Helicopter crash near Sydney 22 July 2011

[blakmax]

News reports of helicopter crash near Turramurra, Sydney. One dead. RIP.

[Heliringer]

Two believed dead in chopper crash | News.com.au (http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/two-believed-dead-in-chopper-crash/story-e6frfku0-1226099597123)

A HELICOPTER has crashed in a northern Sydney suburb this morning.
Fire crews and police are at the scene of the accident in bushland in South Turramurra.
Two people are believed to have died in the accident.
Macquarie Radio reported the helicopter crashed near a tennis and netball court complex.
A local man, Kevin, said he was in the complex when he heard the aircraft flying very low before it went down.
"I thought the helicopter was going to crash into the roof, but it went into the bush," he told Macquarie Radio.
"There's smoke coming up.
"Whether it's one of the traffic helicopters or not, I'm not sure but it sounds pretty serious."
There are unconfirmed reports a second person was in the helicopter

[zhishengji751]

Sadly reports of 2 dead now.

It's being reported as a 206.

[zhishengji751]

From the footage of the crash site, the markings look similar to one used for fire fighting. I won't post the registration.

[500N]

Seems to be a bad day for Helo accidents in Aust.


At least everyone survived this one although it sounds like it was a close call.
Chopper hits pole, flips on tarmac | News | NT News | Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia | ntnews.com.au (http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2011/07/22/248811_ntnews.html)

.

[PTTSwitch]

Let's hope it's not the helicopter owned by a certain ex electronic store owner and champion Australian......

[Squeaks]

Sydney Morning Herald update:

Police have suspended until tomorrow the operation to retrieve two bodies from the wreckage of a helicopter crash on Sydney's north shore.
They now believe there are no more victims of the crash that occurred in thick bushland just inside Lane Cove National Park at South Turramurra about 9.15am today.
But inclement weather and hazardous conditions at the foot of the 15m cliff in Lane Cove National Park have led to the decision to call off the recovery operation today.

http://images.smh.com.au/2011/07/22/2508816/chopper-crash729-420x0.jpg

The Bell 206 LongRanger that crashed is owned by engineering and concrete mixing business Davcron, aviation registration details showed.
Davcron owner Bruce Campbell, 65, who lives on the central coast and was on his way home, and his pilot, Colin, are missing, a spokesman for Davcron told the Herald.
Police have confirmed the death of Mr Campbell and are waiting to officially identify the body of his pilot.
Witnesses told of seeing the helicopter upside down in a downpour making a "horrendous sound" before crashing in the national park, near Canoon and Kissing Point roads.
The wreckage was spread out over a large area about 100 metres into the bush at the end of Canoon Road.
Ku-ring-gai Local Area Command acting Superintendent Michael Banfield said: "A number of witnesses said they saw a part fly off the back of the helicopter."
Paramedics had to abseil down the cliff face near netball courts to get to the wreckage.
Fire crews were also called to extinguish a number of small blazes around the crash site, Fire and Rescue NSW Inspector Chris Bishop said.
Kevin Williams, who was working at the South Turramurra netball courts at the time, said he saw the helicopter flying very low.
"Council workers were here having a morning tea break and I heard this horrendous sound, I thought it was going to crash into the club house, but it was about 100 metres away," Mr Williams said.
He said he and the council workers ran towards the bush surrounding the netball courts.

http://images.smh.com.au/2011/07/22/2508996/airspace729-420x0.jpg
In what weather conditions can helicopters fly? ... This CASA diagram show minimum requirements needed for pilots to fly in reduced visibility conditions. Photo: CASA


"I saw this black smoke spiralling up.
"The vibration was loud ... it was a pretty eerie sound.
"One of the council workers said it flew across and back again, very low and upside down and it crashed into the bush.
"There wasn't much hope of survival, one of the council chaps said it might have hit a cliff face.
"[Police] had to get ropes to get over and down to where the helicopter finished off."
Mr Williams said it was hard to tell how high the cliff is because it is in dense bushland, with many rock faces.

Engine stop
Residents said it was raining heavily when they heard the helicopter's engine stop suddenly just before 9am.
"I heard the engine cut out on the chopper or it hit something," Roslyn Kohlmayer, whose house is closest to the crash site, said.
"It stopped very suddenly."
Fred Kohlmayer, her husband, said he thought the helicopter was landing on the netball courts, near where it ultimately crashed.
"I thought there was something wrong," Mr Kohlmayer, who has lived on Canoon Road since 1963, said.
A resident said she heard the crash this morning.
"A helicopter was more or less circling for a while," she said.
"I thought they were looking for someone for a while and then I heard a bit of a crash ... as though it had hit the top of a tree."
No flight plan
An Air Services Australia spokesman said the helicopter was flying outside controlled airspace and it had not filed a flight plan, "which is quite common for small helicopters and airplanes".
Australian Transport Safety Bureau spokesman Dan O'Malley said investigators were dispatching a team to the crash site
The helicopter can hold up to seven people, he said.
He added that the investigators would be looking at all aspects of the crash, including whether poor weather conditions played a part.
Not Westpac helicopter
Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service chief executive Stephen Leahy said the helicopter was not from his organisation.
He said his service had a helicopter flying at La Perouse in south Sydney this morning, where the weather was "exceptionally bad".
Mr Leahy said that, while he was not aware of the current weather conditions at South Turramurra, helicopters were still "capable" of flying in such weather.
The Australian Traffic Network said the helicopter was not from its company either.
Other helicopter flight companies that smh.com.au spoke to said none of their pilots took to the air this morning.
AAP reports: Macquarie Radio reported the helicopter crashed near a tennis and netball court complex.
A local man, Kevin, said he was in the complex when he heard the aircraft flying very low before it went down.
"I thought the helicopter was going to crash into the roof, but it went into the bush," he told Macquarie Radio.
"There's smoke coming up.
"Whether it's one of the traffic helicopters or not, I'm not sure but it sounds pretty serious."
Police said they had set up a command post at the end of Canoon Road and urged residents to keep clear of emergency services.


Sad event :sad:

Sydney Morning Herald (http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/two-dead-in-helicopter-crash-on-sydneys-north-shore-20110722-1hro9.html)

[rotaryman]

Chopper victim was on his way home From: AAP July 22, 2011 3:04PM
A SELF-made businessman and grandfather was on his way home when his helicopter crashed in thick bushland in northern Sydney.

Bruce Campbell, 65, and his pilot, who has not yet been named, were killed when their Bell 206 went down about 9.15am (AEST) today, startling nearby residents of South Turramurra.

The crash site in the Lane Cove National Park, at the western end of Canoon Road, was found about 100 metres into the bush, at the bottom of a 10m to 15m cliff face that emergency services workers could only reach on foot and by abseiling down.

Mr Campbell was flying back to his home at Wyee, on the Central Coast, when the helicopter crashed.

The grandfather of five was the founder of Davcron Engineering at Granville in Sydney's west, and owned the helicopter, his operations manager of 15 years Bryan Stephens said.

The Australian, 3 hours agoEnd of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar.
Mr Stephens said his boss would routinely be flown from Rosehill, near his workplace, back to his Central Coast home, which has a hangar, every Friday morning.

He described Mr Campbell as a "down-to-earth style of person".

"We're all devastated," he said.

"A lot of people are going to be devastated because he made a lot of friends in the concrete industry."

Mr Campbell's business, which manufacturers concrete mixers, began in Granville during the early 1980s before expanding to another site at West Gosford.

It now employs 25 people.

Mr Campbell's wife died several years ago.

He is survived by three sons, including his eldest son David who is part of the business.

The pilot is believed to have worked on a casual basis.

Mr Stephens said he was aged in his late 20s or early 30s.

NSW Fire and Rescue Inspector Chris Bishop said parts of the helicopter had been on fire when crews got to it and they could tell by the smell that a lot of fuel had been spilt.

"There were several fires, small fires, burning at the time," he told reporters.

Acting Superintendent Michael Banfield of Ku-Ring-Gai Local Area Command said two bodies were found at the crash site.

"At this stage, it's a crime scene and investigations are ongoing," Supt Banfield told reporters at the scene.

"It's a complete wreck."

One resident, who lives just off Canoon Road and walked very near to the crash site, claimed the helicopter came down upside down.

"There was a loud explosion and then it just went down upside down," said the man, who did not want to be named.

"It looks as though it's clipped a tree on the way down or something."

Green and white-coloured wreckage was strewn more than 100 metres, he said.

Another resident Hoa Messer said she was in the back room of her house and heard a loud bang.

"It was like an explosion," she said.



Read more: Chopper victim was on his way home | News.com.au (http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/chopper-victim-was-on-his-way-home/story-e6frfku0-1226099891350#ixzz1SoMANAiy)


Another sad day for the Australian Helicopter Community.:sad:

[Arrrj]

It was not former Australian of the Year and top bloke.

It was 2 guys from the Central Coast, and not the one who owns half the race horses in Australia. I suspect full details will follow once the authorities are OK to release them.

FYI - I was driving very close to the crash site about 20 minutes before the accident this morning and commented "no flying in Sydney today, the cloud is in the trees".

I then sent a text to a mate intending to fly back to Sydney today in his heli that said "No fly Sydney today"...he is still on the ground down south.

I know that heli laneway extremely well, and it was not the place to be flying this morning. :(

Arrrj

PS _ I note whilst I was typing, RM posted all the details...

[zhishengji751]

Some news sites have named the pilot, but the Police news release from 4pm say they havent officially identified the pilot.
==============================

Police suspend extraction of helicopter wreckage - South Turramurra
Friday, 22 July 2011 03:54:33 PM

Police have suspended until tomorrow the extraction of wreckage and two bodies following a helicopter crash in South Turramurra this morning.

About 9.15am (Friday 22 July 2011), police responded to reports the helicopter had crashed into bushland north of the Canoon Road sports complex in South Turramurra.

The helicopter is extensively damaged and the bodies of two people have been found in the wreckage.

Police have been working today to extract the wreckage and bodies from the rugged terrain where the helicopter crashed. However, due to a number of hazards in the area and inclement weather, this aspect of the police operation has been suspended until tomorrow.

Police are also awaiting the arrival of experts from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB).

The wreckage will remain under guard overnight and a command post will remain in place at the end of Canoon Road. Members of the public are urged to avoid the area.

Police now believe there were only two people on board the helicopter when it crashed.

They have confirmed the identity of one of the crash victims, a 65-year-old man from Wyee. Police are yet to officially identify the second person.

Police investigations are continuing.

[catseye]

From Channel 7 news

pilot was Colin Greenwood.

knew him from DG's time at Sydney Helicopters, Bluesky and PNG.

The pax used to be flown on the same sector in a Robbie a few years ago.

Very sad day.

[gulliBell]

This is very sad news. I worked with Colin in PNG: he was well respected, highly regarded and widely known in the PNG pilot community.

[jimmyfalcon]

Terrible news.... I also worked with Col in PNG. He was good value on any job and kept us all in good spirit. A real team player. RIP mate.

[gulliBell]

....an eyewitness interview reported on the Channel 7 news last night that he saw something fall off the back of the helicopter in flight, and it immediately fell from the sky inverted....

[international hog driver]

Gutted......

A mate is gone and a nice machine as well.:(

Col, I am going to miss the banter we had.....

I really am lost for words.:(

[JohnMcGhie]

I've never flown a chopper. I live a few kilometres from the crash scene.

Several witnesses report seeing "something fly off the back of the helicopter". Two report hearing "the engine really loud, sounding 'horrible'" then that "the engine stopped very suddenly".

Then witnesses reported seeing the helicopter inverted.

Given this was a turbine engine, I guess we can assume that the sound they were hearing was the tail rotor, not the 'engine'. Given the pilot was both experienced and respected, it's unlikely he flew it into the trees.

Could the entire tail-rotor assembly have broken off?

Then again, witnesses report that the chopper made two passes over them: we could speculate that he knew he had a problem and was trying to get down on the nearby basketball courts.

Would he have had that long if he lost his tail rotor? Given that the weather was truly opaque at the time, why would he not have been at a higher altitude? Because he was under one of the main approaches to Sydney Airport, perhaps?

Just asking...

[gulliBell]

Assuming eye witness reports are accurate, that something came off the helicopter and it immediately went inverted, suggests that the helicopter was out of control and there was nothing the pilot could do to change the outcome....

The pilot would not choose to be flying at a higher altitude given the poor weather, he would be trying to maintain visual reference with the ground under the weather, low and slow...

No doubt all will be revealed at the subsequent enquiry.

p.s. I don't think a tail rotor falling off a B206 would cause it to go inverted, it would pitch nose down and rotate clockwise.

[bentleg]

If you look at Webtrack for Sydney (http://webtrak.bksv.com/syd)0900 - 0916 local time 22/7 you can see him fly east along the Parramatta river then turn north into the lane up the valley. He then weaves and sometimes backtracks as he proceeds up the valley. Scud running I suspect. The movements immediately prior to the crash are exceptional.

[Ascend Charlie]

Col spent some time going in circles in Fox Valley after a few unusual turns to the right in the Channel 10 lane. Wonder why he chose that route instead of out the heads and up the coast. Very sad, known him since his student days.

[212bushman]

Just a thought , if something has been witnessed to have fallen of the craft prior to impact. I'm sure the ATSB will find it.

[Squeaks]

The Webtrack shows a dramatic increase in altitude just before the tracking finishes: having maintained c.900ft from the Parramatta, readout increases to >1600ft. Climb to altitude, inadvertent IMC followed by loss of control?


Over on D & G, this is a disturbing post (http://www.pprune.org/6591196-post13.html):

Didn't know either of those involved, but my sympathy to their families.

I was listening to this on area freq as I went overhead shortly afterwards. The rescue chopper was attempting to get overhead to winch a medic down to check if there were any survivors. He had to ask the 4 media choppers over the scence repeatedly - more than 3 times - to move clear of the site so they could safely get in; Wx conditions were very poor.

I know the media drivers have a job to do, but to deliberately obstruct rescue attempts (fatalities had not been confiremd at this stage) is very poor form. They are fellow aviator's lives you could have been jeopardising!! The rescue pilot made it clear he could not get in for a winch while visually separating from so many other aircraft in marginal visibilty. He asked you repeatedly to clear the area over and to the south but you ignored this and ATC requests. Very unprofessional and callous. I won't list callsigns but I hope you are ashamed of yourselves - I was disgusted.

[Semi Rigid]

Squeaks - very dramatic increase in altitude just prior to the accident. I wonder if the 'something seen to fly off the back of the helicopter' was a component failing due to design tolerances exceeded?
Tragic.

[trackdirect]

An eyewitness report stated that the aircraft was inverted when a part was seen to fall off....
Underslung teetering rotor heads as are fitted to the Bell 206 series are very unstable when unloaded or upside down, If the aircraft became inverted the main rotor blades would have cut off the tailboom just behind the horizontal stabiliser.
This would have been the part seen to have "fallen off" the aircraft.

Heard today from people on the ground .... the tail rotor and vertical fin assembly were located around 50-100 metres from the main impact site.......

[gulliBell]

Was the tail rotor and gear box still attached to the fin structure?

I suspect there is more to this than inadvertent IMC, and that a mechanical failure of some sort is involved... The reason I say that is Colin had enough PNG exposure at dealing with bad weather to be able to manage keeping visual reference with the ground...

[havick]

gulliBell... I don't know the pilot at all, it seems like you do.

Do you know if he was instrument rated?

[tjhawkeye]

Don't believe hearsay reports that sling mud at fellow pilots.
I was there that sad day and the media pilots actually vacated the area and guided the Rescue Helicopter in to the site. They then stayed clear until the Rescue Helicopter left the area and were thanked for their help by the Rescue helicopter pilot.
Avid Aviator may have missed a lot of this conversation as it was on 120.8 and not 125.8. I bet he didn't check his facts by ringing the Rescue Helicopter or Polair before posting his bile.
I find it shameful and disturbing that another pilot would smear reputations and goodwill of fellow pilots so easily and not even on the correct facts.
Col was a great bloke and a respected pilot and will be sadly missed by the Sydney helicopter community.

[gulliBell]

gulliBell... I don't know the pilot at all, it seems like you do.

Do you know if he was instrument rated?

I mentored Colin through his early days in PNG, and found him to be quite capable at whatever was thrown at him. As far as I know he hadn't previously held an instrument rating, although it is 3 years since I last spoke to him so things might have changed since then. I would be very surprised if he made a decision to climb into IMC, that leaves the possibility of inadvertent loss of visual reference (which is always a tough ask for a non-IFR qualified pilot in a VFR aircraft), or mechanical malfunction.

I think ATSB will work this one out pretty quickly whatever the cause.

[havick]

Gullibell. Thanks for answering.

[blackhand]

Col'n would find this the ultimate irony.
Bouncing a machine at low level in Australia.
Gullibell
Your assessment of Col'n is correct, he was flying in the most appalling weather out of Bulola when I last spoke to him.
Having seen a couple of his missives about the maintenance on his machine, I have no doubt about his professionalism and ability to fly a Long Ranger.

RIP Col'n

[John Eacott]

The ATSB Report (http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2011/aair/ao-2011-085.aspx) is now available, confirming that the tail boom was severed in flight :sad:

Accident site assessment
Analysis of the wreckage distribution and key components has indicated that a section of the helicopter's tail boom had separated in flight, after multiple main rotor blade strikes. The loss of the tail boom section was consistent with its location 50 meters to the south of the main wreckage (Figure 1) and also consistent with witness reports of the event. There was evidence that power was being delivered to the main rotor blades until the helicopter impacted the terrain. Examination of the flight control system did not reveal any preliminary indications of a contributory failure or pre-existing condition that would have led to the separation of the tail boom section.

Link to Google Earth image (http://www.atsb.gov.au/media/3459753/ao-2011-085_figure1.jpg) from the report.