SAR: Search & Rescue Ops [Archive Copy]
Denali Lama in action.
McKinley sees first rescue
INJURED: Two Spanish men fall while descending from Denali Pass.
By Anne Marie Tavella
Anchorage Daily News
(Published: May 17, 2002)
Two Spanish mountain climbers were seriously hurt after falling on their way down from Denali Pass on Mount McKinley late Wednesday night.
Francisco Rodriguez Martin, 35, suffered broken ribs and severe frostbite and Miguel Angel Romero Ruiz, 33, suffered a fractured ankle, a head injury and possibly a broken neck. Both men were being treated at Providence Alaska Medical Center on Thursday.
The climbers, members of the five-person Gamba De Palamos expedition, were traveling unroped from the 18,200-foot level to the 17,200-foot high camp on the West Buttress route when they fell.
According to the National Park Service, another member of their team had descended the pass a few hours before Martin and Ruiz earlier in the evening. As that climber neared the high camp he fell into a small crevasse but was able to free himself and walk to the nearby ranger station.
After checking in, he scouted the area for his teammates and spotted them in the snow at the bottom of the pass, said Maureen McLaughlin, a spokesperson with Denali National Park.
The sky was reported clear at the time with 25 mph winds and the temperature at about minus 20 degrees.
Apparently no one saw the fall. The Park Service is still trying to piece together what happened, McLaughlin said. It's not known what triggered the fall or how far the men fell, she said.
A park ranger and volunteers at the 17,200-foot high camp reached the men at about 10 p.m. and gave them medical attention until the men could be flown by high-altitude rescue helicopter to the 7,200-foot base camp Thursday morning. The climbers were put on a medical helicopter at about 11:30 a.m. and flown to Anchorage.
It was the first rescue of this year's McKinley climbing season, which runs from late April to mid-July. According to the Talkeetna Ranger Station, 322 climbers have been issued permits to climb McKinley as of Thursday. Another 32 have climbed and returned, of which three reached the 20,320-foot summit.
To date, 1,163 climbers have registered to make the trek this season. Last year a record 1,305 climbers attempted the climb. That season marked the third year there were no deaths on the mountain.
INJURED: Two Spanish men fall while descending from Denali Pass.
By Anne Marie Tavella
Anchorage Daily News
(Published: May 17, 2002)
Two Spanish mountain climbers were seriously hurt after falling on their way down from Denali Pass on Mount McKinley late Wednesday night.
Francisco Rodriguez Martin, 35, suffered broken ribs and severe frostbite and Miguel Angel Romero Ruiz, 33, suffered a fractured ankle, a head injury and possibly a broken neck. Both men were being treated at Providence Alaska Medical Center on Thursday.
The climbers, members of the five-person Gamba De Palamos expedition, were traveling unroped from the 18,200-foot level to the 17,200-foot high camp on the West Buttress route when they fell.
According to the National Park Service, another member of their team had descended the pass a few hours before Martin and Ruiz earlier in the evening. As that climber neared the high camp he fell into a small crevasse but was able to free himself and walk to the nearby ranger station.
After checking in, he scouted the area for his teammates and spotted them in the snow at the bottom of the pass, said Maureen McLaughlin, a spokesperson with Denali National Park.
The sky was reported clear at the time with 25 mph winds and the temperature at about minus 20 degrees.
Apparently no one saw the fall. The Park Service is still trying to piece together what happened, McLaughlin said. It's not known what triggered the fall or how far the men fell, she said.
A park ranger and volunteers at the 17,200-foot high camp reached the men at about 10 p.m. and gave them medical attention until the men could be flown by high-altitude rescue helicopter to the 7,200-foot base camp Thursday morning. The climbers were put on a medical helicopter at about 11:30 a.m. and flown to Anchorage.
It was the first rescue of this year's McKinley climbing season, which runs from late April to mid-July. According to the Talkeetna Ranger Station, 322 climbers have been issued permits to climb McKinley as of Thursday. Another 32 have climbed and returned, of which three reached the 20,320-foot summit.
To date, 1,163 climbers have registered to make the trek this season. Last year a record 1,305 climbers attempted the climb. That season marked the third year there were no deaths on the mountain.
I have received the OK from Mr Bill Teel, of TRW, to quote his memo:
"Thank you for your input and concern. TRW does not advocate the use of fast roping from the hoist hook for two reasons. The first is that fast roping can produce large shock loads depending on how quickly a person stops. The hoist was designed to minimize these loads by providing "soft" acceleration and deceleration rates when starting and stopping. This reduces transient loads from being imparted to the hoist cable and structure.
When using the fast rope method, the hook is horned and the load is reacted by a short (less than 18 inch) section of cable between the hook and the drum. If a transient load occurs, the short cable length is stiffer and tends to lengthen the cable when reacting the instantaneous load. This action tends to "unwrap" the cable helix. This is much more damaging to a cable than if the same shock load were applied when 10 or 20 feet of cable were extended. Consequently, the cable is more susceptible to damage and unwrapping with a short cable length, just as you have observed.
Worst yet, shock loads tend to break the inner wires first, even though the outer wires may still visually appear acceptable. This is due to the relative motion that occurs between the inner strands/wires. As time and use progresses, the cable will begin to permanently stretch or neck down in a localised area. By the time this occurs, the cable has lost much of its strength. This is why TRW strongly advocates inspecting the cable frequently including measuring the cable with a micrometer.
The second reason TRW does not advocate fast roping from the hoist hook is that this produces a possible single point of failure. When the fast rope is attached to the hook, the hook is only reacted by the steel hoist cable. If the cable were previously damaged (again note that the damage could be undetected, internal damage), then a large shock load could cause the hoist cable to fail and there would be nothing to react the person attached to the fast rope.
For these reasons TRW does not recommend fast roping from the hoist hook. TRW recommends fast roping from a structural feature only."
Please feel free to distribute this memo as widely as possible.....as it pertains to all company's hoists with a 3/16 diameter cable.
Sincerely yours,
WIlliam Teel
Senior Design Engineer"
"Thank you for your input and concern. TRW does not advocate the use of fast roping from the hoist hook for two reasons. The first is that fast roping can produce large shock loads depending on how quickly a person stops. The hoist was designed to minimize these loads by providing "soft" acceleration and deceleration rates when starting and stopping. This reduces transient loads from being imparted to the hoist cable and structure.
When using the fast rope method, the hook is horned and the load is reacted by a short (less than 18 inch) section of cable between the hook and the drum. If a transient load occurs, the short cable length is stiffer and tends to lengthen the cable when reacting the instantaneous load. This action tends to "unwrap" the cable helix. This is much more damaging to a cable than if the same shock load were applied when 10 or 20 feet of cable were extended. Consequently, the cable is more susceptible to damage and unwrapping with a short cable length, just as you have observed.
Worst yet, shock loads tend to break the inner wires first, even though the outer wires may still visually appear acceptable. This is due to the relative motion that occurs between the inner strands/wires. As time and use progresses, the cable will begin to permanently stretch or neck down in a localised area. By the time this occurs, the cable has lost much of its strength. This is why TRW strongly advocates inspecting the cable frequently including measuring the cable with a micrometer.
The second reason TRW does not advocate fast roping from the hoist hook is that this produces a possible single point of failure. When the fast rope is attached to the hook, the hook is only reacted by the steel hoist cable. If the cable were previously damaged (again note that the damage could be undetected, internal damage), then a large shock load could cause the hoist cable to fail and there would be nothing to react the person attached to the fast rope.
For these reasons TRW does not recommend fast roping from the hoist hook. TRW recommends fast roping from a structural feature only."
Please feel free to distribute this memo as widely as possible.....as it pertains to all company's hoists with a 3/16 diameter cable.
Sincerely yours,
WIlliam Teel
Senior Design Engineer"
Join Date: Jun 2002
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Fixed Lines
Hi all,
I'm a 60 PC inthe Texas Guard and we use a fixed line for two types of rescue.
One uses a conical type basket (Billy Pugh) similiar to that used to hoist crews from boats to oil rigs in the GOM, this basket is used for pulling folks out of rivers and such.
The second is a metal contraption about 12 foot by five with a gate at one end and is intended for high rise fire etc. I flew the thing when we first got it and at any thing over 20 knots it really begins to trail back and by 80 it was close enough to the tail that we recommend no more than 70 as a max IAS. I imagine it would be rather unpleasant to ride in at anything quicker than a hover as the side rails are only about three feet high and there is no roof.
Both of the rigs hook to the cargo hook and have a secondary cargostrap that wraps through the cabin. In the center of the strap is a wooden block placed so the strap keeps it in place against the floor. So if I really need to punch off the load I first pop the hook and then the crew chief is supposed to take an axe and hack through the strap. The board is to keep him from damaging the floor or worse the axe.
Friggin goofy arrangement at best......only in the Army.
Best regards,
Brian
I'm a 60 PC inthe Texas Guard and we use a fixed line for two types of rescue.
One uses a conical type basket (Billy Pugh) similiar to that used to hoist crews from boats to oil rigs in the GOM, this basket is used for pulling folks out of rivers and such.
The second is a metal contraption about 12 foot by five with a gate at one end and is intended for high rise fire etc. I flew the thing when we first got it and at any thing over 20 knots it really begins to trail back and by 80 it was close enough to the tail that we recommend no more than 70 as a max IAS. I imagine it would be rather unpleasant to ride in at anything quicker than a hover as the side rails are only about three feet high and there is no roof.
Both of the rigs hook to the cargo hook and have a secondary cargostrap that wraps through the cabin. In the center of the strap is a wooden block placed so the strap keeps it in place against the floor. So if I really need to punch off the load I first pop the hook and then the crew chief is supposed to take an axe and hack through the strap. The board is to keep him from damaging the floor or worse the axe.
Friggin goofy arrangement at best......only in the Army.
Best regards,
Brian
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Billy Deacon SAR Trophy Goes to S-61 Winchman
Every now and then we get reminded how we are surrounded by extraordinary individuals. Thanks, Shiner Wright!
From the Sikorsky.com web site:
Billy Deacon SAR Trophy Goes to S-61 Winchman
A rescue crewman aboard a Sikorsky S-61 helicopter serving Her Majesty's Coastguard in Great Britain has won the inaugural Billy Deacon SAR Memorial Trophy.
Stephen (Shiner) Wright, employed by Bristow Helicopters at the Coastguard Search and Rescue base at Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, received the 2002 trophy this spring in London. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, presented the award for the first time on April 30, 2002.
The award honors S-61 winchman Billy Deacon, who died heroically during a 1997 rescue aboard a foundering ship after ensuring its crew was hoisted to safety.
Wright was the winchman lowered from the Coastguard helicopter "Mike Uniform" on March 31, 2001 when it was called to recover an injured seaman from the fishing vessel Amadeus in 50-knot winds and a violent sea state.
A description of his actions shows that being a winchman, the SAR crewman who is lowered from the aircraft, is not a calling for the faint-hearted.
"In the process of being lowered to the deck, the vessel lurched suddenly throwing Shiner down a well deck. Before he had time to disconnect from the winch hook, the vessel fell away causing Shiner to be dragged upwards, impacting the sides of the well deck and thus sustaining injuries to his leg, chest and head. As the ship rose upwards again, he was unceremoniously deposited onto the upper deck of the fishing vessel and rendered semi-conscious.
"Though badly injured and in extreme pain, he managed to disconnect from the winch hook and recover sufficiently to move up to the bridge to tend to the casualty. In severe pain from a broken foot and bruised ribs and suffering from concussion, he administered first aid to the seaman, who had an injury to his shoulder.
"After placing the casualty in a lifting harness, Shiner returned to the winching area and, along with the casualty, was recovered to the helicopter. On return to Stornoway, Shiner was detained in hospital for a short period. He returned to work after a six-week period of recovery. Throughout the rescue, his primary concern was for the casualty and he displayed a high degree of determination, dedication and professionalism."
The trophy is awarded to winch operators and winchmen from the British Coastguard, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy for meritorious service during SAR helicopter operations from U.K. bases. The award committee, independently chaired by the Operations Director from the Royal National Lifeboat Institute, sits annually to consider nominations.
Bristow Helicopters and Breitling UK sponsor the award. Shiner will hold the Trophy for one year or until the award is reallocated.
http://www.sikorsky.com/details/0,30...TI1251,00.html
From the Sikorsky.com web site:
Billy Deacon SAR Trophy Goes to S-61 Winchman
A rescue crewman aboard a Sikorsky S-61 helicopter serving Her Majesty's Coastguard in Great Britain has won the inaugural Billy Deacon SAR Memorial Trophy.
Stephen (Shiner) Wright, employed by Bristow Helicopters at the Coastguard Search and Rescue base at Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, received the 2002 trophy this spring in London. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, presented the award for the first time on April 30, 2002.
The award honors S-61 winchman Billy Deacon, who died heroically during a 1997 rescue aboard a foundering ship after ensuring its crew was hoisted to safety.
Wright was the winchman lowered from the Coastguard helicopter "Mike Uniform" on March 31, 2001 when it was called to recover an injured seaman from the fishing vessel Amadeus in 50-knot winds and a violent sea state.
A description of his actions shows that being a winchman, the SAR crewman who is lowered from the aircraft, is not a calling for the faint-hearted.
"In the process of being lowered to the deck, the vessel lurched suddenly throwing Shiner down a well deck. Before he had time to disconnect from the winch hook, the vessel fell away causing Shiner to be dragged upwards, impacting the sides of the well deck and thus sustaining injuries to his leg, chest and head. As the ship rose upwards again, he was unceremoniously deposited onto the upper deck of the fishing vessel and rendered semi-conscious.
"Though badly injured and in extreme pain, he managed to disconnect from the winch hook and recover sufficiently to move up to the bridge to tend to the casualty. In severe pain from a broken foot and bruised ribs and suffering from concussion, he administered first aid to the seaman, who had an injury to his shoulder.
"After placing the casualty in a lifting harness, Shiner returned to the winching area and, along with the casualty, was recovered to the helicopter. On return to Stornoway, Shiner was detained in hospital for a short period. He returned to work after a six-week period of recovery. Throughout the rescue, his primary concern was for the casualty and he displayed a high degree of determination, dedication and professionalism."
The trophy is awarded to winch operators and winchmen from the British Coastguard, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy for meritorious service during SAR helicopter operations from U.K. bases. The award committee, independently chaired by the Operations Director from the Royal National Lifeboat Institute, sits annually to consider nominations.
Bristow Helicopters and Breitling UK sponsor the award. Shiner will hold the Trophy for one year or until the award is reallocated.
http://www.sikorsky.com/details/0,30...TI1251,00.html
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Impressive stuff! Truly a hero.
I'm always lost in admiration for those brave people who risk serious injury and even their own lives to save others.
And well done to Sikorsky for creating the Award.
I'm always lost in admiration for those brave people who risk serious injury and even their own lives to save others.
And well done to Sikorsky for creating the Award.
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Shiner is one of those very brave men who puts his neck on the line "routinely" when there is a job to be done.
He has been doing it for quite a few years now I recall he had to jump into the sea with another SAR crewman past the still turning screws of a ship that was on its final plunge AFTER they had rescued all on board , that was about 12yrs ago when he was on Culdose SAR duty with the RN.
I am very pleased to see that now and again these individuals get the recognition they deserve, they can never be paid enough for what they do!
Good on yer Shiner!
Wunper:
He has been doing it for quite a few years now I recall he had to jump into the sea with another SAR crewman past the still turning screws of a ship that was on its final plunge AFTER they had rescued all on board , that was about 12yrs ago when he was on Culdose SAR duty with the RN.
I am very pleased to see that now and again these individuals get the recognition they deserve, they can never be paid enough for what they do!
Good on yer Shiner!
Wunper:
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Portland SAR helicopter down
Just saw on the news that the Portland Coastguard helicopter has crash landed at the Royal Marines base in Poole Harbour. The news said both engines caught fire whilst the helicopter was looking for someone in the water. Apparently all crew are OK but aircraft doesn't look like its going to be flying again.
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Glad everyone appears to be OK...
A very sorry day, I'm glad preliminary reports suggest that everyone is OK, lets hope this is the case.
If anyone can confirnm all are well & give an idea of what happened would be very interested........Thanks
If anyone can confirnm all are well & give an idea of what happened would be very interested........Thanks
According to our local news, all four crew members escaped unhurt. Apparently, one engine caught fire so they elected to make an emergency landing at the Marines Base at Poole. Just before they landed (300') the second engine exploded, according to the report. The aircraft is totally destroyed by fire.
My No 2 Micropulse was swimming nearby and saw it descending with smoke from one engine. He also heard the explosion and saw a lot of smoke.
CG are threatening to move this aircraft from Portland to Leigh on Solent so this might accelerate this move, which will upset a lot of locals.
My No 2 Micropulse was swimming nearby and saw it descending with smoke from one engine. He also heard the explosion and saw a lot of smoke.
CG are threatening to move this aircraft from Portland to Leigh on Solent so this might accelerate this move, which will upset a lot of locals.
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Agree with everything said. The BBC website has a report saying everybody got away unharmed however the aircraft is probably going to be scrapped. Is there a spare at Portland? Nearest SAR would be Southampton otherwise.
There is another S61 at Portland callsign " Whiskey Bravo", which has undergone maintenence,but will be made available in the morning. Portland is a meca for divers since the navy left, and the loss of the Coast Guard helo to Solent would not be too good for the poor divers suffering from the bends, which happens very frequently!
Big campagn on to stop the move from Portland to Solent for just this reason, 300 divers plus at the weekend!!
Big campagn on to stop the move from Portland to Solent for just this reason, 300 divers plus at the weekend!!
From my understanding (although I haven't seen pictures yet) the aircraft is a total loss with only one of the sponsons and a wheel left intact !
Bristow do have 2 spare SAR S-61's that are available for use so there will be no loss in cover and I guess another aircraft will have to be fitted out to replace the one they have lost. Thankfully no injuries at all which is remarkable as I have heard that aside from the fire, the aircraft lost all hydraulic assistance during the final stages of landing as presumably the fire engulfed everything in the gearbox area.
Well done boys !
Bristow do have 2 spare SAR S-61's that are available for use so there will be no loss in cover and I guess another aircraft will have to be fitted out to replace the one they have lost. Thankfully no injuries at all which is remarkable as I have heard that aside from the fire, the aircraft lost all hydraulic assistance during the final stages of landing as presumably the fire engulfed everything in the gearbox area.
Well done boys !
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there is a picture and article at http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/...00/2131775.stm
not a lot left by the looks of things
not a lot left by the looks of things
My local rag has had an interview with the co-pilot and it is scarry reading!!
Crew on board were .. Mike Roughton, Simon Hoare, Peter Mansell and Adrian " Buck " Rogers.
Co - pilot Mike Roughton described it as a " catastrophic failure"
He said " We train for emergencies but usually would expect to be dealing with only one thing". " We suddenly had four or five things happen one after another in the space of a minute!"
"It started with the failure of number 2 engine,then the pressure from the main rotor gear box disapeared. Then the hydraulics started to fail and as we were trying to get in to land ,there was an indication that the other engine had failed."
"There was some sort of catastrophic failure and the speed of events was very alarming".
" It was very scary and we were lucky that we were close to land otherwise we would have ditched."
" We managed to get it down but there were flames coming from around the rotor,it was like a chimney!"
lady luck and first class training me thinks.
Crew on board were .. Mike Roughton, Simon Hoare, Peter Mansell and Adrian " Buck " Rogers.
Co - pilot Mike Roughton described it as a " catastrophic failure"
He said " We train for emergencies but usually would expect to be dealing with only one thing". " We suddenly had four or five things happen one after another in the space of a minute!"
"It started with the failure of number 2 engine,then the pressure from the main rotor gear box disapeared. Then the hydraulics started to fail and as we were trying to get in to land ,there was an indication that the other engine had failed."
"There was some sort of catastrophic failure and the speed of events was very alarming".
" It was very scary and we were lucky that we were close to land otherwise we would have ditched."
" We managed to get it down but there were flames coming from around the rotor,it was like a chimney!"
lady luck and first class training me thinks.
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(Please excuse any errors of etiquette in first time post here)
On of my colleagues was one the last customers. Winched off a rib on the preceeding Sunday afternoon after the Coastguard didn't like the sound of his symptoms.
They have some pictures here:
http://www.sasac.co.uk/News/Poole_Rescue/index.htm
If anybody wants a copy of the original tape (digital) or pictures I can put you in touch. The local BBC News do have a copy.
On of my colleagues was one the last customers. Winched off a rib on the preceeding Sunday afternoon after the Coastguard didn't like the sound of his symptoms.
They have some pictures here:
http://www.sasac.co.uk/News/Poole_Rescue/index.htm
If anybody wants a copy of the original tape (digital) or pictures I can put you in touch. The local BBC News do have a copy.
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The S61N is a great machine to fly. Very stable, just a little short on power. In my distant past I aquired nearly 3000 hours on it and never had an engine problem, except for one occasion when an inlet guide vane problem reduced power on one engine.
Of course the problem with any helicopter is that everything is concentrated up around the rotorhead. If you have a serious fire up there it is going to eventualy effect the oil supply to the gearbox, the engines and the hydraulics. Therefore multiple failures would be expected in this case, given sufficient time for the fire to take hold.
Of course the problem with any helicopter is that everything is concentrated up around the rotorhead. If you have a serious fire up there it is going to eventualy effect the oil supply to the gearbox, the engines and the hydraulics. Therefore multiple failures would be expected in this case, given sufficient time for the fire to take hold.