Albuquerque, NM USA--Crash

[arismount]

Pilot injured in UNMH helicopter crash | New Mexico News - KOAT Home (http://www.koat.com/news/helicopter-crash-lands-on-unm-hospital-roof/25404754)

[helihub]

PHI Air Medical AS350B3 first registered in December 2013. Note that top left of the first photo below is the automatic sprinkler system, NOT smoke.

http://www.koat.com/image/view/-/25405610/medRes/1/-/maxh/358/maxw/538/-/3x1n96/-/2014-04-09-18-51-39-Windows-Media-Player-jpg.jpg

http://www.koat.com/image/view/-/25405650/medRes/1/-/maxh/358/maxw/538/-/un4cfj/-/2014-04-09-18-54-56-Windows-Media-Player-jpg.jpg

http://download.gannett.edgesuite.net/arizonarepublic/brightcove/29901534001/201404/2066/29901534001_3451205986001_video-still-for-video-3451357802001.jpg?

[C4]

Missed the pad did we!!

[Boudreaux Bob]

Yet another Air Bus making the News!:uhoh:

[Gordy]

Pure speculation....but TR looks to be undamaged in one piece...... Could indicate it not turning on impact...

[The Sultan]

It could be they ran out of fuel. The Astar is not known as the Pinto of the skies for nothing. Secret video of 350 crash test below.

Top Secret Pinto scene - YouTube

The Sultan

[LRP]

The news article says it burst into flames but that the sprinkler system suppressed the fire. Sounds about right.

[mickjoebill]

The news article says it burst into flames but that the sprinkler system suppressed the fire. Sounds about right.

But no evidence of foam?


Mickjoebill

[John Eacott]

Crashed helicopter removed from roof: (http://www.koat.com/news/new-mexico/albuquerque/crashed-helicopter-removed-from-roof-of-unm-hospital/25450510)

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. —A disabled PHI Air Medical helicopter was lifted off the roof of UNM Hospital Saturday, three days after it crashed while attempting to take off.

Police blocked off a section of Lomas Boulevard before dawn Saturday and shortly after, crews positioned a 125-ton crane in front of the hospital's entrance.

By 10:15 a.m. the helicopter was on a flatbed truck. Electricity, which had been provided by generators during the operation, was then turned back on.

"The emergency operations center did exactly what it's supposed to do," said Dr. Bob Bailey, a UNMH physician and EOC incident commander. "Patients and staff are safe, and the integrity of our clinical operation was preserved. What a privilege to work with such dedicated people who rose to the challenge and performed superbly."

Before bringing the main body of the helicopter down, the crane lowered the aircraft's tail and two 55-gallon drums of fuel that had been offloaded from the helicopter Friday. Due to high-voltage power lines running next to the hospital, PNM required that power be cut to those lines while the crane lowered the wreckage.

Clinical services at the hospital continued uninterrupted while the helicopter was removed. UNM had cancelled classes and indoor events scheduled before noon Saturday. The adjacent UNM Health Sciences Center had also cancelled campus activities Saturday.

“We spent all day Friday planning for how to carefully make the power switch so there would be minimal impact to the hospital and to the campus,” said Mary Vosevich, UNM's physical plant director. “We had contingency plans in place and implemented them with more than 40 physical plant employees working to make sure everything went as smoothly as possible.”

The National Transportation Safety Board has possession of the helicopter as it continues its investigation into what caused the crash.

The helicopter spun around several times before landing on its side near the edge of the roof after it attempted to take off from the hospital's helipad.

No patients were aboard when the helicopter crashed. The pilot suffered minor injuries but two other crew members on board were not injured. There were no injuries to UNMH patients or employees.

As a precaution, 18 patients on portions of UNMH's fifth and sixth floors directly beneath the helipad were moved to other areas of the hospital. Otherwise patient care was uninterrupted, the hospital said.

Most clinical and administrative hospital operations are back to normal.

http://www.koat.com/image/view/-/25450582/highRes/2/-/maxh/460/maxw/620/-/13p6loz/-/helicopter-removal.jpg

[Boudreaux Bob]

Roof Top Helidecks and 135's making Take Off's seem to be a dangerous combination here of late.:uhoh:

[yellowbird135]

Roof Top Helidecks and 135's making Take Off's seem to be a dangerous combination here of late.


What has a 135 to do with this incident Bob?

[Boudreaux Bob]

OOPs! Brain Fart! Brain was saying 350's and fingers were doing their own thing.

[Dan Foulds]

"The pilot added that the pedals were jammed or locked, in the neutral position."

CEN14FA193 (http://www.ntsb.gov/aviationquery/brief.aspx?ev_id=20140409X31907&key=1)

[Gemini Twin]

Seems to be some similarities with the recent ENG AS350 accident in Seattle, fortunately in this case it didn't go over the side.

[chopjock]

Is this another silly throttle lever position problem?

[newfieboy]

Throttle on collective twist grip on B3.....is on our company a/c anyway....

[Lonewolf_50]

The pilot reported that he had completed all pre-takeoff hydraulic checks and that after liftoff, he commanded a slight left turn. However, the helicopter kept turning and entered a spin. The pilot added that the pedals were jammed or locked, in the neutral position. Video from a security camera mounted on the hospital helipad revealed that the helicopter began to yaw in a counterclockwise direction as it lifted off the helipad. The helicopter completed several rotations before it impacted the roof top, and came to rest adjacent the helipad. A small post-crash fire started, but was extinguished shortly after the helipad's fire suppression system activated. chopjock, I am not familiar with this model of aircraft. How does a throttle position problem translate into the above? :confused: From the link in Dan Foulds' post.

[Boudreaux Bob]

The pilot reported "blocked pedals". Where is the tie to the Throttle in that comment? He did not say he applied full pedal and got no response, which could be a function of Rotor RPM loss. Also no mention of Rotor RPM issues either.

The pilot added that the pedals were jammed or locked, in the neutral position.

[chopjock]

How does a throttle position problem translate into the above?

Generally, if you have a tail rotor problem, or spinning with the engine torque, you might want to reduce the throttle to help reduce the spinning.
Most Squirrels have a stupid throttle lever position/location either on the floor or on the roof. So how do you do a hovering auto if you have to let go the lever?
Apparently this type was a B3 with a sensible throttle position on the lever. So the pilot would be able to control throttle without having to let go the lever.

[alouette]

The B3 has a throttle-twist grip. So all them fancy levers are gone.

[Jack Carson]

The B-3 has an Off, Idle, Fly switch. The twist grip is used in the event of a primary engine control malfunction.

[chopjock]

The twist grip is used in the event of a primary engine control malfunction.

Also: The twist grip can be used in the event of a primary tail rotor drive / control malfunction.

[Boudreaux Bob]

Can a 350 power lever (engine speed control) or whatever the thing is called, be used to reduce Rotor RPM during Tail Rotor Emergencies? I understand it would require the use of the Collective Hand to make that movement but then so did the S-76, BK, BO for that matter.

After all it is an emergency situation is it not?

[stevenzs]

You need to differentiate between B3 models. There are three different engines as the aircraft has developed. The 2B used the single channel Fadec the Off/Idle/Fly Fadec switch with manual control of the engine via twist grip if there was a Fadec failure. The 2B1 introduced a dual channel Fadec with mechanical back up and an Off/On switch with idle and flight controlled by twist grip positions. The 2B1 models also offered the IGW to 5250 if equipped with dual hyd. The newest B3, marketed as the "B3e" but still certified as a B3, offers the 2D engine with the same IGW with dual Hydraulics, same Off/On switch with idle/flight controlled by the two position twist grip, dual channel Fadec with mechanical backup, an improved Fadec, longer MCP of 30 min and an eventual engine TBO 0f 6,000 hrs (4,000 as of now). With the dual channel versions there is no "manual" control. If both independent Fadec channels fail, there is a mechanical back up but no manual backup. I'm not a 10,000 hr guy but have time in all three versions and the emergency procedures are significantly different between the 2b and the 2B1/2D as far as fuel control/Fadec failures.


The B2's do not have Fadec and the vast majority are equipped with a fuel flow control (FFC) mounted on the floor. A twist grip is available as a factory option although not very common and very pricey. With the twist grip option, the start is completely manually modulated similar to RR C30 in the 206Ls and MD530s. On the newest B2's, there is an "idle stop" incorporated in the throttle quadrant (emergency shutoff, rotor brake, FFC). Up until 2013, this was not offered and there was no "idle stop", you had to watch Ng to know where idle was (67-70% Ng) and, in emergency procedures/auto rotation training, make sure not to move it too far to the rear as to cause a shutdown. In a hover, a tail rotor failure in a B2 with a FFC would be very sporty. Letting go of the collective to grab the FFC, pull it out of the detent, shut the engine down and then grab the collective again to cushion the landing all while you are trying to keep the thing from spinning too fast before the skids contact the ground and you roll over? I would guess the "average" pilot couldn't do it all in the real deal, myself included, especially when you figure in the time to recognize the actual problem as you start to spin. In training you are expecting it but of course you are not in real life.


Regards.

[JimEli]

Dual hydraulics with a collective mounted yaw servo test/cutoff switch?

[John Eacott]

Speed select in the overhead/on the floor, single pilot?

Dump the lever. No quibble, no playing, just dump the lever and take off the torque. Fly the helicopter. Then debate whether you will fiddle around with the fuel control or not.

[stevenzs]

Yes, collective mounted cut off/yaw servo test switch for the dual hydraulics.


And I agree with you Mr. Eacott, that's about the best option in my humble opinion. I think pulling the FFC off is a bit unrealistic. Hopefully you drop it and get it back on the ground prior to the rotation becoming to great and causing it to roll over. Going to have to be quick! I have discussed this with several pilots whose opinion I respect and it was pretty much agreed the hardest part is getting past the "Oh sh**, whats happening!" second or two time delay.

[Devil 49]

In the Aerospatiale, er- Eurocopter, no- Airbus helicopters without a twist grip engine control, collective down is your only option. It's a tough decision that has to be made quickly in a demanding situation, especially if you don't have an expansive area to land. It will land hard, you can't grease this one on, and accurate placement of the skids is more hand grenade than pistol, pretty much the exact opposite of every flight maneuver one has initiated.

If anti-torque control was the issue and rotation nose left/pedals unresponsive make it sound so, at least this one stayed on the roof, everybody survived and no bystanders were involved.

[Art of flight]

Having survived a tail rotor failure in the IGE hover, I can attest that slamming the lever down is pretty much all you've got time to do. That was a Lynx with ECLs in the roof, we went through 270 degrees from 4 feet to the ground in around a second, and the NHP got the throttles un-gated and back after we touched down.

[Gordy]

And here is video of the accident:

Live Leak Video (http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=dd6_1398453005#zHiUvj4T0yACycba.01)

[LRP]

Slow and easy every time you pick it up will prevent this. I know I'm preaching to the choir, but I really can't see any reason for this type of accident. As soon as the nose started to yaw he should have put the collective down. Very similar to the roll over accidents where a skid is hung up and the pilot tries to snatch it into the air.

[Boudreaux Bob]

Amen Brother!

Far better to bend a Skid or s something than to stay in a hover and let the rate of turn build until it becomes really dangerous.

[Boudreaux Bob]

Hey Gordy......you hear an echo in the room?

[TexanHawk]

Huh? Y'all must be hearing things.

[Art of flight]

You can say that again!

[Boudreaux Bob]

Harley Riders....what can you say....those two wheeled tractors they ride just beat the sense out of them!:E