Sky Shuttle AW139 ditches in HK Harbour
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Ned..yes the toffee man...All those years operating the S76C+ and a bird never forced a water landing....Just have to wait for the report, a bit disapointing it in fact it was a bird. The toffee man....wanted the 139..others wanted the S92....just like the AS350...wrong choice...
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HK Oriental Daily Newspaper today ( No Edit )
Google Chinese to English Translation:
疑渦輪葉片脫離肇事 民航處前處長樂鞏南認為，若然直升機尾螺旋槳打着麻鷹而導致意外，民航處便不至於暫停整隊同型號的直升機飛行，他不相信意外是尾 螺旋槳破損所致，因為若然尾螺旋槳失效，該直升機根本無法平穩地降落海面。 他懷疑是涉事直升機其中一台渦輪發動機的壓縮器或其渦輪葉片脫離，打穿發動機外罩或機身，故駕駛員說他聽到其後面發出巨響，而非 說機尾，而由於渦輪發動機的轉速達每分鐘幾萬轉，所以葉片飛出的速度有如子彈。 樂鞏南並指出，現時渦輪的設計，渦輪碟與渦輪葉片，多是一個整體鑄造，而非往日的一片一片的安裝到渦輪碟上，故安全性應提升了數 十倍，但不等於沒有風險，若鑄造過程有瑕疵，該整塊渦輪碟應會提早碎裂，一塊一塊連葉片會以子彈速度飛出。
Turbine blades from the incident the suspect
Former Director of Civil Aviation Lok that if a helicopter tail propeller accidents caused eagle banner of the Civil Aviation Department suspended the entire team they might not need the same type of helicopter flight, he did not believe the end of the propeller is damaged due to accident, because if the end propeller failure, the helicopter could not land a smooth sea.
He suspected that someone's helicopter one of the turbine engine compressor or turbine blades out, penetrated the engine housings, or body, so the driver said he heard the tremendous noise behind it, not that the tail, and as turbine engines speed up transfer of tens of thousands per minute, so the speed is like leaves flying out of bullets.
Lok and pointed out that the turbine design, turbine discs and blade, multi-casting a whole, rather than the past of a piece of plate on the installation of the turbine, so security should be raised a few times, but it does not mean there is no risk, if there are flaws in the casting process, the block should be advanced turbine disk fragments, a piece with blade speed will fly out of bullets.
疑渦輪葉片脫離肇事 民航處前處長樂鞏南認為，若然直升機尾螺旋槳打着麻鷹而導致意外，民航處便不至於暫停整隊同型號的直升機飛行，他不相信意外是尾 螺旋槳破損所致，因為若然尾螺旋槳失效，該直升機根本無法平穩地降落海面。 他懷疑是涉事直升機其中一台渦輪發動機的壓縮器或其渦輪葉片脫離，打穿發動機外罩或機身，故駕駛員說他聽到其後面發出巨響，而非 說機尾，而由於渦輪發動機的轉速達每分鐘幾萬轉，所以葉片飛出的速度有如子彈。 樂鞏南並指出，現時渦輪的設計，渦輪碟與渦輪葉片，多是一個整體鑄造，而非往日的一片一片的安裝到渦輪碟上，故安全性應提升了數 十倍，但不等於沒有風險，若鑄造過程有瑕疵，該整塊渦輪碟應會提早碎裂，一塊一塊連葉片會以子彈速度飛出。
Turbine blades from the incident the suspect
Former Director of Civil Aviation Lok that if a helicopter tail propeller accidents caused eagle banner of the Civil Aviation Department suspended the entire team they might not need the same type of helicopter flight, he did not believe the end of the propeller is damaged due to accident, because if the end propeller failure, the helicopter could not land a smooth sea.
He suspected that someone's helicopter one of the turbine engine compressor or turbine blades out, penetrated the engine housings, or body, so the driver said he heard the tremendous noise behind it, not that the tail, and as turbine engines speed up transfer of tens of thousands per minute, so the speed is like leaves flying out of bullets.
Lok and pointed out that the turbine design, turbine discs and blade, multi-casting a whole, rather than the past of a piece of plate on the installation of the turbine, so security should be raised a few times, but it does not mean there is no risk, if there are flaws in the casting process, the block should be advanced turbine disk fragments, a piece with blade speed will fly out of bullets.
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apparently thinks it was an engine failure (which makes no sense)
DURING CRUISE FLIGHT AT 500 FT OVER GULF WATERS, THE LEFT ENGINE SUSTAINED A MASSIVE, UNCONTAINED, EXPLOSIVE FAILURE. SHARPNEL PENETRATED THE RIGHT ENGINE, WHICH FAILED FROM DAMAGE. SHARPNEL ALSO PENETRATED THE AC AND DC JUNCTION BOXES, CAUSING COMPLETE ELECTRICAL FAILURE (NO MAYDAY CALL POSSIBLE). SHARPNEL FURTHER SEVERED THE TAIL ROTOR DRIVE SHAFT AND PENETRATED THE ACFT FUEL SYSTEM; FIRE BROKE OUT IN THE TRANSMISSION AREA AND THE COCKPIT FILLED WITH SMOKE. USING THE CO-PLT'S SIDE WINDOW FOR VISUAL ACQUISITION OF THE WATER SURFACE, A SUCCESSFUL AUTOROTATION WAS PERFORMED. HOWEVER, THE ACFT ROLLED OVER AND SANK SINCE THE EMERGENCY FLOATATION GEAR IS ELECTRICALLY OPERATED AND FAILED TO DEPLOY. AFTER SUCCESSFUL EVACUATION BY ALL OCCUPANTS, PLT RETURNED TO THE INVERTED ACFT AND DEPLOYED LIFE RAFTS. INVESTIGATION REVEALED LEFT ENGINE COMPRESSOR-TO-TURBINE COUPLING HAD FAILED IN FATIGUE. TURBINE WENT OVERSPEED AND BURST UNDER CENTRIFUGAL LOADS.
Sometimes the dog of fate lifts its leg and pi55es on the pillar of science.
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as an amusing aside, I was, with my back to the TV, giving some pax the standard brief about "in the unlikely event that.." I would simply pop the floats and we would bob up and down till the boat came and picked us up
.. when the lady pointed to the TV with MHJ upside down showing off the yellow bags and said ".. er like that one..."
Priceless
.. when the lady pointed to the TV with MHJ upside down showing off the yellow bags and said ".. er like that one..."
Priceless
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Bird Makes Forced Landing into Harbour - Avian World Daily News
Bird Makes Forced Landing into Harbour - Avian World Daily News
Investigators are probing into the causes of the accident which caused a bird to make a forced landing in the harbour on Saturday.
The bird, part of the Western Flock, was reported missing just after midday by flock members. Shortly afterwards, the bird was found close to drowning just north of the ferry pier. The bird was rescued and had suffered minimal injuries.
Western Flock operates approximately 50 Black Kites and is the sole predator in the skies of that area. Their operations mainly include hunting and gathering.
The speculation is that the bird may have experienced a 'helicopter strike'.
An eyewitness said this:
"I was riding another thermal during a fishing flight when I heard a loud squawk. I looked over to see the bird in trouble. I'm sure I saw some of the Tertial flight feathers missing as he made the forced landing into the harbour."
Investigators have confirmed that part of the bird's tail feather arrangement was missing, but it is not yet known whether they separated in flight or were eaten by fish after hitting the water.
"Helicopters are a problem for birds in the area," one expert said. "It seems that there are more and more helicopters in the air now and they migrate frequently in both directions across our thermals. Helicopter avoidance is getting harder."
Birds are trained in recognising signs of helicopter activity. "A loud noise and unstable airs are the two most common indicators. You have to be alert and keep a good lookout for helicopters," said a spokesbird from the Avian Oversized Predators Association (AOPA). "Despite thorough training and excellent eyesight though, sometimes helicopter strikes are unavoidable," he said.
Avian World caught up with principal emu of the 'Emu School of Flight - Physics of Soaring Flight Department'.
"When de bir land on de wartah, he deproying her frock," said the emu. "De frock ..er..a welly important part of safety...er.. froatation system," Emu explained.
However it is widely considered that the Emu is in fact a 'hack' since emus cannot fly at all and probably hasn't a clue what its talking about.
Early newspaper reports alleged that the Black Kite did not have the required number of 'frocks' for the flight, but this has been since confirmed to be careless misinformation. The bird was properly preened in compliance with all the standards and requirements before flight.
Bird related discussion groups around the world are abuzz as the avian community waits eagerly for more information. In one well known forum, 'PPreen - Soaring Beaks', birds have begun the inevitable speculation as to the likely cause of the incident.
"Just a few months ago, a similar black kite, had not preened well, and lost its entire tail whilst foraging around on the ground for worms. Maybe its the same problem," said one poster.
Another poster who goes by the moniker, 'Claps Pinko' and is considered a bit of an expert on the subject of bird design by himself and a few others, mused whether the flying conditions in the area put too much stress on the bird's body.
"Flying there is rigourous and there is a lot of stress on the basal and terminal phalanxes during take off and landing. A failure in those parts would make soaring impossible, and require a bird to 'autoflap' to the ground or water," Pinko wisely posts.
A spokesbird for Western Flock made this statement:
"We have suspended all soaring hunting and gathering flights for the time being until more information on the cause comes to light. We commend the kite for his handling of the situation. Safely landing on the water with tailfeather problems, whilst avoiding other birds, buildings and ships is a notable feat."
The avian community now waits.
Investigators are probing into the causes of the accident which caused a bird to make a forced landing in the harbour on Saturday.
The bird, part of the Western Flock, was reported missing just after midday by flock members. Shortly afterwards, the bird was found close to drowning just north of the ferry pier. The bird was rescued and had suffered minimal injuries.
Western Flock operates approximately 50 Black Kites and is the sole predator in the skies of that area. Their operations mainly include hunting and gathering.
The speculation is that the bird may have experienced a 'helicopter strike'.
An eyewitness said this:
"I was riding another thermal during a fishing flight when I heard a loud squawk. I looked over to see the bird in trouble. I'm sure I saw some of the Tertial flight feathers missing as he made the forced landing into the harbour."
Investigators have confirmed that part of the bird's tail feather arrangement was missing, but it is not yet known whether they separated in flight or were eaten by fish after hitting the water.
"Helicopters are a problem for birds in the area," one expert said. "It seems that there are more and more helicopters in the air now and they migrate frequently in both directions across our thermals. Helicopter avoidance is getting harder."
Birds are trained in recognising signs of helicopter activity. "A loud noise and unstable airs are the two most common indicators. You have to be alert and keep a good lookout for helicopters," said a spokesbird from the Avian Oversized Predators Association (AOPA). "Despite thorough training and excellent eyesight though, sometimes helicopter strikes are unavoidable," he said.
Avian World caught up with principal emu of the 'Emu School of Flight - Physics of Soaring Flight Department'.
"When de bir land on de wartah, he deproying her frock," said the emu. "De frock ..er..a welly important part of safety...er.. froatation system," Emu explained.
However it is widely considered that the Emu is in fact a 'hack' since emus cannot fly at all and probably hasn't a clue what its talking about.
Early newspaper reports alleged that the Black Kite did not have the required number of 'frocks' for the flight, but this has been since confirmed to be careless misinformation. The bird was properly preened in compliance with all the standards and requirements before flight.
Bird related discussion groups around the world are abuzz as the avian community waits eagerly for more information. In one well known forum, 'PPreen - Soaring Beaks', birds have begun the inevitable speculation as to the likely cause of the incident.
"Just a few months ago, a similar black kite, had not preened well, and lost its entire tail whilst foraging around on the ground for worms. Maybe its the same problem," said one poster.
Another poster who goes by the moniker, 'Claps Pinko' and is considered a bit of an expert on the subject of bird design by himself and a few others, mused whether the flying conditions in the area put too much stress on the bird's body.
"Flying there is rigourous and there is a lot of stress on the basal and terminal phalanxes during take off and landing. A failure in those parts would make soaring impossible, and require a bird to 'autoflap' to the ground or water," Pinko wisely posts.
A spokesbird for Western Flock made this statement:
"We have suspended all soaring hunting and gathering flights for the time being until more information on the cause comes to light. We commend the kite for his handling of the situation. Safely landing on the water with tailfeather problems, whilst avoiding other birds, buildings and ships is a notable feat."
The avian community now waits.
Last edited by Chi Sin Gei Si; 7th Jul 2010 at 05:24.
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since emus cannot fly at all and probably hasn't a clue what its talking about.
Signed,
EMU27
135th Assault Helicopter - Taipans
Loved the bait tho
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I've been trying to reply to this thread since it first started but my failing eyesight has prevented me from logging in past that code that prevents spammers et el. 
I think the fact that the horizontal stab was still in place, demonstrates the tail rotor probably would not have touched aqua (if still attached) unless the pilot was hovering and then slowly backed the helicopter into the harbour.
We must recognize that a water landing has some probability of a tail strike and TGB breakage due to the landing, and not as a cause of the ditch.
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Statement
Agusta's first statement just came in. They say based on initial findings it appears "External FOD causing tail rotor imbalance damaging the components of the antitorque system".
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From a letter sent to AW owners:
"... Immdeiately after the notification of the event, based on the reported conditions of the aircraft, AgustasWestland started a detailed analysis and a complete review of the Tail Rotor log reports; no aircraft issues were found.
Furthermore, based on the first examination of the recovered aircraft it appears that the incident effects are fully compatible with an external Foreign Object Damage (FOD), which caused a tail rotor imbalance damaging the components of the anti-torque system.
The Flight Data Recorder (FDR) data, recently downloaded, confirm the impulsive characteristc of the phenomenom while the other aircraft parameters appear to stay inside the normal operating ranges. ..."
"... Immdeiately after the notification of the event, based on the reported conditions of the aircraft, AgustasWestland started a detailed analysis and a complete review of the Tail Rotor log reports; no aircraft issues were found.
Furthermore, based on the first examination of the recovered aircraft it appears that the incident effects are fully compatible with an external Foreign Object Damage (FOD), which caused a tail rotor imbalance damaging the components of the anti-torque system.
The Flight Data Recorder (FDR) data, recently downloaded, confirm the impulsive characteristc of the phenomenom while the other aircraft parameters appear to stay inside the normal operating ranges. ..."
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Ok...may be true...but for legal/liability reasons what else would AW say at this point? Perhaps a bit early yet to take it as gospel. Unbiased investigation (if that's possible) would lend some validity to this statement.
I am assuming that AW is eluding back to the bird strike theory (because what else could it be in that operating location). Can a bird really cause that much to happen right after takeoff and not even at cruise yet? Who knows...maybe it can...
The pics in the HK Standard show a straight on shot of the tail...not even a TR drive-shaft there that I can see.
(I tried to upload it but I must be technologically bankrupt as it wouldn't work.)
I am assuming that AW is eluding back to the bird strike theory (because what else could it be in that operating location). Can a bird really cause that much to happen right after takeoff and not even at cruise yet? Who knows...maybe it can...
The pics in the HK Standard show a straight on shot of the tail...not even a TR drive-shaft there that I can see.
(I tried to upload it but I must be technologically bankrupt as it wouldn't work.)
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With so many tall buildings in that area of HK, in the land of CCTV running 24/7
Some building management company has the --Golden Egg on tape--- they just dont know it yet, Im sure this would be worth at least 5 fiq $$$$$
Some building management company has the --Golden Egg on tape--- they just dont know it yet, Im sure this would be worth at least 5 fiq $$$$$
Yeaaaah, most (all?) helicopters with conventional tail rotors mounted atop vertical fins send the driveshaft up the leading edge. What's missing from the 139 is not the driveshaft but the push-pull pitch change tube, which probably left with the gearbox.
Just one word on the "birdstrike" scenario: Maybe. Let us accept that the bird did not overtake them and fly into the tail rotor from the rear. Unless the bird dove vertically from above, it's hard for one to get the tail rotor without going by the cockpit pretty close - and there were two guys up front presumably with their eyes open who ought to have seen it. We all take work hard to avoid birds (the ones we see, anyway). And maybe they did.
Right now all we know for sure is that "something" caused that tail rotor gearbox to depart the aircraft in a big hurry. As with any accident, we'll surely find out more in the days and weeks to come.
Just one word on the "birdstrike" scenario: Maybe. Let us accept that the bird did not overtake them and fly into the tail rotor from the rear. Unless the bird dove vertically from above, it's hard for one to get the tail rotor without going by the cockpit pretty close - and there were two guys up front presumably with their eyes open who ought to have seen it. We all take work hard to avoid birds (the ones we see, anyway). And maybe they did.
Right now all we know for sure is that "something" caused that tail rotor gearbox to depart the aircraft in a big hurry. As with any accident, we'll surely find out more in the days and weeks to come.
Chief Bottle Washer
Originally Posted by Iron Will
The pics in the HK Standard show a straight on shot of the tail...not even a TR drive-shaft there that I can see.
(I tried to upload it but I must be technologically bankrupt as it wouldn't work.)
(I tried to upload it but I must be technologically bankrupt as it wouldn't work.)
