Gold Coast Accident?
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Gold Coast Accident?
Media are reporting an accident at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast. Pilot +3 on board. Seem to only be 1 injured after forced landing in the car park.
Last edited by leading edge; 10th Jun 2009 at 07:01.
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Some details here:
Helicopter crashes at Dreamworld theme park | The Australian
Helicopter crashes at Dreamworld theme park | The Australian
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Picture: Scott Boucher
FIVE people have escaped from a helicopter which crash landed in the car park of the Dreamworld theme park on Queensland's Gold Coast.
Witnesses said the four passengers and pilot were pulled from the wreckage about 4pm (AEST)by security guards from the theme park and were shaken but not seriously injured, The Gold Coast Bulletin reports.
Two of those on board walked from the crash site while the other three were taken on stretchers with suspected minor back injuries.
All five people on board were being taken to hospital, an emergency services said.
The aircraft did not appear to catch fire, although there was smoke coming from it. The chopper was sprayed with foam as a precaution to stop fire from breaking out.
It is believed the chopper was involved in joy flights and the incident happened near the helicopter landing pad at the western end of the car park.
Witnesses said the four passengers and pilot were pulled from the wreckage about 4pm (AEST)by security guards from the theme park and were shaken but not seriously injured, The Gold Coast Bulletin reports.
Two of those on board walked from the crash site while the other three were taken on stretchers with suspected minor back injuries.
All five people on board were being taken to hospital, an emergency services said.
The aircraft did not appear to catch fire, although there was smoke coming from it. The chopper was sprayed with foam as a precaution to stop fire from breaking out.
It is believed the chopper was involved in joy flights and the incident happened near the helicopter landing pad at the western end of the car park.
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That would have to be one of the worst commercial sites I've had to fly out from with fare paying passengers. Even a light twin would struggle to avoid the cars & buses after an engine failure. I managed to get some huge pot plants moved but cars took their place!
Just hope no one was too badly hurt.
Just hope no one was too badly hurt.
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Photographer : Kate Czerny
More here www.goldcoast.com.au with additional photos.
THE pilot of a helicopter that crashed in the car park of Dreamworld theme park on the Gold Coast is being hailed as a hero.
Sato Mutsumi steered the stricken aircraft to an empty part of the car park after it developed problems while on a joy flight at 4pm.
Mutsumi and the four passengers - two men and two women, all believed to be Asian tourists - escaped serious injury.
Witnesses said the chopper was over the crowded park when it got into trouble but the pilot steered it clear of the rides and the park grounds, heading towards a helipad at the western end of the car park.
The chopper landed heavily but upright, then rolled onto its left side, with the tail section breaking away on impact.
....
Sato Mutsumi steered the stricken aircraft to an empty part of the car park after it developed problems while on a joy flight at 4pm.
Mutsumi and the four passengers - two men and two women, all believed to be Asian tourists - escaped serious injury.
Witnesses said the chopper was over the crowded park when it got into trouble but the pilot steered it clear of the rides and the park grounds, heading towards a helipad at the western end of the car park.
The chopper landed heavily but upright, then rolled onto its left side, with the tail section breaking away on impact.
....
The main blades still look quite straight. There couldn't have been much rotation left in them when it rolled over. The TV news report said it was taking off when the accident occurred, but it's not a DreamWorld helicopter? Although it had passengers taking a joyride? Maybe DreamWorld was leasing it? Or maybe I'm getting confused with SeaWorld, or is it WigglesWorld, or MovieWorld, so many different Worlds there 
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From the pictures on the news he did a good job, like the impact mark on the carpark, clearly showing the entire bottom of the aircraft and both skids. 
No wonder the tail broke off. I've heard the skids can take a lot of punishment and a lot of the impact, but this takes the cake.
Once more cringe-worthy news coverage- hats off to the pilot but I'm sure the "heroic" avoidance of the cars in the carpark was in fact- OH C&*P the engine has failed, look,there's a flat place to crash..
Don't get me wrong- an excellent job. Having taught EOLs in similar aircraft, an unalerted real one in that situation would have been tough.
No wonder the tail broke off. I've heard the skids can take a lot of punishment and a lot of the impact, but this takes the cake.
Once more cringe-worthy news coverage- hats off to the pilot but I'm sure the "heroic" avoidance of the cars in the carpark was in fact- OH C&*P the engine has failed, look,there's a flat place to crash..
Don't get me wrong- an excellent job. Having taught EOLs in similar aircraft, an unalerted real one in that situation would have been tough.
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If the aircraft was on approach, the pilot probably had to carry out the forced landing with a tail wind, as the wind on the Gold Coast today was from the west at approximately 15kts.
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Another forum is reporting that there is only one flightpath in and out of the place and that's over the carpark, so that will put you on downwind on at least one of those legs (the approach in today's incident). Can anyone confirm this ?
Also, does anyone know whether it was a power-on or -off landing ?
Also, does anyone know whether it was a power-on or -off landing ?
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There is a standard take off & approach path, 180 opposite. Generally there is very little wind as the area is sheltered by trees. On approach you go over the trees, then descend over the car park which should be clear, then over the raised pad. I don't see why he is a "hero" for landing in a clear area as that is where he is supposed to be. I'm quite sure he had no desire to land on a car! The fuel load is kept very low to take 5 people, so whatever the wind, I'm surprised the machine ended up in such a sorry state but at least it appears the injuries weren't too bad.
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Media Coverage
Saw this prang covered on ch7 tonight.
I nearly had to kick the
telly!!
Talk about Ill informed, biased, clueless and totally cringe worthy reporting.
The gutter media they make me want to
If you are going to pass comment on something at least have some idea of your subject matter?
Whoever was flying the clown reporter around over the crash site in a jet ranger today perhaps you could give him a few pointers?
Rant Over.
Now putting on kevlar in preparation for incoming!
I nearly had to kick the
telly!! Talk about Ill informed, biased, clueless and totally cringe worthy reporting.
The gutter media they make me want to
If you are going to pass comment on something at least have some idea of your subject matter?
Whoever was flying the clown reporter around over the crash site in a jet ranger today perhaps you could give him a few pointers?
Rant Over.
Now putting on kevlar in preparation for incoming!
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I am surprised that HLS was approved of by CASA in the first place. Having an approach path over such a high density traffic area should never have been approved especially for single engine aircraft. My congratulations go out to the pilot for getting it down as well as he did. thank goodness it wasn't the middle of the school holidays.
John
John
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Controlability
Up front disclaimer: I am not a pilot. I'm just here to learn.
Please pardon my ignorance but our much beloved media are making a lot of the fact that the hero pilot "steered the stricken aircraft to an empty part of the car park".
Now, without taking anything way from Sato Matsumi's feat in getting the thing on the ground in only two main pieces, my understanding was that, unlike Sully and his Airbus, an unpowered helicopter has the glide characteristics of a tin can with a small parachute and that you only have limited control over your vertical speed as you autorotate downwards.
Particularly given they ware landing and therefore, I assume, had little forward momentum, how much real manouverability would likely have been available to the pilot at that point?
Please pardon my ignorance but our much beloved media are making a lot of the fact that the hero pilot "steered the stricken aircraft to an empty part of the car park".
Now, without taking anything way from Sato Matsumi's feat in getting the thing on the ground in only two main pieces, my understanding was that, unlike Sully and his Airbus, an unpowered helicopter has the glide characteristics of a tin can with a small parachute and that you only have limited control over your vertical speed as you autorotate downwards.
Particularly given they ware landing and therefore, I assume, had little forward momentum, how much real manouverability would likely have been available to the pilot at that point?
Last edited by justawanab; 11th Jun 2009 at 10:21. Reason: spuling
Let me try and answer your question. Even without drive from the engine, whilst you have rotor rpm you can still steer the helicopter wherever you want to go. Obviously where you end up is limited by the height and speed you were at when drive from the engine was lost. In the helicopter type that crashed at DreamWorld, you can fly for about a mile for every 1000' in height above ground from that point where you lost power. So that radius governs your aiming point for a forced landing. Obviously when you are close to the ground (i.e. landing) your options become very limited in where you end up should the engine stop. If you use up your rotor speed to stretch the glide to get to a suitable landing spot (eg open car park) you are going to arrive with a heavy thud at the bottom.
No doubt the engine wasn't delivering power to the rotor when the helicopter rolled over. Just look at the blades, they are still straight and intact so had very little energy left in them to dissipate when they contacted the ground. No doubt the first thing the investigators will look at is how much fuel is left remaining in the tank. Let's hope for the pilot's sake they find more than 20 minutes worth of fuel in there.
Edit: Media reporting of these things always follows the same script. The pilot is always a hero saving the stricken aircraft from certain disaster. No doubt the contribution of the pilot and everything else that happened here will come to light in the subsequent investigation. From what I've heard it will be a very straight forward investigation here.
No doubt the engine wasn't delivering power to the rotor when the helicopter rolled over. Just look at the blades, they are still straight and intact so had very little energy left in them to dissipate when they contacted the ground. No doubt the first thing the investigators will look at is how much fuel is left remaining in the tank. Let's hope for the pilot's sake they find more than 20 minutes worth of fuel in there.
Edit: Media reporting of these things always follows the same script. The pilot is always a hero saving the stricken aircraft from certain disaster. No doubt the contribution of the pilot and everything else that happened here will come to light in the subsequent investigation. From what I've heard it will be a very straight forward investigation here.
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gulliBell, thanks you for that explanation. You've totally dispelled the impression I had of the glidability of rotary wing aircraft. I knew you could control the vertical speed to some extent in an autorotate but I didn't realise that there was any ability to control direction without something being driven.
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SE helicopter over congested area
Maybe this will inspire the operators to move the base to suitable location for a SE helicopter or buy an A cat twin!!
Same ****, different day!!!
Same ****, different day!!!
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If you have an OEI in a twin, the remaining operative engine will take you to the scene of the crash ... 
Coincidentally, the approach looks very much like the one in the video in post #9 this thread - http://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/372...s-kai-tak.html - fortunately, the local authorities have now banned the landing site for single engined helicopters.
Coincidentally, the approach looks very much like the one in the video in post #9 this thread - http://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/372...s-kai-tak.html - fortunately, the local authorities have now banned the landing site for single engined helicopters.