R66 down Colombia

[BlueWhiteSky]

source:

2 die in Bogota helicopter crash - Colombia news | Colombia Reports (http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/17589-2-die-in-helicopter-crash.html)

[Big Bucks Bernie]

ASN Aircraft accident 12-JUL-2011 Robinson R66 N810AG (http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=137399)

[206 jock]

Google translation from this source says 'mechanical failure'.

Not what Robinson wanted that's for sure

Accidente de helicptero en Tolima - Colombia Noticias: Actualidad Nacional - ELTIEMPO.COM (http://www.eltiempo.com/colombia/tolima/mueren-dos-personas-en-accidente-de-helicoptero-en-flandes-tolima_9884005-4)
:sad:

And an R44 Clipper II down in the Alps: severe burns to occupants. Fuel bladder fitted to these?

Businessman badly burnt in helicopter crash over Alps - National News, Frontpage - Independent.ie (http://www.independent.ie/national-news/businessman-badly-burnt-in-helicopter-crash-over-alps-2821162.html)

[Runway101]

Strange comment on the linked page in post #1:

Robinson needs to be sued for this accident. This helicopter had no more than 50 hours and the rotor was found 2 miles from the wreckage which means it fell off in-flight.

[krypton_john]

Could have been mast bumping?

[Edit]
Another comment claims photos show the main rotors with the main wreckage. Someone's talking BS.

[JDurrant]

Can't imagine you would travel 2 miles without a rotor blade!

Very sad news indeed.

clip from a local rag states "According to Radio Caracol a farmer who witnessed the crash, the helicopter's tail brushed against a tree, causing him to lose control and crashed."

[topendtorque]

Think I'll make mine a double,
this one ain't even started yet

[RPM AWARE]

"Can't imagine you would travel 2 miles without a rotor blade"

Depending on the height at the time surely the spinning blades could have travelled that far once free of the hull....Anyway, RIP to those poor guys...sad news

[unstable load]

Well, he can't have been that high 'cos according to a witness his tail clipped a tree.

clip from a local rag states "According to Radio Caracol a farmer who witnessed the crash, the helicopter's tail brushed against a tree, causing him to lose control and crashed."

[Soave_Pilot]

Very vague news...
I'd like to see the investigation report, I'll be flkying one of those very soon..:eek:

[Senior Pilot]

I've moved the general discussion on Robinsons to Robinson: the greatest helicopter of all time (http://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/405778-robinson-greatest-helicopter-all-time.html).

[Elflacojaramillo01]

He was my best FRIEND,they loose part of the Tail boom at 300 fts in a final app, the Tail boom was found 350 fts away from de accident! N810AG 75 TT.
WOW!!!!!!!

[StateSide]

Video of the crash site, watch the video at 27 seconds for a close up of the tail, was it chopped or did it break off :eek:???

Dos muertos dejó accidente de helicóptero en inmediaciones de Flandes en Tolima | La FM - RCN Radio (http://www.lafm.com.co/noticias/orden-p-blico/12-07-11/dos-muertos-dej-accidente-de-helic-ptero-en-inmediaciones-de-flandes)


In better times
JetPhotos.Net Aviation Photos-Registration Search: N810AG (http://jetphotos.net/showphotos.php?regsearch=N810AG)

[lelebebbel]

Looks very much chopped to me. It is cut right at the antenna, and at an angle. Right about where you would expect the MR to hit the tail.

Screenshot from the video:
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6015/5960349252_d59931c1aa_o.png

[alouette]

That's an ugly scene...:(

[verticalhold]

Never seen a pretty one yet.:\

[John R81]

On finals at 300ft, what manouver is likely to push the rotor through the tail boom?

[blakmax]

Maybe it is not a manouvre driven event. The possibility of disintegration of one blade needs to be eliminated. Blade fails, other blade lifts, failed blade spar cuts boom. This has almost certainly happened before with at least two R44s that I know of. I shudder to think that such a blade failure could occur so early in the service life of the aircraft. I really hope there is another explanation.

Blakmax

[lelebebbel]

On finals at 300ft, what manouver is likely to push the rotor through the tail boom?

From previous accident reports involving all sorts of helicopters:
Sudden control input trying to evade a bird. Pilot losing consciousness. Passenger interfering with controls. Control linkage failure. Blade failure. Pilot distracted by trying to close door, causing a low-g situation and roll. Low RPM blade stall for different reasons..... etc etc.

[henra]

Video of the crash site, watch the video at 27 seconds for a close up of the tail, was it chopped or did it break off :eek:???


Looking at the position and shape of the break area I would strongly tend to say:
Looks like a Robbie cut.

Most common cause in a Robbie are low RRPM or excessive maneuvering.

[Soave_Pilot]

There is also the possibility of the other person (non pilot) aboard being at the controls... Pretty usual out here when ur flying for private owners.
Does anyone know if both occupants were pilots?

Cheers

[cabrerag88]

my uncle Ricardo Cabrera was the pilot, he was teaching the owner (juan pablo gaviria) how to fly.

we haven't recived the report yet. but we belive that juan pablo had control of the aircraft at the moment of the accident. my uncle he was a great pilot.

they were flying 400ft, when they lost the tail, they never hit a tree or anything like that.

[EN48]

See this possibly relevant NTSB report:

http://libraryonline.erau.edu/online-full-text/ntsb/special-investigation-reports/SIR96-03.pdf

Apparently similar accidents are well documented in the Robbie accident/safety literature. Experienced instructor flying with a low time student. Student makes a large, abrupt cyclic input for some reason, MR flaps down and chops off tail boom faster than instructor can respond. May not be what happened in this case, but apparent similarities to many documented occurrences.

[VH-XXX]

A private owner from Melbourne Australia is probably the first in the world to cook the engine after a dodgey startup. Fresh from his 44 mixture procedure.

[John R81]

A private owner from Melbourne Australia is probably the first in the world to cook the engine after a dodgey startup. Fresh from his 44 mixture procedure.

I thought the start was "auto" - didn't realise that you could cook it!

[Unhinged]

I thought the start was "auto"The starter latches until 58% N1, but that's all - It's up to the pilot to decide when to put the fuel in, and if you put it in too early then things are going to cook, of course. It's also up to the pilot to cut the fuel off if things aren't going to plan.

BTW, I'm not saying that's what happened in Melbourne. I've only heard about this as a 3rd hand rumour, and had actually heard that it was a problem in a practice autorotation rather than a start. Potential owners keep asking me about the incident, but I have no direct information. Would love to hear from someone who knows what really happened.

[Arrrj]

Gents,

This is old news. Not an "incident". I do know what happened but it was relayed to me in confidence - apologies I will not tell.

That said, it was not a 'start up' issue. I have met the owner (and pilot), who is an approachable person. If you are really interested in buying a R66, why don't you contact him and stop speculating.

:=

Arrrj

[Unhinged]

If you are really interested in buying a R66, why don't you contact him and stop speculating.
I am not interested in buying an R66 - I am an Instructor who flies one for charter and instructing. I'd much prefer to know what happened so that I can truthfully answer the potential buyers I fly with, who have far more money than I do and ask me this exact question. I do not know the owner of this R66, so won't be contacting them anytime soon.

I do know what happened but it was relayed to me in confidence - apologies I will not tell.
My 2 year old nephew can do "I've got a secret but I'm not going to tell you, nah nah nah". If you won't tell us what happened, why bother telling us that you know ? Don't play silly games.

This is old news.
No-one said it was recent. H68 made a minor incorrect assumption. You can't be shot for that.

[Arrrj]

OK...fair comment. I wanted to set the record straight, but without breaching confidence.

Practice Autos is your answer.

PS - the owner would be easy to contact, there aren't too many 66's in Victoria !

[Soave_Pilot]

Any news from the investigation?

Did the report come out yet?

I'll be flying one of those in 60 days...

[Jackop3]

Juan Pablo actually got more than 100 hours in that R66, he flew that helicopter from the factory in Torrance California to Colombia, all the way down thru Florida, Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Martinique, Maurice-Grenada, and Colombia. Both of them experimented pilots and flying in good weather with no press from a client or something like that.
The pictures accident shows a tail boom that goes off in flight from the upper part of the tail rotor guard, and that's why the tail rotor was found almost 400 ft from the cabin.
Robinson is going to say that the EMU showed a low main rotor RPM, maybe they got that but I'm sure that condition happens after they lost the tail rotor in flight.:(

[enginair]

I am confused if Juan had 100 hours and had flown it back what was Ricardo doing teaching him how to fly when they had the accident

[Jackop3]

Maybe Ricardo was giving more helicopter flight instruction to Juan Pablo:rolleyes: