CHC Port Keats

[P2bleed]

Have heard there has been an incident in Port Keats with a AS332.
Can anyone add to this?

[Joker's Wild]

Am getting word of a possible rollover, no injuries. No further details just yet.

JW

[Heliringer]

Chopper hits pole, flips on tarmac (http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2011/07/22/248811_ntnews.html)



SEVEN people were hurt when a helicopter hit a metal light pole at a remote airport yesterday, which flipped the craft, crushed the pilot's cabin, and sent off a deadly explosion of fibreglass and splintered rotor blades.

One man in a nearby Troopie was lucky to escape serious injury after debris punched though the windscreen like bullets, scratching his arm. A baggage handler loading one of two nearby metroliners is believed to have suffered cuts and a broken hand.

The crash happened at Wadeye's airstrip about 4.30pm.

"The first of the blades hitting the pole shot (the body of the helicopter) around 90 degrees and it half crushed the cabin. I heard the noise and we all just ran, ducked.

"The debris - the fibre glass, the blades - kept coming across the tarmac. Three of us straight away stepped behind a wall."
He and others who had been waiting to board onto the second plane ran to help the helicopter's occupants.

"The (pilot) cabin was crushed almost to their laps," Mr Irwin said. "They were very lucky."

Police and fire services attended the scene. Police said the pilot, two crew members, three passengers and a person nearby were taken to Wadeye's clinic with minor injuries.

Wadeye resident Mary Ayres, 60, saw the windscreen holes in the Troopie that Brother Vince was sitting in at the time.
"It was just like two bullets had just been shot through," she said.

Eyewitness - contractor Graham Irwin, 52 - was actually taking photos of the Super Puma as it was taxi-ing around the metroliners.

He caught a one-in-a-million shot of the blades as they bashed into the light pole - and then had to fling himself out of the way of deadly projectiles.

"It was a horrific accident and a miracle nothing happened, that no one was killed," he said.

[malabo]

Pichers pichers, here's a whole string of 'em including the "money shot" of the first bite of the blade into the pole ( a really big, Texas sized pole, not the skinny gnarly ones you usually find in Australia).

[Bravo73]

There's a couple more in the same sequence here:

Chopper crash at Wadeye - Photo Gallery | Northern Territory News | ntnews.com.au (http://tools.ntnews.com.au/photo-gallery/photo_gallery_popup_preview.php?category_id=4391)


:eek:


http://www.ntnews.com.au/images/gallery/remote/2011/07/22/198051.jpg

http://www.ntnews.com.au/images/gallery/remote/2011/07/22/198041.jpg

http://www.ntnews.com.au/images/gallery/remote/2011/07/22/197991.jpg

http://www.ntnews.com.au/images/gallery/remote/2011/07/22/198001.jpg

http://www.ntnews.com.au/images/gallery/remote/2011/07/22/198011.jpg

http://www.ntnews.com.au/images/gallery/remote/2011/07/22/198021.jpg

http://www.ntnews.com.au/images/gallery/remote/2011/07/22/198031.jpg

[Torquetalk]

a deadly explosion of fibreglass and splintered rotor blades

Gosh, one of those deadly explosions that didn't kill anyone. They are the most dangerous of all! :rolleyes:

TT

[rotorheadcase]

Geneva Conflict you forgot to cut and paste the remainder of the CHC email you received, which I've kindly done for you below...

"The information contained in this message is confidential and is intended for the addressee only. If you have received this message in error or there are any problems please notify the originator immediately. The unauthorised use, disclosure, copying or alteration of this message is strictly forbidden."

[What-ho Squiffy!]

So head case - aside from showing your superiority, what was the purpose of "kindly" posting that?

I'd suggest to you that the news was already out there, and Geneva Conflict posted the contents of the email because it actually showed CHC and its response in a good light. And there were no significant injuries.

Sure he might have been naiive, but you are...umm... the type of chap who sits at a bar alone with his mates?:ok:

[trimpot]

I imagine that there are some smiles, as wide as the rotor diameter of the Super Puma, on the faces of those that were recently sacked by the new management :p

[John Galt]

????? That is a very weird thing to say, I doubt if anyone is smiling over this. May happen to you one day, I hope not.

[pohm1]

I imagine that there are some smiles, as wide as the rotor diameter of the Super Puma, on the faces of those that were recently sacked by the new management

I imagine not, even if it had been the "new management" at the controls.

P1

[rotorheadcase]

The purpose of my post was to point out that he is in breach of Company policy regarding confidential emails. Regardless of what may be out there or in what light it may portray CHC and it's reaction to the incident, it is not his or your call to make.

Your attempt to justify an indefensible position says a lot more about you and your professional ethics, than my lack of friends does about me...

[Wizzard]

Your attempt to justify an indefensible position says a lot more about you and your professional ethics, than my lack of friends does about me...

So you admit you have no friends then... :rolleyes:

[Baritji]

Nasty little place around that time of day is Port Keats. Hard enough to taxi past 3 or 4 cessna 400s...

That metro looks like TFG.. Anyone have pics of the other one? Anyone know how much damage was caused to them? i can't imagine it being anything more than a couple of holes?

I fly fixed wing, leave that tricky chopper stuff to you blokes! :ok:Whats an old super puma worth?

[Fareastdriver]

Almost forty years ago a Puma of the Royal Air force taxiied into a hanger door support post. The result was exactly the same as far as the reaction by the aircraft was concerned. The big difference was that as it fell over the rotor head picked up a long length of Gannet (Coiled barbed wire) and wound the whole lot around it like a big prickly doughnut.

[PO dust devil]

Didn't take the locals long to steal the windows out of it. ;-)

[Brian Abraham]

Didn't take the locals long to steal the windows out of it.Stolen? No, had to do something to gain access in order to move the furniture in.

[crewguard]

We had a similar incident when I was with Blackhawks in Townsville....while operating out of Williamtown Airforce base we had 4 Blackhawks operating out of a fighter revetment (bomb arming point) at the Western end of the field...apprently there was no room for us down at air movements section dur to Mil C130 traffic...going in and out....only a matter of time before we had exactly the same incident...main rotor strike on a revement wall, no taxi way markings was a contributing factor along with in appropriate operating areas for helicopters....crew very lucky....

[PO dust devil]

Thanks Brian.....I get that! hehe.

[topendtorque]

Stolen? No, had to do something to gain access in order to move the furniture in.


A real "windfall" if I may say, when the general classifications of owning one, two or three sheets of corrugated iron is specified as house builder, real estate agent and outright capitalist.

[malabo]

Anybody get fired yet? Not that I would expect a pilot employed by Bristow or CHC to ever get sacked. Different for a small operator- any suspicion that you're going to cost the company more that you can earn and you'd be gone. Two pilots taxiing into a pole the size of the Empire State building in broad daylight and the small operators I've worked for would have difficulty finding the confidence to bet the survival of their company on them again.

Curious how other small operators would view it. I've seen pilots let go for far less. Just wondering if that's just a Canadian thing and reflective of very tight operating margins and small 2-4 helicopter outfits.

[Pindan warrior]

The e-mail from CHC was removed before I got to see it so dont know if anyone was hurt. Were there any injuries? (hopefully not but by the looks of it there must be at least severe whip lash).
Any comment on the support afforded by the local emergency services / air ambulance - was it needed??

[Stationair8]

Whats the bet the fuselage suddenly becomes a sacred site?

"Hey whiteman lawyer from CHC , me, the missus, me kids and camp dog's live here now. The only thing missus don't like is those noisy f%cken Metros that come and go. Yeah could do something about the airconditioning unit, she no workey and soon the wet season will be upon us, beer will get hot and dog's will get bit a smelly, and we don't want the new rescidence to be moved off the Port Keats beautiful homes list!"

How many casks, flaggons, dogs can one get in a mangled Super Puma fuselage?

Glad to see that no one was killed or injured.

[FoxtrotAlpha18]

:eek: Some of you guys are seriously f%$#ed up!

What may or may not pass as humour in the crewroom with your mates is certainly NOT appropriate in a public forum! :hmm:

[Brian Abraham]

If the Mods find they are having trouble, I'm sure you'll be the first they call. :cool:

[FoxtrotAlpha18]

:hmm: So, obviously appealing to your own sense of what is right and wrong was a total waste of time then?

[Brian Abraham]

Coming from a foul mouthed blue orchid? ......... well yes. :)

[tistisnot]

Delicious ..... better than their usual sledging antics. Turned on themselves for once. Gotta larf!

[FoxtrotAlpha18]

...blue orchid...

Oh, that's clever. :D But, pretty much to be expected based on your other drivel I suppose.

And, it appears you've read more Biggles than I have! :}

[PO dust devil]

I would venture the argument that Brian in particular but including the other contributors, are more in touch with the reality of outback humour than some self styled correctness champions, in this topic appear to be.

There's nothing worse than someone showing how obsessed they are by their own sense of self worth, forcing a "holier than thou" position around people who have proved their own CDF in real life.

Perhaps it would be more correct to start sledging the unfortunates who tipped over the clunker in the pics. I guess that's what some would prefer.

P.S. FA - 18 better tuck yourself in and zip up your zoom bag. Your personality is showing.

With all due respect := - DD

[topendtorque]

FA - 18 better tuck yourself in and zip up your zoom bag. Your personality is showing.




If that is what you fly then i do hope your eyesight is not as myopic as your observation and knowledge of outback banter.

reminds me a bit of a real life story about a Judges bag handler on the occasion of the first outback native title claim back in the early seventies. The local stock inspectors all of whom used own big -often savage- blue heeler cattle dogs, had been delegated to "look after" the various parties legal representatives and of course big boss number one judge.

picture the early morning, stockie cooking brekky and yarning on with judge who's always awake;) before his young assistant.

young bag handler is watching said dog attend to his early morning ablutions, which always involves a bit of 'well evidenced self indulgence', so to speak.

without thinking young fella says, "I wish I could do that."

without blinking stockie remarks, "yer better pat him first 'e moight bite."

Judge nearly wets himself.

[FoxtrotAlpha18]

...holier than thou...:eek:
...myopic...:bored:

Riiiight... Listen, I've done my time in the "outback" and that time only served to reinforced my views.

My point is, if it is "outback banter" like you claim, then let's keep it in the outback, an not air such views on an apparently unmoderated global forum?

[blackstump]

FA18- to take the piss is surely great characteristic of Australians. Every little comment doesn't have to go thru to the sensors and be politically correct (that of course being a contradiction in terms). Chill out on the holier than thou crap. And yeh I've been to Wadeye, Port Keats or whatever we call it now. err lovely place.. If you take offence simply do not read it. This is not a country that should have opinion written or spoken suppressed- especially in fun.. whatever our polictical 'masters' tell us. The black fellas loved it when Kevin Bloody Wilson sang Livein next door to Alan or should we burn him at the stake also..

Move on son.. take a breath save a gay whale or something worthwhile.

[212man]

Topend,
I suspect that joke is an urban myth - an almost identical punchline appears in a Jasper Carrot sketch from about 30 years ago. Unless, of course, he stole the joke...

Talking of Jasper, on seeing this accident and the photos, I was immediately reminded of his 'car insurance claims' sketch - maybe the incident report will have some similarities with these claims:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJtnXMyfmzI

[Brian Abraham]

an apparently unmoderated global forum

You're quite right in your observation, the Moderators on here do a pitefully poor job. They let people get away with dropping the "F" bomb without comment, despite the Pprune rules of engagement saying "No swearing, sexually explicit or vulgar language" and they have the hide "We do insist that you abide by the rules and policies detailed". Then again, I guess it is part of the modern day RAAF lexicon to be used at Ladies Dining In Nights, Russell Office meetings with superiors (including the Minister), the dinner table with spouse and kids etc.

Note to Mods re Mods: All tongue very firmly pressed.

I've done my time in the "outback"

A posting to Tindal doesn't qualify. Flying out of Hooker Creek would.

pretty much to be expected based on your other drivel I suppose

Please give an example of such drivel, or an apology. Don't expect you to have the intestinal fortitude to offer either.

it appears you've read more Biggles than I have

Yes, read all of Johns books.

[topendtorque]

I suspect that joke is an urban myth


Ha , i've no doubt that comedian could invent the line had he not heard it, but 'tis true in this case. The late John "doc" Kierens was the stockie, the occasion was the 'Old Top Springs' land claim.

Doc was a great stockie of the old school when the Federal AIB ran matters of animal health. But a lousy shot or with terrible eyesight, as I found one day when I did the first BTEC shoot out with him with his old thirty ought six, Mediocre on the first shot and lousy there after, even from six feet off the end of the barrell.

But breasting the bar at the Old Toppy he still holds the record for an on the slack line of two bob bits. Incredible.

Speaking of pubs, I've enjoyed the company of other pi**pots at the Tindal Officers mess a few times years ago too. Saw a 'blackfella' in there one night with a set of buffalo horns over his shoulder still dripping blood.
Actually he had jumped at the chance seeing as how I had got caught short for my giftie for the xmas tree raffle and that was the last animal we found that day and it had a decent set of horns so I claimed them for the purpose. The rest was history, as was the little waffie who 'somehow' managed to draw the winning ticket for them. good days.

[floatsarmed]

Great...... yet another PPRuNe thread goes completely off topic and descends into yet another personal slanging match.....again. Unprofessional and boring. :ugh:

[topendtorque]

You've got ot admit tho' it's not every day you see a perfectly serviceable and expensive helicopter demolished in such stupid manner in the middle of one of OZ's most notorious aboriginal communities.
I mean far better to do it at the Yarra river helipad, be much easier to come up with some plausible excuse. - ????

Then some other clown sticks his head above the parapet to get it shot at.

Two ducks in the one gallery, breaks the boredom quite some.

[PO dust devil]

Hey there floats armed....


Please feel free not to read this.

DD

HAHHAHAAA! you crack me up.

[PO dust devil]

Abba, did you get bored as well and go off site?

Let's bring it back on topic and gloat at those poor guys who just did what others are about to.

For what it's worth.

[blackstump]

can't people operate an aircraft without a line.
no wonder it took me so long to work out how to land in amongst the aerials on the tuna boats- or maybe the lines were in Korean?

[Ag-Rotor]

Havn't you realised it is allways someone elses fault....not the idiot who cocked up.

[Brian Abraham]

The lack of taxi markings should have been identified by the operator's start up safety case and both the customer's and the operator's start up audits.You really are an idiot. The tarmac would be wall to wall paint if every operator was to paint guide lines for the particular aircraft operated. Would be hell on a ferry flight, imagine all the tarmac audits that would have to take place.

Somebody please push a rock over the hole of SMs cave.

[finalchecksplease]

You really are an idiot.

Don't think there are many people on this forum taking much, if any, of what SM says serious these days. He / she has well blotted his / her copybook plenty of times showing that he / she has not much more than a theoretical knowledge of the helicopter industry.
Also looking at his / her comments on the AS350 crash in Nigeria (now removed) he / she shows to be of very poor taste as well! :yuk::yuk::yuk:

[topendtorque]

Gotta feel sorry for the silly sod, that SM. Not only did it stood up in front of BA a known sharpshooter.

Thought he was gonna lob the biggest grenade, pulled the pin and forgot the lob bit.

**KA-BOOM**:{:{

nother dead duck.

or,

as we would say at Wadeye- nussya wun skinback.