Eurocopter crash, fatal, March 20

[cooperplace]

https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/emergency-services-rushing-to-the-scene-of-serious-helicopter-crash-in-far-north/news-story/dd8f98cb323ddc314c3be1bae1f46526

[John Eacott]

Emergency services rushing to the scene where pilot died in helicopter crash in Far North

Emergency services rushing to the scene where pilot died in helicopter crash in Far North

Ben Harvy, The Advertiser
March 20, 2019 1:39pm

A pilot has died in a helicopter crash near Woomera in the state’s Far North.

Emergency services were notified of the crash about 10.50am and rushed to the remote scene, about 60km east of Woomera.

The pilot, a 45-year-old Queensland man, died at the crash site.

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority said the man was flying a Eurocopter AS350 – a large but light utility aircraft – to lay cables at the Carrapateena Mine.

A team of Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigators from Canberra and Brisbane will travel to the site.

A spokesman said the safety investigation will include examination of the wreckage and interviews with witnesses.

“The evidence collection phase will define the size and scope of the investigation and determine the expected time frame for the completion of a final report,” he said.

Major Crash Officers will also investigate with help from CASA and Safe Work SA.

Energy solutions company ElectraNet said the pilot was a contractor working on a project at the time of the incident.

“Our thoughts are with the pilot’s family and colleagues at this time,” a statement said.

Earlier this month, SA copper miner OZ Minerals unveiled a billion-dollar plan to expand its $916 million under-construction Carrapateena underground mine.

Operational staff numbers will increase to 500 once production starts this year.

This crash comes a week after a pilot was injured after crashing his helicopter into power lines near Naracoorte in the state’s South East.

The ATSB is also investigating the incident.

[John Eacott]

https://www.9news.com.au/2019/03/21/12/46/news-national-helicopter-pilot-died-crash-kieran-brown-queensland-in-south-australia

Pilot killed in crash 'all round terrific dude'

By Edward Godfrey • Reporter
8:25pm Mar 21, 2019

Tributes are being shared for a Queensland helicopter pilot who died in a crash in South Australia's far north.

Kieran Brown was the sole occupant of a Eurocopter 350, which plummeted to the ground near the Carrapateena copper and gold mine, west of Woomera, yesterday morning.

Loved ones of the 45-year-old have remembered him as "one of the nicest blokes you'll ever meet" and an outstanding pilot.

"My thoughts are with your family on such a tragic day, gonna (sic) miss your humour rest easy up there mate," Tristan Allison posted on Facebook.

Another wrote, "All round terrific dude and dragonfly pilot".

"Always made you smile and lightens up a party. We will miss you mate," Mark Fox shared online.

Mr Brown was working on powerlines from the air, for Queensland-based company Aeropower, when he crashed around 10.30am yesterday.

The company had been contracted by ElectraNet, which is powering the $960 million copper and gold mine project by Oz Minerals.

Aerial pictures show the chopper on its side, just centimetres away from a power pole.

South Australian investigators have travelled to the site and a team from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau is on its way from interstate.

© Nine Digital Pty Ltd 2019

[Nubian]

Sidehook for stringing leaves no room for error. Longline with a weight to pull the pilot rope, and you've got yourself a whole lot more margin, not only for contacting towers and previous strung lines, but when you have a line break... What an unnecessary death!
RIP!

[Mark Six]

Sidehook for stringing leaves no room for error. Longline with a weight to pull the pilot rope, and you've got yourself a whole lot more margin, not only for contacting towers and previous strung lines, but when you have a line break... What an unnecessary death!
RIP!
Not sure what you’re on about Nubian.
They (Aeropower) normally pull guide cable via long line and remote hook. Don’t see why this operation would have been any different.
Line break???- no idea what you’re referring to.

[SASless]

Stringing line by helicopter is the absolutely most dangerous flying I ever did....and that includes two combat tours in Vietnam and fighting forest fires.

Hands down...I hated doing that kind of work and found a way to get away from it as quickly as possible.

[Nubian]

Not sure what you’re on about Nubian.
They (Aeropower) normally pull guide cable via long line and remote hook. Don’t see why this operation would have been any different.
Line break???- no idea what you’re referring to.

Mark,

In short it's about margins.
I know they use a longline with a remote hook, combined with a side hook which puts the helicopter much closer to harm than necessary and leaving very little/no room for error.
By using a weight on the longline you dramatically increase the safety margin and decrease pilot workload.

The helicopter contacted the tower.....

Line break (links, joints,splices etc), or equipment failure.

[500guy]

Mark,

In short it's about margins.
I know they use a longline with a remote hook, combined with a side hook which puts the helicopter much closer to harm than necessary and leaving very little/no room for error.
By using a weight on the longline you dramatically increase the safety margin and decrease pilot workload.

The helicopter contacted the tower.....

Line break (links, joints,splices etc), or equipment failure.

Its not as simple as that. I'll take more control and slimmer margins on clearances any day, provided the margins are still sufficient to string safely. If not, yes, use a weight and get up above it. That not always an option however. Wire on top or tight corners in right of way can make that method impractical. Moreover, if you are talking doing it from a belly hook you have CG concerns. See the Astar up in Canada that crashed doing that 3-4 years ago when he side loaded the belly hook.

At least 95% percent of wire is strung via side pull technique. In the USA its more like 99%
In the USA there are at 1000-2000 Wire pulls a year using the side pull technique, With accidents only every few years.
The accidents that do happen are usually very poor technique. I dare say if they strung 1/10 as much wire with the plumb bob method there would be more accidents. There was a fatal doing it that way in Washington about 10 years ago.

What Aeropower was doing was different, pulling hard line, not sock line, (~19MM steel cable instead of 10mm) pulling backwards more than sideways.

Pulling backwards is never good, there has been more than one case of backing into the structure over the years.

[SuperF]

500guy,

what about pulling backwards using a longline off the belly hook. you get above the structures, and can turn a bit to see where you are going quite easily.

[Whattha]

I have been pulling rope, draw wire and conductor since the year 2000, initially with MD500'S and from 2004 with the AS350. The stringing with the MD500 was side pulling with the "Colorado Helicopter's" Side Pull. I then started stringing with the AS350 using the belly hook with a counter weight. I found this method very limiting with less control of the wire and was penalized by the weight of the counter weight. Seeing the advantage of the "side-pull" method, we developed a side-pull for the AS350. We pull the cable out side ways, not backwards, and to date have strung in excess of 30,000km of rope, draw wire & conductor without incident or accident. I believe this success has been contributed to the type of helicopter, the technique used and the extensive training and experience of the crew.
The accident to which this thread was started has been attributed to lack of experience and training and just adds to the long list of accidents that this operator has had over the years.

[Vladimer]

500guy.......Finally someone who knows what he’s talking about...
The technique adopted by Aeropower to pull backwards with a “SIDE” pull is beyond comprehension....
while pulling in an AS350 with the “Mackpull” as they used or in general a side pull you have a view of the up coming tower out the rear left hand door... even if it’s only the base of the tower, you have plenty of time and room to allow for it....
In this case the Chief Pilot, who was incompetent at performing stringing tasks himself trained a pilot with no stringing experience in a handful of hours and then let him loose.... the pilot being trained was a capable pilot...... but to be thrown in the deep end with zero experience and high commercial pressures imposed, is a recipe for disaster which has been proven...
the company involved in this unfortunate incident has a track record of accidents....incidents.....that reads like a horror story....
when will a stand be taken by the relivent authorities to stop this insidious culture from taking another life....

[bront]

Can someone explain this side pull method, or put up a photo please. Thanks

[dash34]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDa2dJakmD4