God speed to the crew of VH-COK
 

sadly today, the crew of VH-COK were killed today at Jaspers brush.
Its quite a sobering experience when the aircraft departing behind you doesn't make it..
Rest in Piece. :{

It's breaking news on Channel 10 at the moment. R44 crash after takeoff on it's way to film a documentary on Jervis Bay.
RIP to the crew, hope you're okay UL :(

im ok, just that utterly helpless feeling , but sadly the accident was witnessed by all the guys at Jaspers including a few small children. :(

Very sad news. Two professionals who were just doing their job will not go home to their families tonight. My most sincere condolences to all. :(

A person allegedly passed up the job because it involved a 100kg 3D camera mount in the executive producers private R44.

Some reports refer to it being a recce flight.
If so hand held camera could be used for reference.

edit
South Coast Register reports that Cr Bennett who was an eyewitness, said they were to shoot a marine vessel in Jervis Bay.
James Cameron was on scene after the crash.


Mickjoebill

Who's AOC were they operating under?

Registered operator as of 22 September 2005 BANKSTOWN HELICOPTERS PTY LIMITED, registration holder GREAT WIGHT PRODUCTIONS PTY LTD.

The crash sequence was filmed and the video has been handed to the authorities.

The ATSB should interview the cameraman who passed up the booked job Two hours before the accident.

When he saw that it was only an R44 and that it was going to have to carry a 100Kg 3D camera mount plus his not inconsiderable bulk, plus heavy professional cameras and the usual gear, and it was to be flown by the Executive Producer, he bailed, and was abused as a wus by the EP, who then hired another guy at short notice.

If he hadn't, we would have been child minding next week while others attended his funeral.

Bloody tragedy for all concerned.

I taxied past the R44 just before the fateful incident, I did not see anything mounted externally on the aircraft, or the guys lugging around any camera equipment at all, just waved to the guys as they climbed aboard, they were wearing floatation devices, nothing out of the ordinary to suggest weight might have been an issue.

Sunfish always likes to be the one with the conspiracy theory....

Which seat did the passenger occupy?


Mickjoebill

xxx:

It aint theory. Thats a friends direct experience. He and some others have made a pact about refusing dangerous assignments - and doing professional video from a piston single helicopter is classed as just that. Too many cameramen have died in helicopter accidents.

I wouldn't know if the guy Wight hired had the heavy professional camera gear that would have necessitated the mount that *** was told to use.

We are not going to get any more clarity about this allegation unless *** makes a statement to the investigation team, as there are scenarios where *** claim and those of eyewitnesses could both be true.

Andrew Wight a few weeks ago opened a production and facility office in Melbourne for James Camerons production company. The company will specialise in providing crew cameras and management of 3d productions. So plenty of chunky camera kit available in house at short notice.

Some scenarios
Heavy kit could have been installed on the rear seats, unseen by passing aircraft.
They could have been flying off to install kit being used by a ground crew.
They could have been using a very compact lightweight 3d setup (smaller than a news camcorder)
They could have been using a 15kg camera head with trailing cables to 50kg of kit.
ect ect

Plenty of options, including simply doing a recce flight with a small camera.

The team were working for Discovery Channel with an involvement by James Cameron who arrived at the accident site. JCs involvement will generate all kinds of noise.
The pilots website states he held a CPL.

ATSB report
Investigation: AO-2012-021 - Collision with terrain - Robinson R44, VH-COK, Jaspers Brush, NSW, 4 February 2012




Mickjoebill

I think you will find the cameraman concerned will be interviewed by ATSB.

I do not know if the cause was weight related, weight may have nothing to do with it, all I know is that he pulled the pin when he saw it was an R44 piloted by the executive producer. According to him, it was going to be too cramped for him to work well, and the gear he was to use was heavy.

Both this guy and another one I know are Award winning ACS members and do a fair amount of aerial work from time to time and they have decided to refuse some of what they consider to be the more dangerous requests that are routinely made to camera men.

Their view is that you really want a turbine, preferably a Twin turbine with a professional pilot, with a bit of room to get good results in safety.

Based on ABC crash of 2011 we all know that is not the case either.

Interestingly, the first twin engined helicopter crash in Australia since the mid 80's.

XXX, not necessarily correct.. A few assumptions there.

Yes.

I was disagreeing with the statement that a twin turbine and a professional pilot results in safety.

It doesn't.

XXX, still not quite what I was getting at but I'd rather not go on about the ABC crash.