View Full Version : 8 Indonesian soldiers killed during mid-air helicopter transfer
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - Eight Indonesian soldiers plummeted into the ocean and were presumed dead on Saturday after a helicopter crew cut the ropes carrying them during rehearsal of a mid-air stunt, the military said.
The soldiers were practicing a maneuver over the ocean for the upcoming Indonesian Armed Forces Day, said Gen. Bambang Dharmono, chief commander of operations. They were hanging from lines suspended beneath a helicopter and were trying to swing to ropes beneath a second helicopter.
High winds sent the helicopter plummeting toward the sea, and to save it, the crew cut the rope carrying the soldiers.
Full Grauniad (http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-3225456,00.html) article.
Sounds like a bit of a daft idea to start off with.
My commiserations to the crew involved, and my condolences to the families of those who died.
Sad day for the IAF. Condolences to the crew and families of the dead soldiers.
Tiger_mate
5th Oct 2003, 08:07
Fatalities are always sad and stir up emotions, but like it or not:
"and were trying to swing to ropes beneath a second helicopter"
Is the most stupid thing I have ever heard of in Aviation. One assumes that the helicopter previously in jepardy flew away safely? Lives wasted IMHO, R.I.P.
wessex19
5th Oct 2003, 12:24
If this is true, what a sad waste of life!!! I don't proclaim to be the know all end all of military helo ops, however, I have never heard of an exercise whereby troops on ropes are required to manoeuvre from one helo's line to another whilst airborne. Is there someone who is alot more current than myself as a military helo driver who can elaborate this!!! We never did anything close to this stunt in my day. Sounds more like a circus stunt than a helo-ex. Condloences to the families.
whowhenwhy
5th Oct 2003, 16:48
Have heard tell that the SF have used it before. I should imagine that it was only used as a last resort kind of thing, certainly not something that the reg green army would use
Capt W E Johns
5th Oct 2003, 18:42
I've tried to understand the reasoning behind this exercise, but can't. Does anybody know the logic behind this type of evolution?
OVERTALK
6th Oct 2003, 01:18
Quote: <<High winds sent the helicopter plummeting toward the sea >>
Not really. It's called the "pendulum effect". Eight fully-equipped troops hanging well below a helo's floor-mounted release. The RAAF killed SAS troops in a post hot extraction jungle fall in Vietnam 35 years ago because some people never understood what effect (getting out of sync with the oscillation induced by) a mild cyclic flare could have - but in that little-known (and covered up) case the pilot misinterpreted it as a hydraulic failure and switched off his hydraulics (thereby then giving himself that hyd failure - a self-fulfilling misinterpretation of an entirely different phenomena).
Casualties were minimized because the copilot had trouble reaching back and removing the safety pin before being able to pull the release lever (on the pilot's orders). By that time the SAS troops were almost in the trees....