5 dead, Kenya Bell 505 crash

[Sikpilot]

Four American tourists and a local pilot were killed in a helicopter crash near Central Island National Park in Kenya, Citizen TV Kenya reported Monday (https://citizentv.co.ke/news/kenyan-pilot-4-americans-killed-in-chopper-crash-234076/).
An investigation is underway at the scene. The names of the victims have not yet been released as recovery efforts are ongoing.
The crash occurred Sunday night, shortly after 8 p.m. local time. Two helicopters landed earlier in the day, but the crash occurred when the choppers were departing the area.“Security personnel dispatched to the scene confirmed that among the five were four Americans and the Kenyan Pilot,” said the National Police Service in a statement Monday morning.

[FLY 7]

.
Very sad news

Is that the first fatal accident involving the new jet ranger ?

[Bell_ringer]

.
Very sad news

Is that the first fatal accident involving the new jet ranger ?

seems that way.
The japanese coast guard broke one during training a few days earlier but not fatal.

[rotorrookie]

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/310x205/dp_ruto_s_pilot_pilot_and_4_americans_killed_in_turkana_heli copter_crashjpg_310x205_9b2a57a53fb1cd8e69b0cecec087078c76ce 3132.jpg

[heli14]

Could be wrong, but looks more like a Squirrel in the photo posted by rotorrookie - no roof window in the 505 as far as I can recall?

[bellblade2014]

Could be wrong, but looks more like a Squirrel in the photo posted by rotorrookie - no roof window in the 505 as far as I can recall?

agree. That’s not a 505. Door shell is messed up too. The window goes much lower on the door and they are much larger. That pic is of an AS350 family... must be a different crash.

[nomorehelosforme]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-47438361

A helicopter has crashed in northern Kenya, killing four American tourists and their Kenyan pilot, officials say.

The helicopter reportedly crashed in Central Island National Park on Sunday.

Police said two helicopters had landed on the island's Labolo tented camp on Sunday evening - one flew away safely. The cause of the crash is not known.

Local media say the pilot, Mario Magonga, once worked for the country's deputy president and had extensive training and experience.

He had previously served as a Kenya Defence Forces pilot, but had been working for a private firm, KIDL Helicopters, since March 2017.

The US embassy in Nairobi confirmed the death of four Americans and named three of them as Anders Asher Jesiah Burke, Brandon Howe Stapper and Kyle John Forti.

[helialan]

Sunset at 18.51 local. Night at 19.06
VFR helicopter, VFR pilot
Night VFR prohibited in Kenya
Take off variously reported as between 20.15 and 20.35
Little or no cultural light

Is anyone really surprised at the outcome?

RIP the innocent passengers

[hueyracer]

The area in which the accident happened is extremely dark at night.

Even with Night Vision Goggles, flying there is extremely difficult-due to the volcanic ash everywhere sucking up every tiny bit of light remaining.

[Phone Wind]

The fact still remains that KCAA bans night flying in helicopters unless the crew and aircraft are certified for IFR flight.

I think Everett are the only commercial company using NVG in Kenya and that’s in BK117s on the medevac contract to BATUK out of Nanyuki (which they took over from 669 Squadron AAC).

[bellblade2014]

Moon light was about 3 or 4% as well. incredibly dark. not a good night for flying.

[Same again]

I think Everett are the only commercial company using NVG in Kenya and that’s in BK117s on the medevac contract to BATUK out of Nanyuki (which they took over from 669 Squadron AAC).

The Everett BK's on that contract are also crewed by two pilots, both instrument rated and with lots of NVIS experience. It is still a challenge at times with brown-outs a regular hazard.

[rotorrookie]

You guys bellblade2014 and heli14 are right, this what happens when you stupidly re-post some crap news of the internet without double checking it first:*

[Michael Gee]

What Make and Type was this Helicopter ?

[hueyracer]

Should have been a Bell 505..

[John Eacott]

https://www.nation.co.ke/news/William-Ruto-pilot-Mario-Magonga-dies-Turkana-chopper-crash/1056-5007776-e83f9g/index.html

The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) said the Bell 505, registration 5Y-KDL, crashed soon after take-off.

My edit to the misreported rego :rolleyes:

[malabo]

Was the second helicopter also from KIDL and do we know who was flying it, also after dark? Points to systemic management-sanctioned breaking of regulations.

[Phone Wind]

I think both the helicopters were from KIDL (but not 100% certain).

From what I hear, one of the passengers in the crashed aircraft was a Californian entrepreneur who had actually bought a stake in Lobolo Camp, on the western shore of Lake Turkana. All of the passengers in both helicopters were friends of his who he hoped would invest in a new adventure tourism project in Kenya. Now all those dreams will probably have perished because of disregard for the rules by people who ‘knew better’.

Irrespective of the actual cause of the crash, the fact still remains that flight in non-IFR helicopters with non-instrument rated crews is illegal in Kenya and in hostile terrain like that at night, the chance of surviving a major failure is minimal

[BigMike]

Wasn't the pilot ex Defence Force?, so IFR rated?

[nigelh]

looks like it was a 505 after all .... still don’t understand why they would be flying around in that part of the world in the dark .

[Phone Wind]

He was formerly in the KDF, but that doesn’t mean he’s instrument rated even if at some time he did instrument flying. He was flying a civilian aircraft on a commercial contract. I doubt that he had a valid, or current IR. I’m also sure that Bell 505 was nit cleared for IFR flight.

[rigpiggy]

lots of accidents there, i looked up the linkl, and all the issues they have had

https://www.nation.co.ke/news/William-Ruto-pilot-Mario-Magonga-dies-Turkana-chopper-crash/1056-5007776-e83f9g/index.html

[gulliBell]

...the fact still remains that flight in non-IFR helicopters with non-instrument rated crews is illegal in Kenya and in hostile terrain like that at night, the chance of surviving a major failure is minimal


The major failure was the pilot decision to take-off under the flight rules and conditions described, not whether the helicopter had a technical malfunction of some sort after take-off.

If the flight rules did not permit night operations, and the pilot complied with that requirement, they would all still be alive. That is the simple truth of the matter.

[helialan]

Not many hills here

[Duck Pilot]

Not making assumptions, however if the pilot elected to break a golden rule it’s extremely disappointing! When will people ever learn? There was an accident in Australia a few years ago where a highly experienced pilot who was flying a helicopter for the ABC that crashed doing a similar activity.

Experience is no excuse for blatant stupidity, not that I’m assuming this was the case in this accident. I’ve seen to many cases where pilots have broken the golden rules, VFR into IFR and idiots mucking around below LSALTs in IMC.

I can also admit that I used to be one of those stupid idiots and was lucky enough to survive on multiple occasions and have learnt. I have had a few good friends killed doing exactly the same, hence I don’t tolerate this behaviour anymore. I’m one of the lucky ones as I have survived to tell the story, some haven’t.

No excuses for breaking the golden rules under normal conditions in 2019, the pioneering days and elementary GPS days have long gone. Personal standards will only keep pilots safe, not rules and SOPs.

[gulliBell]

What's left of it.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/634x506/screen_shot_2019_03_07_at_18_44_54_fb3910cbef24299cb84327eb8 c5972d64d611351.png

[SASless]

Personal standards will only keep pilots safe, not rules and SOPs.


One must know one's own limitations....and learn to say "NO!",

The toughest opponent to that concept is one's own self.

The Rule might say you are legal and may do something....the decision to do it always remains with the Pilot behind the controls.

The Rules say you may....but can you?

[JohnDixson]

Indeed, SAS.

My predecessor as Chief Pilot at SA, Frank Tefft, offered this advice upon his retirement:

“The most important attribute of a Chief Pilot is knowing what is safe to fly and what is not.” That applies, I think, to helicopter flight operations beyond those of the test/OEM community.

[malabo]

News Update (https://allafrica.com/stories/201903060724.html)

So the second aircraft is identified as an R44, probably flown by a junior pilot in the company. And we all know those things will crash just by looking cross-eyed at them. And yet it didn’t and instead the new flagship 505 flown by the 5500 hr Chief Pilot crashed. Which says what, conditions were ok for night VFR after all? The R44 is safer than a 505? Article has a few dead ends, like the navigation aids having any influence in these days of GPS. Was the mission to depart from the shoreline lodge of Lobolo in the dark, fly 10 miles over the flat Lake Tarkana to Central Island for a recce or landing, and then back to Lobolo? On a clear night certainly doable, and it was for the 44 guy.

Maybe the R44 pilot had better night vision, unravaged by a lifetime of malaria. Ok, I’m grasping at straws here.

[aa777888]

Just going along with your hypothetical scenario...

The "junior pilot" was probably flying with his heart in his throat and thereby stayed alive through superior focus, determination and use of basic skills. Meanwhile it was all old hat to "chief pilot" and complacency got him.

Yet another idea: the visibility was superior in the R44 cockpit because in the 505 cockpit those shining beacons of Garmin technology were reflecting off of the canopy like crazy and/or just plain old ****-canning whatever night vision the "chief pilot" had.

[Bell_ringer]

Yet another idea: the visibility was superior in the R44 cockpit because in the 505 cockpit those shining beacons of Garmin technology were reflecting off of the canopy like crazy and/or just plain old ****-canning whatever night vision the "chief pilot" had.

Alternatively he may have had his eyes glued to the synthetic vision believing that would save the day.

[Flyting]

Does the 505 have a cockpit video recorder of the last 30min like on all the Airbus helicopters

[Hot and Hi]

Does the 505 have a cockpit video recorder of the last 30min like on all the Airbus helicopters
No. Neither would I be sure that the airbus one would survive this crash.

[KiwiNedNZ]

Couple of comments I heard from down that way was that it was very windy that evening and that winds were about 50-60 but they didn't elaborate if that was knots or mph.

[Phone Wind]

I wouldn’t put too much faith in anything I read in a Kenyan newspaper (or those from most countries, as reporting standards are very low these days). According to that report in the Daily Nation, Lobolo Camp is on Central Island, whilst in fact it’s on the southwest shore of Lake Turkana. Also, Kenyan police report 5 fatalities, the Kenyan pilot and 4 Americans (whose names have all been reported in numerous journals).
What I have heard is that the 2 aircraft were shut down on Central Island as the passengers wanted to watch the sunset over the lake from there. However, around sunset the weather had deteriorated with strong winds (for which the area is well known) and they waited for a couple of hours to see if the weather would improve as they didn’t want to spend the night on the island (maybe they were brightened by the thought of the large number of Nile crocodiles in the Island lakes?)

[SuperF]

The wrecked helicopter in the picture doesn’t look like a 505...

[Phone Wind]

It’s 5Y-KDL, which is definitely a B505.

[skadi]

The wrecked helicopter in the picture doesn’t look like a 505...

pic in post #4 or #26? For #4 you are right.

skadi