Chopper Down in Lesotho Mountains
GunsssR4ever
Joined: Sep 1999
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From: Out there somewhere ...
Hi - Tech Equipment used in Search
Advanced technology is being used in the search for the helicopter which crashed into Lesotho's Katse Dam this week with five people on board.
George van der Merwe, a spokesperson for the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, said on Thursday that deep sea divers spent the whole day scanning the area with sonar equipment.
Due to the depth and lack of visibility in the water at the site of the accident, they had to determine the exact location of the wreckage before diving down.
"In the darkness one can miss the wreckage while walking (sic) right past it," Van der Merwe said.
The helicopter is lying under 98m of water.
Pilot Lieutenant Lererileng Maloi and the engineering manager of the water project, Sethunya Nthako, who was also in the helicopter, are still missing.
Three other passengers, a crew who filmed the dam for a German television station, managed to escape from the sinking helicopter and swim to safety.
Van der Merwe said the divers determined on Thursday that the wreckage might be around 12m from where it was originally thought to lie.
They developed a grid of 300m by 250m, which they were to scan on Friday with real-time video cameras. The cameras, with attached lights, would be lowered into the water from two boats.
If this method did not provide them with the necessary information, they might lower a more sophisticated, remote-controlled camera, Van der Merwe said.
Further options included additional sonar equipment which could be towed behind a boat, or to call in the help of the SA Navy.
Van der Merwe said cost was not at this stage a concern. The Highlands project had promised the families of the missing men that they would find them.
George van der Merwe, a spokesperson for the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, said on Thursday that deep sea divers spent the whole day scanning the area with sonar equipment.
Due to the depth and lack of visibility in the water at the site of the accident, they had to determine the exact location of the wreckage before diving down.
"In the darkness one can miss the wreckage while walking (sic) right past it," Van der Merwe said.
The helicopter is lying under 98m of water.
Pilot Lieutenant Lererileng Maloi and the engineering manager of the water project, Sethunya Nthako, who was also in the helicopter, are still missing.
Three other passengers, a crew who filmed the dam for a German television station, managed to escape from the sinking helicopter and swim to safety.
Van der Merwe said the divers determined on Thursday that the wreckage might be around 12m from where it was originally thought to lie.
They developed a grid of 300m by 250m, which they were to scan on Friday with real-time video cameras. The cameras, with attached lights, would be lowered into the water from two boats.
If this method did not provide them with the necessary information, they might lower a more sophisticated, remote-controlled camera, Van der Merwe said.
Further options included additional sonar equipment which could be towed behind a boat, or to call in the help of the SA Navy.
Van der Merwe said cost was not at this stage a concern. The Highlands project had promised the families of the missing men that they would find them.
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 71
Likes: 8
From: Earth
Sad to hear that the accident has claimed another life. Condolences to the families of all involved.
As a trimix diver and a pilot, I'm curious to see how they go about the recovery and investigation. The quoted depth is on the border between diver-based techniques and submersible techniques, making it potentially very dangerous and very costly. The coldness of the water adds to the problems. I'm also wondering whether or not they will try to recover the chopper, or leave it there. It would be interesting to hear from anyone has has some info on the recovery efforts.
As a trimix diver and a pilot, I'm curious to see how they go about the recovery and investigation. The quoted depth is on the border between diver-based techniques and submersible techniques, making it potentially very dangerous and very costly. The coldness of the water adds to the problems. I'm also wondering whether or not they will try to recover the chopper, or leave it there. It would be interesting to hear from anyone has has some info on the recovery efforts.
GunsssR4ever
Joined: Sep 1999
Posts: 3,816
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From: Out there somewhere ...
Pilot's Body Found
Stressmerchant .. this is the only new news I could find for you ...
Cheers,
Gunnsss
The body of the pilot of a helicopter that crashed in Lesotho's Katse Dam on Tuesday morning has been found.
The pilot and a senior official of the Lesotho Highlands Development Agency (LHDA) went down with the aircraft when it hit the water. The official's body is still missing.
The pilot and a senior official of the Lesotho Highlands Development Agency (LHDA) went down with the aircraft when it hit the water. The official's body is still missing.
Cheers,
Gunnsss
GunsssR4ever
Joined: Sep 1999
Posts: 3,816
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From: Out there somewhere ...
A quick summary for C4
The pilot, Lieutenant Lererileng Maloi (body found) , and his passenger Mr Sethunya Nthako (body still missing) , engineering manager of the Lesotho Highlands Development Agency, are both Lesotho citizens.
GunsssR4ever
Joined: Sep 1999
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From: Out there somewhere ...
Latest Report ..
Eischh Bert,
I heard is was a German Helicopter right in the beginning. Somebody else mentioned a BO 105.
Latest report said they "possibly " found the wreck but say the Pilot's body is still missing ??? Bit of confusing reports coming out !
Police divers believe they may have located the helicopter that crashed in Lesotho's Katse Dam last week, an official said on Sunday.
Lesotho Highland Water Project acting chief executive Refiloe Tlali said the wreckage was believed to be lying 150m deep in the dam.
Tlali said the divers were still trying to establish whether the debris they had found was indeed the helicopter.
The divers have been searching for a Lesotho Defence Force helicopter which crashed into the dam on Tuesday with five people on board.
The pilot, Lieutenant Lererileng Maloi, and passenger Sethunya Nthako who was the engineering manager of the Lesotho Highlands Development Agency, are still missing.
The three remaining passengers, a crew filming the dam for a German television station, escaped from the sinking helicopter and swam to safety.
I heard is was a German Helicopter right in the beginning. Somebody else mentioned a BO 105.
Latest report said they "possibly " found the wreck but say the Pilot's body is still missing ??? Bit of confusing reports coming out !
Police divers believe they may have located the helicopter that crashed in Lesotho's Katse Dam last week, an official said on Sunday.
Lesotho Highland Water Project acting chief executive Refiloe Tlali said the wreckage was believed to be lying 150m deep in the dam.
Tlali said the divers were still trying to establish whether the debris they had found was indeed the helicopter.
The divers have been searching for a Lesotho Defence Force helicopter which crashed into the dam on Tuesday with five people on board.
The pilot, Lieutenant Lererileng Maloi, and passenger Sethunya Nthako who was the engineering manager of the Lesotho Highlands Development Agency, are still missing.
The three remaining passengers, a crew filming the dam for a German television station, escaped from the sinking helicopter and swam to safety.
GunsssR4ever
Joined: Sep 1999
Posts: 3,816
Likes: 0
From: Out there somewhere ...
Bodies Brought Ashore
The bodies of the pilot and passenger of the Lesotho defence force helicopter that crashed into the Katse Dam in Lesotho 12 days ago, were brought ashore and flown to the government mortuary in Maseru on Sunday evening.
Lesotho Highlands Water Project spokesperson George van der Merwe said a crane was operated from the shore to lift the helicopter itself off the dam floor, but it would only be brought to the surface on Monday morning.
"Specialist divers from Durban went underwater to retrieve the bodies of the pilot, lieutenant Lererileng Maloi, 30, which was found outside the helicopter. The body of Sethunya Nthako, 50, the engineering manager of the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority, was found strapped into the back seat of the helicopter," he said.
The helicopter crashed into the dam last Tuesday while flying around a crew filming for a German television station. Sethunya and Maloi went missing after the accident.
The film crew of three escaped from the sinking helicopter and swam to safety.
RIP
Lesotho Highlands Water Project spokesperson George van der Merwe said a crane was operated from the shore to lift the helicopter itself off the dam floor, but it would only be brought to the surface on Monday morning.
"Specialist divers from Durban went underwater to retrieve the bodies of the pilot, lieutenant Lererileng Maloi, 30, which was found outside the helicopter. The body of Sethunya Nthako, 50, the engineering manager of the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority, was found strapped into the back seat of the helicopter," he said.
The helicopter crashed into the dam last Tuesday while flying around a crew filming for a German television station. Sethunya and Maloi went missing after the accident.
The film crew of three escaped from the sinking helicopter and swam to safety.
RIP
GunsssR4ever
Joined: Sep 1999
Posts: 3,816
Likes: 0
From: Out there somewhere ...
It was a BO 105
The wreckage of the helicopter that crashed into Lesotho's Katse Dam two weeks ago was lifted out of the water on Monday, an official said. George van der Merwe, spokesperson for the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, said it would now probably be inspected by both Lesotho's civil aviation authority and the military.
It was salvaged from the dam floor with a crane operated from the shore and a winch on a boat.
The bodies of two men who went down with the helicopter, Sethunya Nthako and Lieutenant Lererileng Maloi, were brought ashore on Sunday by specialist divers from Durban.
The Lesotho Defence Force Eurocopter BO-105 helicopter with the two bodies, one outside, was found at a depth of around 100m.
