Whyanbeel accident near Cairns Oz

[catseye]

News.com.au (http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/four-people-hurt-after-chooper-crash-at-whyanbeel-north-of-cairns/story-e6frfku0-1226067193820)

Four people hurt after chooper crash at Whyanbeel, north of Cairns

A HELICOPTER with four people on board has gone down at Whyanbeel, near Mossman, north of Cairns.

Two ambulance crews have just arrived at the scene.

Initial reports indicated the helicopter may have hit power lines.

A Department of Community Safety spokeswoman said two people had suspected spinal injuries while another two people involved are drifting in and out of consciousness.

The Emergency Management Queensland rescue helicopter is en-route to the crash site.:eek:

[Senior Pilot]

Update from Cairns.com.au (http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2011/06/01/167135_local-news.html)

GBR Helicopters chopper crashes near Mossman

Laura Packham

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

© The Cairns Post

THREE GOVERNMENT officials and a pilot are suffering suspected spinal injuries after a helicopter hit powerlines and crashed into a field in Whyanbeel today, with fuel spilling from the aircraft.

Two Department of Employment and Economic Development and Innovation employees, one Cairns Regional Council worker and a pilot are among those suffering suspected spinal injuries after their helicopter hit powerlines and crashed into a field along Whyanbeel Rd near Mossman.

It is believed they were on the government charter conducting aerial surveys.

All occupants aboard have been removed from the aircraft and are currently undergoing emergency treatment, with an Emergency Management Queensland rescue helicopter arriving to the scene.

Two Queensland Fire and Rescue crews form Mossman and Port Douglas are also responding, following reports of a large amount of fuel leaking from the aircraft.

Fire crews were called to the incident at 12.16pm.

A loss of power has been reported with Ergon Energy isolating the site, working to restore power.

[LowNr]

Four hurt in chopper crash

Heather Beck Cairns Post

Thursday, June 2, 2011




POLICE have praised the quick actions of a rural fire brigade crew which dealt with a potentially flammable fuel spill and downed power lines so medics could reach the four injured occupants of a crashed helicopter.

A Cairns Regional Council employee and renowned helicopter pilot Chris Rose were among the four people who suffered suspected spinal injuries when their helicopter hit powerlines and crashed north of Mossman about 12.20pm yesterday.

Residents in the rural community of Whyanbeel rushed to the aid of the injured pilot and his passengers, who were all conscious when emergency services arrived soon after the accident.

The GBR Helicopter Bell Jet Ranger 206 came down at the northern end of the picturesque Whyanbeel Valley, where an unsealed road leads to cane paddocks that are ringed by steep, forested slopes.

The badly damaged aircraft, in a clearing about 100m from where powerlines hung from the trees, had smashed windows, torn rotor blades, flattened skids and was surrounded by debris.

The aircraft was carrying out low-level aerial weed surveys, with two Queensland Department of Employment Economic Development and Innovation staff and a Mossman-based land management officer on board, when it appears to have clipped powerlines.

Two seriously injured men were flown by rescue helicopter to Cairns Base Hospital, while the two other occupants, the council employee and Mr Rose, were rushed by ambulance to Mossman Hospital.

Det Sgt Trevor Perham from Mossman police said it was not yet clear what caused the helicopter to crash but that damaged powerlines nearby were subject to police investigations.

"The helicopter on the ground was in a very damaged condition, there were injured people and a lot of confusion, but I have to commend the fire service, ambulance and the medical staff who attended," he said.

"The fire brigade did a great job in making the aircraft safe, it’s a credit to them how they operate as a team. It’s a tight-knit community and it’s not very often we get a crash like this."

Emergency Management Queensland pilot Chris Marehl, who previously worked with Mr Rose at Jayrow Helicopters, said Mr Rose’s experience would have assisted in the crisis.

"You could almost assure that the experience of pilots would help in a landing like that," he said.

Police will prepare a report for the Air Transport Safety Bureau for further investigation.

[John Eacott]

An update on Chris and his recovery. Refreshing to see that the power company is reported as being proactive rather than the usual defensive response :ok:

WORLD-renowned pilot Chris Rose's biggest desire is to get back in the air, but his body won't let him.
Speaking for the first time since a helicopter crash at Whyanbeel Valley, near Mossman, on June 1, he admits his recovery has been "long, hard and slow".
A final Australian Transport Safety Bureau report into the accident has highlighted issues with the visibility of powerlines at the crash site, with a safety marker possibly blown off a line during cyclone Yasi and not replaced.
Mr Rose's efforts to land the Great Barrier Reef Helicopters-owned Jet Bell Range 206 upright after it hit the lines probably saved his life, and that of his three passengers.
It was pure instinct borne of 30 years experience in the industry – one that he is itching to get back to.
"It is really frustrating at the moment. Your head thinks you should be up and going, but the body won't let you," he told The Weekend Post.
"I will go back flying as soon as I can, but I have got to be able to pass my medical before I can do that, so I have a little way to go yet."
Mr Rose broke his back in three places in the crash, and passenger Peter Logan, a Cairns Regional Council employee, fractured his back in one place.
The men and two others were flying low over the terrain to spot weeds.
Mr Logan is back at work and while Mr Rose still has a long way to go, he has received support from not only his family, but those in the film and television industry he has come to know through working on movies such as Australia, and television shows including Survivor.
A normal day for him now includes going to physiotherapy and managing his pain. Wife Deb Rose said despite what the family had to endure, she was glad her husband was flying the helicopter that day.
"Even with all the pain and suffering Chris has been through, I still would not swap him flying that machine that day because the outcome would have been very different," she said.
The final report into the accident said the powerline was underneath the tree canopy and extremely difficult to see.
GBR has already taken internal action in a bid to stem further powerline incidents.
"As a result of the accident, the helicopter operator conducted a pilots' meeting to discuss the factors that led to the accident and highlight the hazards associated with that particular task as well as other similar tasks," the report said.
"The operator modified their pilot briefing notifications to highlight the potential hazards of operating at low level and to encourage increased pre-flight awareness and planning."
At the time, an Ergon Energy spokesman said the company would work with aviation industry representatives to develop strategies to help pilots avoid hitting powerlines.

Injured pilot dreams of day he can return to the sky (http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2011/12/31/198805_local-news.html)

http://www.cairns.com.au/images/uploadedfiles/editorial/pictures/2011/12/30/Cairns-GalleryLandscape-CP30DEC11P005-C0102653-CHOPPER2.JPG

[heliduck]

I was surprised ( & a little sceptical) to see a comment like that from Ergon. I've been working with them & talking to them about marking wires for 15 years & was always told by them that it is always pilot error & they won't be moving/marking wires. Maybe the winds of "Duty of care" are blowing softly through Ergon?
I'd like to give them the benefit of the doubt, but given the size of the SWER line network in this country & the cost involved in modifying it to make it safer for airwork aircraft I don't believe for a minute that anything more than a glossy brochure for pilots will come from their "develop strategies" initiatives.

Good to hear Chris is mending, I hope the observer is doing well also.

[topendtorque]

I'd like to give them the benefit of the doubt, but given the size of the SWER line network in this country & the cost involved in modifying it to make it safer for airwork aircraft I don't believe for a minute that anything more than a glossy brochure for pilots will come from their "develop strategies" initiatives


I agree and neither could it, as the requirement to mark them all would mean a total re-engineering with heavier cable, shorter spans (many more poles) and an expense which would pretty much prohibit the use of this excellent network.

I think the same goes for the larger power lines if one marker blew off in a wind storm as suggested and wasn't replaced then why should the power company be called to ransom when they are flat out fixing the other wind blown damage.

Because of cost, power lines will usually be constructed below the tree canopy in most areas otherwise they wouldn't cut down the trees to accomodate the transmission route. Having wires above trees without a cleared line I think would make them more difficult to see.

Perhaps there is nowadays an increasing preponderance to rely on GPS as the primary and only navigation tool instead of the updated WAC map which every pilot should research thoroughly before starting the engine.

Had the power company constructed a line and not notified the map people then a duty of care case might be had?
I wonder when it is that they have to notify of a new aerial hazard, before construction or after it?

I don't think we should be too defensive about what the power company should do, instead its worth while remembering the old adage about never descending between two points on the horizon until the area below is cleared. Of course remembering that a converging power line may well be on that high hill as the horizon and still out of sight until quite close.

I often reflect with great awe of the low level navigation expertise of WWII penetrations when they had only the map and the mark one eyeball, at night and sometimes planning to go under a HT line some great distance from the starting point.

I don't know this pilot from a bar of soap, never heard of him, but wish him well in his recovery.

[catseye]

TET,

there seems to be differing standards across the country. In some places with known high helo traffic areas markers have been installed. Hawkesbury River and Thredbo Valley are two that come to mind. In other places the electricity authorities were forced to sand blast cable and paint the pylons (big suckers) green as an environmental condition in an isolated area.

There was considerable discussion of the varying options following the fatal accident with Locust Staff on board which I recall required powerlines to actually logged in a database. More emphasis came after another accident on the Parkes - Orange road.

Ogsplash may provide some more info if he is watching.

Catseye

[topendtorque]

electricity authorities were forced to sand blast cable and paint the pylons (big suckers) green as an environmental condition in an isolated area.




that is incredible, hadn't heard that before, when are these loud minoroty ( err, perhaps that spelling best describes these morons?) going to be put in their place I wonder?

I guess there would have to be an accessible database idea as best, with a notice of intention to construct and a final description after construction. That would be easy for an approved plan to be forwarded from the power company or the planning authorities?

It might be better than the copious notices with upcoming amendments to the wac maps, which only get printed every so often of course.

I certainly have spent plenty of time briefing pilots on the dangers of locust work, which requires scanning behind your traversing - usually at wire height - of activity in your downdraft. especially after the bingle you refer to.

regards tet

[heliduck]

With regard to HT pylons etc marking wire locations on maps & GPS databases has merit, but I disagree with marking 3 phase & SWER lines on these maps. Having a SWER line marked on a map could lull the pilot into the false sense of security that he was safe from wires unless they were on his map - "there's no wires on the map, lets go!!".
I get my non-ergon observers to mark wires onto their map as we see them to improve situational awareness, but I never rely on those maps in the decision making process regarding low flying (what about the ones we didn't see?!?!). When flying with Ergon we use their map, but I never descend below powerline height while surveying as their map has been wrong on more than 1 occassion.

Making wires & poles more visible would improve the odds that a pilot will see them in time to avoid them, but that's not practical. Then there's the issue of flying into a wire which we knew was there but forgot about. The best we can do until we find a solution is rely on process & procedure regarding low flying in a wire environment, & look, look, look. I hope I can practice what I preach.

[Geoff Williams]

I have often wondered the feasibility of the power generation companies inducing an RF coded signal into its distribution systems that could be detected by a suitable airborne receiver, much like TCAS.

The selection of the RF frequency would have to be carefully planned so as not to cause the interference we see from current transmissions over power distribution systems.

With such a system, it wouldn't matter if farmer Brown today decided to run a new line to his pump on the dam, nor if power was being consumed on the line or not, as the entire grid could be used as a low powered antenna.

If we can detect very low powered signals from the GPS, then this idea is not so far fetched.

Maybe I should give up my day job and get a government grant to develop such an idea!!

But in the meantime, believe there is a wire there whenever you're low level, even if you have already 'surveyed' your work area.

Geoff

[heliduck]

Interesting concept Geoff, I deal with propellor heads from various electrical & radio fields from time to time, I'll ask them what they reckon. Maybe you should patent it now?

[nigelh]

I am involved with a company that can detect one strand of thin wire even when buried AND not connected to a power source . I will hopefully be starting trials on a helicopter mounted TCAS system that will alert the pilot of ANY structure , incl gliders and non xponder equipped aircraft and of course all wires down to single telecom wires :ok:
I shall let pprune know as soon as there is working prototype . I believe this little box will save a lo of lives .