident and had expressed his concern for the injured men.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2009
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