SAMPUBLIUS
5th Sep 2015, 15:07
http://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief2.aspx?ev_id=20140318X21532&ntsbno=WPR14FA137&akey=1
Years ago I worked with ( the command pilot ) - He was an excellent machine tool programmer at Boeing, and very careful to check his work.
The lack of a current manual- update on a safety issue for a new model- update of the helicopter was what killed him.
"According to the airframe manufacturer, six copies of Revision 3 to the RFM were mailed to the operator on May 12, 2010. However, there was no evidence that the previous edition of the checklist, the Abbreviated Checklist dated June 30, 2009, had been revised to reflect the lower Ng setting prior to conducting the hydraulic system checks."
"
Further, the Check Airman stated that after Revision 3 became active, he notified the operator's Chief Pilot of the change to the Ng setting prior to performing the hydraulic system checks; however, the checklist in use at the time was not revised. The operator opined that the Abbreviated Checklist was neither revised nor removed from their AS350 B2 fleet as a result of an oversight."++
Accidents and Incidents Related to the Hydraulic System Checks
The airframe manufacturer stated that between 2000 and 2006, there were five known events which involved the inadvertent unlocking or the pilot's failure to ensure that the collective stick control was properly locked prior to performing the pretakeoff hydraulic checks, which resulted in an inadvertent lift off during the hydraulic system checks. These known events included two that resulted in NTSB investigations (NTSB LAX01LA083 and LAX02TA299). Investigations into these previous events revealed that when the main rotor accumulators were depleted during the hydraulic HYD TEST, the unsecured collective stick raised enough to cause the helicopter to inadvertently lift off. Three events described the helicopter as spinning counterclockwise simultaneous to the lift off. Because the pilots of these events did not have hydraulic assistance to the main and tail rotor controls, the pilots could not regain control of the helicopter, and subsequently the helicopter impacted terrain. All of the known events occurred on the ground and the helicopter did not reach a high altitude prior to descent and ground impact. There were no fatal injuries associated with the five known events.
The helicopter, an Airbus Helicopters AS350-B2, serial number (S/N) 3669, was equipped with a Turbomeca Arriel 1D1 engine. A review of the maintenance records revealed that the helicopter had accumulated a total time of 7,706.5 hours at the time of the accident. Additionally, the engine, S/N 9849, had accumulated 7,122.9 hours since new, and 538 hours since it last overhaul.
Sometimes the unknown genie unzips and urinates on the pillars of science ..( paraphrased from Fate is the hunter . .:mad:
Years ago I worked with ( the command pilot ) - He was an excellent machine tool programmer at Boeing, and very careful to check his work.
The lack of a current manual- update on a safety issue for a new model- update of the helicopter was what killed him.
"According to the airframe manufacturer, six copies of Revision 3 to the RFM were mailed to the operator on May 12, 2010. However, there was no evidence that the previous edition of the checklist, the Abbreviated Checklist dated June 30, 2009, had been revised to reflect the lower Ng setting prior to conducting the hydraulic system checks."
"
Further, the Check Airman stated that after Revision 3 became active, he notified the operator's Chief Pilot of the change to the Ng setting prior to performing the hydraulic system checks; however, the checklist in use at the time was not revised. The operator opined that the Abbreviated Checklist was neither revised nor removed from their AS350 B2 fleet as a result of an oversight."++
Accidents and Incidents Related to the Hydraulic System Checks
The airframe manufacturer stated that between 2000 and 2006, there were five known events which involved the inadvertent unlocking or the pilot's failure to ensure that the collective stick control was properly locked prior to performing the pretakeoff hydraulic checks, which resulted in an inadvertent lift off during the hydraulic system checks. These known events included two that resulted in NTSB investigations (NTSB LAX01LA083 and LAX02TA299). Investigations into these previous events revealed that when the main rotor accumulators were depleted during the hydraulic HYD TEST, the unsecured collective stick raised enough to cause the helicopter to inadvertently lift off. Three events described the helicopter as spinning counterclockwise simultaneous to the lift off. Because the pilots of these events did not have hydraulic assistance to the main and tail rotor controls, the pilots could not regain control of the helicopter, and subsequently the helicopter impacted terrain. All of the known events occurred on the ground and the helicopter did not reach a high altitude prior to descent and ground impact. There were no fatal injuries associated with the five known events.
The helicopter, an Airbus Helicopters AS350-B2, serial number (S/N) 3669, was equipped with a Turbomeca Arriel 1D1 engine. A review of the maintenance records revealed that the helicopter had accumulated a total time of 7,706.5 hours at the time of the accident. Additionally, the engine, S/N 9849, had accumulated 7,122.9 hours since new, and 538 hours since it last overhaul.
Sometimes the unknown genie unzips and urinates on the pillars of science ..( paraphrased from Fate is the hunter . .:mad: