How to ruin your day
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Background story: Two survive helicopter crash in North Carolina
I/C
MCDOWELL CO. (WGHP) - Two men survived a helicopter crash Monday afternoon in McDowell County without serious injuries, officials said.
The crash happened near the McDowell/Buncombe County line. The cause of the crash has not been determined.
"We're fine... both of us are fine. Just a couple scratches, that's it," said Chris Dupree, the pilot. "We both know we are very fortunate."
Jean Paul Dame, the passenger on the helicopter, said the kudzu near the crash site may have saved their lives.
"When the blades first hit the kudzu, Chris said 'That's not good'... and then we just hit the ground," said Dame.
The two men then crawled out of the helicopter and climbed 100 feet to use their cell phones and call for help.
The FAA is currently investigating the accident.
The crash happened near the McDowell/Buncombe County line. The cause of the crash has not been determined.
"We're fine... both of us are fine. Just a couple scratches, that's it," said Chris Dupree, the pilot. "We both know we are very fortunate."
Jean Paul Dame, the passenger on the helicopter, said the kudzu near the crash site may have saved their lives.
"When the blades first hit the kudzu, Chris said 'That's not good'... and then we just hit the ground," said Dame.
The two men then crawled out of the helicopter and climbed 100 feet to use their cell phones and call for help.
The FAA is currently investigating the accident.
Avoid imitations
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I know how slow these aircraft are but those trees just grew and took 'em by surprise! 
From the youtube page:
LivesMyLife — June 22, 2010 — Helicopter crash in McDowell County, North Carolina - June 21, 2010 -
"According To The Source ,
A helicopter lost power and crashed while a videographer was shooting images of kudzu, an invasive plant species. The thick vines slowed the chopper's descent and allowed the crew to walk away from the accident without serious injury.
While filming aerials of invasive species in the North Carolina forests the helicopter l More..ost power and crashed into the side of the mountain. Kudzu is one of many invasive species and it was the Kudzu that broke and slowed our decent and allowed us to walk away with only minor scratches. Pilot Chris Dupree did an exceptional job of saving our lives while the aircraft lost power. It was like sinking into water, that is how it felt to me as the power was lost"
LivesMyLife — June 22, 2010 — Helicopter crash in McDowell County, North Carolina - June 21, 2010 -
"According To The Source ,
A helicopter lost power and crashed while a videographer was shooting images of kudzu, an invasive plant species. The thick vines slowed the chopper's descent and allowed the crew to walk away from the accident without serious injury.
While filming aerials of invasive species in the North Carolina forests the helicopter l More..ost power and crashed into the side of the mountain. Kudzu is one of many invasive species and it was the Kudzu that broke and slowed our decent and allowed us to walk away with only minor scratches. Pilot Chris Dupree did an exceptional job of saving our lives while the aircraft lost power. It was like sinking into water, that is how it felt to me as the power was lost"
Pilot Chris Dupree did an exceptional job of saving our lives while the aircraft lost power
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Loss of Situational Awareness?, (or... you have to be careful around those invasive plant species.)
Glad everyone was alright.
videographer was shooting images of kudzu, an invasive plant species.
It does look like they simply lost ETL and settled into the trees at full throttle.
However, we don't know if that is all that happened. He might have dropped a magneto or had a stuck valve. Good thing that the machine came down upright so we'll surely find out.
However, we don't know if that is all that happened. He might have dropped a magneto or had a stuck valve. Good thing that the machine came down upright so we'll surely find out.
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From The Kathryn Report -
The pilot, Chris Dupree (right), and his passenger, Jean Paul Dame', walked away from the crash with minor injuries.
A pair filming a story partially about kudzu found kudzu to be their best friend Monday when the helicopter in which they were riding went down in a patch off Old U.S. 70 just inside McDowell.
The pilot, Chris Dupree, and his passenger, Jean Paul Damé, both of Raleigh, walked away from the crash with just scrapes and bruises, according to John Crockett, a district manager with the U.S. Forest Service.
Dupree works for WNC Aviation and was flying Damé around the region to film footage for a documentary about invasive species. Damé is a director with Firehorse Films.
It was not known at deadline Monday what caused the 10-year-old Schweizer 300CB two-seater chopper to go down.
Investigators with the Federal Aviation Administration will be on the scene Tuesday to examine the crash.
Crockett said someone will secure the site until the FAA arrives, and then WNC Aviation will likely have to hire a contractor to pull the wreckage out.
The chopper went down around 2 p.m. The crash site was located approximately 100 feet down an embankment and about 300 feet below Point Lookout, where emergency crews set up a command post Monday.
There originally appeared to be a fuel leak, but Crockett stated late Monday afternoon that that no longer seemed to be the case. He added that a hazardous materials crew had been called in to double check.
McDowell County Emergency Management Director Terry Young said the 911 center received several calls about the downed copter, including one from the Asheville Airport. MAMA, Memorial Mission’s helicopter, and a chopper from the N.C. Highway Patrol flew over the area and located the wreckage.
On the scene were members of McDowell County Emergency Medical Services, McDowell County Rescue Squad, Old Fort Volunteer Fire Department, McDowell County Emergency Management, U.S. Forest Service, N.C. Highway Patrol and Black Mountain Fire Department.
The pilot, Chris Dupree (right), and his passenger, Jean Paul Dame', walked away from the crash with minor injuries.
A pair filming a story partially about kudzu found kudzu to be their best friend Monday when the helicopter in which they were riding went down in a patch off Old U.S. 70 just inside McDowell.
The pilot, Chris Dupree, and his passenger, Jean Paul Damé, both of Raleigh, walked away from the crash with just scrapes and bruises, according to John Crockett, a district manager with the U.S. Forest Service.
Dupree works for WNC Aviation and was flying Damé around the region to film footage for a documentary about invasive species. Damé is a director with Firehorse Films.
It was not known at deadline Monday what caused the 10-year-old Schweizer 300CB two-seater chopper to go down.
Investigators with the Federal Aviation Administration will be on the scene Tuesday to examine the crash.
Crockett said someone will secure the site until the FAA arrives, and then WNC Aviation will likely have to hire a contractor to pull the wreckage out.
The chopper went down around 2 p.m. The crash site was located approximately 100 feet down an embankment and about 300 feet below Point Lookout, where emergency crews set up a command post Monday.
There originally appeared to be a fuel leak, but Crockett stated late Monday afternoon that that no longer seemed to be the case. He added that a hazardous materials crew had been called in to double check.
McDowell County Emergency Management Director Terry Young said the 911 center received several calls about the downed copter, including one from the Asheville Airport. MAMA, Memorial Mission’s helicopter, and a chopper from the N.C. Highway Patrol flew over the area and located the wreckage.
On the scene were members of McDowell County Emergency Medical Services, McDowell County Rescue Squad, Old Fort Volunteer Fire Department, McDowell County Emergency Management, U.S. Forest Service, N.C. Highway Patrol and Black Mountain Fire Department.
Last edited by fly911; 23rd Jun 2010 at 16:04. Reason: Add Credit
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Chopper pilot: 'I didn't panic'
Chopper pilot: 'I didn't panic' | McDowellNews.com
Chris Dupree is alive today, and he knows he’s fortunate.
Dupree was the one piloting the two-seater helicopter that went down on Old U.S. 70 just inside McDowell Monday afternoon.
“The engine started to sputter,” he said Tuesday, adding that he made some adjustments in an unsuccessful attempt to restart the engine. “I knew we were going down, and I just knew we were going to hit the trees. I selected a good spot, and we landed in the kudzu. I didn’t panic.”
Dupree, who lives in Greenville, S.C., works for WNC Aviation out of Asheville. He was flying his passenger, Jean Paul Damé of Raleigh, around the area to film footage for a documentary about invasive species. Damé is a director with Firehorse Films.
Both men crawled from Monday’s crash nearly unscathed. Dupree said Tuesday that they both have some minor cuts and bruises, but a lot of those were gathered when they scaled a 100-foot embankment to reach the road.
The crash site was located approximately 300 feet below Point Lookout.
Dupree stated that they passed over the dense patch of kudzu, and Damé requested that he turn around and fly back over it at a slower speed.
“We were only about 30 or 40 feet above the trees,” said the pilot. “We were fortunate. It could have happened when we were 600 feet in the air. … If that had been the case, I wouldn’t be talking to you now.”
Dupree stated that he shouted a long line of expletives once they hit the ground. He called for help, turned everything off and the two climbed from the wreckage. Within minutes, he added, the word had gotten out and there were other helicopters in the area searching for them.
Investigators with the Federal Aviation Administration were in McDowell Tuesday examining the crash, but officials have said it will be some time before they release a report.
The pilot said he didn’t know much about the cleanup process. It’s something WNC Aviation’s insurance company will handle, he stated.
One thing he does know, though, is that he will be back in the air.
“I refuse to let this deter me from flying,” Dupree stated.
Dupree was the one piloting the two-seater helicopter that went down on Old U.S. 70 just inside McDowell Monday afternoon.
“The engine started to sputter,” he said Tuesday, adding that he made some adjustments in an unsuccessful attempt to restart the engine. “I knew we were going down, and I just knew we were going to hit the trees. I selected a good spot, and we landed in the kudzu. I didn’t panic.”
Dupree, who lives in Greenville, S.C., works for WNC Aviation out of Asheville. He was flying his passenger, Jean Paul Damé of Raleigh, around the area to film footage for a documentary about invasive species. Damé is a director with Firehorse Films.
Both men crawled from Monday’s crash nearly unscathed. Dupree said Tuesday that they both have some minor cuts and bruises, but a lot of those were gathered when they scaled a 100-foot embankment to reach the road.
The crash site was located approximately 300 feet below Point Lookout.
Dupree stated that they passed over the dense patch of kudzu, and Damé requested that he turn around and fly back over it at a slower speed.
“We were only about 30 or 40 feet above the trees,” said the pilot. “We were fortunate. It could have happened when we were 600 feet in the air. … If that had been the case, I wouldn’t be talking to you now.”
Dupree stated that he shouted a long line of expletives once they hit the ground. He called for help, turned everything off and the two climbed from the wreckage. Within minutes, he added, the word had gotten out and there were other helicopters in the area searching for them.
Investigators with the Federal Aviation Administration were in McDowell Tuesday examining the crash, but officials have said it will be some time before they release a report.
The pilot said he didn’t know much about the cleanup process. It’s something WNC Aviation’s insurance company will handle, he stated.
One thing he does know, though, is that he will be back in the air.
“I refuse to let this deter me from flying,” Dupree stated.
Well done Crab , you never fail to amuse !! I am sure that a man of your calibre would have made a much better job ....but of course you would have been flying a twin wouldnt you ? Just one of those things i guess but it ended as well as you could hope for !!
“The engine started to sputter,” he said Tuesday, adding that he made some adjustments in an unsuccessful attempt to restart the engine.
All of this from his self-admitted height of
only about 30 or 40 feet above the trees
Thread Starter
So what's that 'avoid curve' thing I hear so much about?
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pilotmike
That I noticed as well, but then soundtracks can be faulty ..
Who knows, maybe it was faulty, it is a C-model, so a bit overstressed engine compared to other H269 and Robby's ..
Who knows, in a H269 not having a governor installed, it could be he was paying more attention to his low height over the treetops, maybe without having safespots in sight and got caught in a minor low-RPM situation, not that uncoming in a H269 - if so, now probably descending slowly and instinctly not wanting to descend into the trees, he didn't lower collective a bit to "catch the RPM" again, because he had no room for that, making things worse, now still descending and with low rotor RPM, running out of power and lift - that's my guess on the assumption that I hear a fairly lower engine RPM yet seemly smooth running engine, when it start to settle into the trees even before chopping them up to pieces, but who knows - only NTSB will know when time comes ..
- madman
That I noticed as well, but then soundtracks can be faulty ..
Who knows, maybe it was faulty, it is a C-model, so a bit overstressed engine compared to other H269 and Robby's ..
Who knows, in a H269 not having a governor installed, it could be he was paying more attention to his low height over the treetops, maybe without having safespots in sight and got caught in a minor low-RPM situation, not that uncoming in a H269 - if so, now probably descending slowly and instinctly not wanting to descend into the trees, he didn't lower collective a bit to "catch the RPM" again, because he had no room for that, making things worse, now still descending and with low rotor RPM, running out of power and lift - that's my guess on the assumption that I hear a fairly lower engine RPM yet seemly smooth running engine, when it start to settle into the trees even before chopping them up to pieces, but who knows - only NTSB will know when time comes ..
- madman
Moderator
Letting alone the "avoid curve", my experience in 300's, while foolishly hovering out of ground effect, taught me that even flying alone, immense amounts of power are used this way.
If two fellows are hovering around on a warm southern day, and lots of attention is being paid to the object of the filming, rather than the power being consumed by the engine, it seems reasonable to expect that the engine might be over taxed. Getting it way too hot, detonating it, sticking or warping valves, and otherwise abusing it, is likely to make it loose power.
Probably not the helicopter's fault, from my point of view...
If two fellows are hovering around on a warm southern day, and lots of attention is being paid to the object of the filming, rather than the power being consumed by the engine, it seems reasonable to expect that the engine might be over taxed. Getting it way too hot, detonating it, sticking or warping valves, and otherwise abusing it, is likely to make it loose power.
Probably not the helicopter's fault, from my point of view...
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Totally agree Pliot DAR, if your going to putt around in the curve, you;d better be wide awake, 100% focused on what your doing. I spend all my day in it on a longline. If for a minute, I was not fully aware, and situational awareness was lacking by even a %, I would pull out right away.....If you gonna be in there, fly the aircraft, leave the sightseeing to the pax, camera man etc..........