Hughes 500 fatal crash on Kauai

[SASless]

A Hughes 500 owned by Great Smoky Mountains helicopters has crashed on Kauai with a passenger killed. This is the second sightseeing helicopter fatal crash in a week on the island.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070312/ap_on_re_us/helicopter_crash

[cptjim]

This is very sad news to hear. My thoughts are with the family and friends......Rest in peace


And a speedy recovery to the three people in hospital.

[MSP Aviation]

Sad to hear about another accident so shortly. This one won't raise discussions about the heli's deficient/superb/decent (depending upon who you ask) systems.

Not to be morbid, but can anyone tell where the fatality was seated? I would guess starboard as the pilot was uninjured. I'm just curious because I'm currently training to become a CFR (basic EMT), and would like to know more about various mechanisms of injury.

[Fun Police]

you are probably right. looking at the picture in the link above, it would seem to me that the fatality would have been seated in the front. if you look you will see that the aircraft is resting towards the right. the pilot sits in the front left position in the 500/600 series a/c, and in the 500 series, the rear passengers are quite well protected by the structure of the airframe.

sad news indeed.

[diethelm]

This is a 530 and not a 500. 530's are fairly robust and reliable from a failure standpoint.

One of the articles talked about this aircraft chucking the entire tail rotor gearbox, tail rotors and drive shaft into the ocean. That is a big piece of equipment and an awful long shaft to lose out the back. I wonder if the drive shaft remained in the tail boom and I wonder if the gear box broke off where the extension plug bolts to the tail boom or where the gear box bolts to the extension plug?

The difference between a 530 and a 500 in the back is a metal plug to extend the tail rotor, longer tail rotor blades, longer tail rotor drive shaft and an addtional tail rotor drive shaft dampner in the turtleback. It will be interesting to read the investigation report as it is not common to chuck the entire system and it is hard to beleive that the aircraft could have lost the entire tail rotor drive shaft out and past the three dampners. :ooh:

[cptjim]

A news video report.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8T3UnTMtEg

[JGarst]

The aircraft was not owned by Great Smoky Mountain Helicopters. It was owned by Smoky Mountain Helicopters.

[charliegolf]

If we're being picky, isn't it more likely to be 'smokey'?

CG

[Gordy]

charliegolf----Nope...
Quote
"If we're being picky, isn't it more likely to be 'smokey'?"

The park is "Great Smoky Mountain Park", but the bear is "Smokey the Bear"---both spelled differently. See links:

Great Smoky Mountain Park (http://www.nps.gov/grsm)

Smokey Bear (http://www.smokeybear.com/)

And just for the irony of it----here is a picture of Smokey Bear flying with me in the Smoky Mountain Park last week........

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j35/helokat/smokey.jpg