Helicopter crash in South Africa (incl video footage)

[Dynamic Component]

http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=269952

Anyone know anymore?:}

[as355f1]

A man in his 20s was killed when a helicopter crashed onto two vehicles in Germiston on Wednesday, paramedics said.

Netcare 911 spokesperson Trevor Putterill said a helicopter crashed on top of two vehicles in a parking lot at an Eskom warehouse complex around 11.45am.

Emergency workers used the jaws-of-life to free the seriously injured man from one of the vehicles. He later died.

The pilot was being treated for injuries at the Union hospital in Alberton, Putterill said.

Three other helicopter occupants were unharmed.

The cause the of the accident was not known. - Sapa

[as355f1]

video

http://my.break.com/media/view.aspx?ContentID=261303

[Aser]

what a strange take off... :confused:

[Heliport]

News24 (SA)
Witness tells of chopper crash
Schalk Mouton, Beeld

Johannesburg - An Eskom employee died on Wednesday after a helicopter, from which photographs would have been taken for the power company, crashed onto two vehicles on the East Rand.

The helicopter, a Squirrel belonging to Henley Air, which is stationed at Rand Airport, was rented with the purpose of taking a series of photographs for Eskom.

The helicopter experienced problems at about 11:30, shortly after taking off from Eskom's Simmerpan complex in Germiston.

According to Johan van den Heever, spokesperson for Ekurhuleni emergency services, the helicopter battled to gain power and the pilot was looking for an open space where he could do an emergency landing. "The helicopter's main rotor hit a building and crashed onto a City Golf and a Toyota bakkie."
The driver of the City Golf died on the scene.

According to Van den Heever the co-pilot was admitted to Union Hospital in Alberton in serious condition, while the pilot and the driver of the Toyota bakkie escaped with minor injuries.

An eyewitness, who wanted to remain anonymous, said the helicopter's landing gear got entangled with the bakkie's cabin after the rotor had hit the building. The helicopter tilted forward and crashed onto the vehicles.
Van den Heever said the helicopter didn't burst into flames, but the emergency services suppressed the petrol fumes on the ground in order to prevent the fuel from catching fire.

Eskom's spokesperson, Sipho Neke, said in a short media release that Eskom was in contact with the deceased's family. He worked in the company's IT department. Neither the spokesperson, nor the police wanted to reveal any information about the deceased. Police spokesperson captain Steady Nawa said the police were investigating a charge of manslaughter. The Civil Aviation Association was also investigating the accident. André Coetzee, a spokesperson for Henley Air, didn't want to comment.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v140/Rotorheads/SAsquirrel1.jpg



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v140/Rotorheads/SAsquirrel2.jpg

[NickLappos]

Note the right yaw during the climb, followed by the descent into the car. Looks like a power failure (right yaw caused by the torque reduction during the engine failure?)

[Aser]

Could it be lack of power margin => right yaw trying to avoid the house => overpitching => descend => crash ?

Just my two cents not knowing the machine, conditions etc. :confused:

[TwinHueyMan]

Looks like the lack of climb says power was the issue? It certainly looks like he didn't have enough available, either a mechanical issue or being overweight, but he was obviously trying to get it out of there.

The left yaw reminds me of a technique I've heard a few guys talk about, letting out some pedal and flying out of trim to get a little extra umph of power that would otherwise have gone to the TR when trying to clear an obstacle. An old huey guy told me he used it in Vietnam, and still finds times it helps out when his 205 was a bit heavy coming out of a dipspot. Maybe that explains the left yaw in the video?

-Mike

[Indfly]

Agree on the Engine Failure analysis...from the rt yaw and the descent.would be interesting to hear the Findings

[TrT]

Apparently first a vertical t/off was attempted, then the run-up t/off when the accident occured? 4 on board and in a B1.... Not enough power, low rrpm?

[RVDT]

B1?? Blue blades and Arriel 1B = B

Conjecture I know -

DA on the day from public records ~ 6727 feet.

No more Ng?

[Helinut]

The video and what others are saying here does not seem to match with the press release from the company. There is no sign of hitting a blade against a building. Surely the blade did not strike a building and THEN the aircraft lifted afterwards?

[thecontroller]

i cant see a yaw in the video. looks like he just didnt have enough power then hit the skid on a car

[deltadawn]

B model + heavy, hot & high = low Nr (been there, done that, got the T) :sad:

[slowrotor]

I saw the video and thought he caught a wire on the skid.

[Outwest]

I think the "wire" was named Toyota

[B Sousa]

Consider its a BA, Elevation there is somewhere around 4500 MSL and I bet the temps were in the 30s..........Take it from there.

[Mark Six]

I agree with Aser. The "right yaw" looks reasonably well controlled. I think the pilot has realised (too late) that he can't outclimb the building and deliberately yawed right to line up with a shallower departure path. He's then overpitched and descended. The extra power demand from the right pedal input at a critical moment wouldn't have helped either. All conjecture of course.

[ems300]

just a guess but the three guys in the back ground over the fence that ran like :mad: made the right move and had to change undies before doing anything!!!!:eek:

[RVDT]

B Sousa,

Unless they know something else in SA, a BA wouldn't have "Blue" blades as in the pix!

[global718]

It was a B model. elevation 5500 msl. Four Large guys. Very heavy. Pilot had lots of B2, B3, B4 and EC135 time but had never flown a B.

[mickjoebill]

It looks like the vehicle that was hit came around the corner as the heli took off, it then stops then starts to go in reverse.

Had vehicle kept going forwards perhaps he would not have been hit.


Mickjoebill

[purge98]

Quote: "An old huey guy told me he used it in Vietnam, and still finds times it helps out when his 205 was a bit heavy coming out of a dipspot. Maybe that explains the left yaw in the video?"


Yeah...I've read Chicken Hawk as well.

[Scissorlink]

I would go for the "Ran out of right pedal" to explain the left yaw myself, but that would be beating a dead horse....excuse the pun

SL

[TwinHueyMan]

"Yeah...I've read Chicken Hawk as well."

And now that I'm more into the flying world and less the wrenching world, I've heard it a few more times. Guess the "tricks" are more popular than I once believed :oh: