T129/AW729 Down in Italy

[leopold bloom]

ASN Aircraft accident 19-MAR-2010 AgustaWestland/TAI T129 ATAK (AW729) CSX81723 (http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=73522)
Heard through the grapevine that a 129 had come down, Googled the link above, any Italian Pruners with more info?

[Aser]

W O W...
http://www.vcoazzurranews.info/images/stories/1_tg_cronaca/incidente_crevola19032010.jpg

video:
VCO Sat - ELICOTTERO PRECIPITA A PREGLIA DI CREVOLADOSSOLA (http://www.netwelink.it/vcosat/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10059&Itemid=2)

Narrative:
The T-129 ATAK prototype lost its tail rotor at 15000 ft. height. Two people on board escape fatal injuries thanks ability of test pilot cassioli.


good job :ok:


Regards
Aser

[helimutt]

+1. How the hell could anyone survive that?:eek: Lost tail rotor at 15,000'??? but it wasn't a 139?

[misterbonkers]

15000ft? Autorotation 3, 2, 1 Go... and let it sort itself out?

[NRDK]

Lucky, looking at the state of the head, did they leave both engines going during this emergency? Hope the 2 crew have a speedy recovery.

[212man]

but it wasn't a 139?

No, it was a 129. Was being the operative word :\

[helimutt]

I wasn't being disrespectful to the pilot, who obviously did a sterling job considering what he was faced with, but when i saw AW, I immediately thought of the pic from the gulf of the 139 with the tail hanging off, even though I knew it was a 129.

They're probably not even remotely similar in build characteristics. :uhoh:

[captchopper]

Wow... the hats off to this pilot.
Agusta is really gonna come under scrutiny with the tail rotors! I was wondering if such military aircraft accident reports get published in something like NTSB ??

[blakmax]

I am in total awe that people survived this and the pilot deserves a medal.

In response to helimutt: They're probably not even remotely similar in build characteristics. http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/src:www.pprune.org/get/images/smilies/worry.gif the significant question is: are the rotors made in the same facility as the booms from the AW139?

[skadi]

15000ft? Autorotation 3, 2, 1 Go... and let it sort itself out?They didnt have so much time, the failure took place at an altitude of 1500 ft:
Nevertheless a very good job!

PICTURE: Turkey's first T129 attack helicopter crashes (http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/03/23/339797/picture-turkeys-first-t129-attack-helicopter-crashes.html)

PICTURE: Turkey's first T129 attack helicopter crashes
By Tolga Ozbek ("")
http://adserver.adtech.de/adserv|3.0|289|1061237|0|277|ADTECH;loc=300;key=key1+key2+ke y3+key4;grp=[group] (http://adserver.adtech.de/adlink|3.0|289|1061237|0|277|ADTECH;loc=300;key=key1+key2+ke y3+key4;grp=[group])

The first prototype of AgustaWestland's T129 attack helicopter being developed for Turkey crashed on the afternoon of 19 March during a test flight, leaving its Italian test pilot and its test engineer needing hospital treatment for minor injuries.
Early indications point to a loss of power to the tail rotor while flying at an elevation of 1,500ft (455m) near Verbania in northern Italy. Investigation of the incident will focus on establishing the exact cause of the power failure.

http://www.flightglobal.com/assets/getAsset.aspx?ItemID=33407 The $3 billion ATAK project, based on the A129 Mangusta, is likely to be delayed because of the crash. The deal was signed in 2008, and the first prototype, P1, made its first flight in September 2009. Turkey has ordered 50 production T129s for delivery from 2013 and has options on another 41.
AgustaWestland will make two T129 prototypes in Italy, after which manufacture will shift to its Turkish partner TAI. The aircraft will be equipped with Turkish-made systems including electronics, forward-looking infrared sensor, cockpit avionics and mission computer from Aselsan, and weapon systems from Roketsan.

http://www.flightglobal.com/assets/getAsset.aspx?ItemID=30994 © ATAK

The first T129 flight took place in September 2009



skadi

[widgeon]

Yep I thought auto from 15,000 should have been a non event from 1500 I can see that things would happen much faster.

[makrider]

the significant question is: are the rotors made in the same facility as the booms from the AW139?

What are you trying to say ???

:confused::confused::confused:

[nimby]

a non-event, except for oxygen kit?

Looks like the A129 crash structures worked and blackmax, the later article talks about loss of tail rotor power. The TGB is clearly visible (and intact) in the video, though I can't make whether the hub's attached, it sits below the camera shot.

[dangermouse]

this is a RUMOUR site

bear that in mind

A speedy recovery to both crew is what we should be thinking

DM

[ase engineer]

I am in total awe that people survived this and the pilot deserves a medal.


and don't forget the engineers who designed the u/c, structure and seat to absorb all that energy and keep the cockpit intact, eh?

[Hilife]

Was not the original A129 Mangusta rotor system taken from the A109?

Accepting that a blade may be missing, there are only 4 blade roots visible in the picture in post #11, but it was my understanding that the T-129 (based on the A129 International) would have a 5-bladed rotor.

Is it missing a blade, or are the initial T-129 test platforms fitted with the original 4-bladed A129/A109 rotor system?

[blakmax]

Guys

Sorry I have been busier than a centipede on a hot barbeque plate and haven't had the opportunity to respond to makrider What are you trying to say ???
and nimby: blackmax, the later article talks about loss of tail rotor power.

My comment: the same facility as the booms from the AW139? was in response to helimutt's comment They're probably not even remotely similar in build characteristics. To explain, I am convinced that the AW139 tail boom disbonding and possibly the failure at Doha are directly related to micro-voids occurring in the adhesive bond. I base this on photographs sent to me from three different sources which show the disbond surfaces for two cases. These photographs clearly show a very high micro-void content. In studies I have been involved with, micro-voiding can reduce the shear strength of joints by more than 50% and the flat-wise tensile strength of sandwich panels by nearly 30%.
Micro-voids are caused by exposure of adhesive films to high humidity during storage or processing. Hence, the location of the facility (humid environment or not) where structures are bonded can be as significant as the build characteristics to which helimutt referred.

To clarify: I am not suggesting, inferring or in any way construing that adhesive bond failure was a cause for this event. My comments were purely a response to helimutt's posting.

Regards

blakmax

[makrider]

the significant question is: are the rotors made in the same facility as the booms from the AW139?

then our question makes no sense... :=:=:=
Think before post useless questions and statements ...

[Nealzinmallorca]

This is off subject and for that i apologise.

However, being a pilot of only 100 hours or so i am intrigued as to what the course of events would be if someone DID have to auto from 15000ft?

Thanks
Neal

[nigelh]

The same as 1500 ft but 10x longer wait ...assuming 1500ft/sec ROD........

[Shawn Coyle]

I flew the A129 with Luigi Cassioli several years ago for an article in Rotor and Wing (1995?? or thereabouts). A true gentleman, and a wonderful pilot. I wish him a speedy recovery.
The T129 had a new type of tail rotor that was developed specifically for this version of the machine.
And await details of the cause of the accident…