R44 crashed - 4 heavily injured

[WestWind1950]

The State authorities in Germany do care that PPL's don't go flying around for pay as if they were commercial. The problem is finding out about them. Such companies as the one mentioned in this accident have great homepages, but they are actually just "travel agency's" and are NOT allowed to do the flying themselves! No AOC, no commercial flying. There are many such sites online. But no way can the authorities spend time surfing the internet.... they depend on "tattle-tales"... and even then it's almost impossible to catch them in the act, so to speak.

Flights with friends from certified airfields (no off field!) with small compensation (no financial gain) can only be conducted if the aircraft has no more then 4 seats. The flights can NOT be advertised or offered publically.

There's a huge problem among the balloonists... official companies getting too much "competition" from non-commercial PPL's. But try to catch them! It's almost impossible.

[Torquetalk]

Westwind,

Your points about detection and resources are right, but I think you may have a little too much faith in the judgement of the RPs in issuing approvals, and the ethics of pilots in using them.

Off-airfield approvals can and are issued to private pilots. And some of those pilots conduct pleasure flights. And some of them collect money. More money than it costs to conduct the flights.

Btw. anyone have any further information on the circumstances of the incident with the R44 summer 2009 - the one that hit a plane at an airshow?

[ReverseFlight]

Hi Spunk, I fully appreciate your views. The point I was making is that it is sometimes difficult to draw commonality between accidents especially when we don't know the full facts of this latest one.

I am also aware of several accidents in the Asia-Pacific region where PPL-piloted joy flights have ended up in bent metal and physical injury. I believe there should technically be no competency difference between PPLs and CPLs but flight trainers and regulators often have a more relaxed approach towards PPLs, which IMHO is wrong.

[WestWind1950]

Torquetalk, I know of one State that allows that (Baden-Würtemburg) but generally it is not allowed and permission not given to private pilots. There may, of course, be other exceptions ......

[Spunk]

The State authorities in Germany do care that PPL's don't go flying around for pay as if they were commercial. The problem is finding out about them.

Sorry, WestWind1950 but I definetly have to disagree. We reported PPL pilots with exactly the same constellation (homepage advertisement as if they were Lufthansa, aircraft on someone elses AOC etc...).

Examples:

Heli-Life
CityCopter
Harz Helicopter

And don't forget all those autogyro "companies" doing aerial filming and photography.

As said before: Neither RP nor LBA felt responsible.

Flights with friends from certified airfields (no off field!) with small compensation (no financial gain) can only be conducted if the aircraft has no more then 4 seats. The flights can NOT be advertised or offered publically.

That's the way it should be but that ain't reality as was proven once more in that particular case.

But no way can the authorities spend time surfing the internet

And again, from personal experience I know that that's exactly what they do. A photo taken on a Saturday morning showed up on the internet on Sunday. Monday morning we received a phone call from the authority and were facing a "hearing" based on the mentioned photo. I wouldn't be surprised if some of them even contributes to this thread.

Sorry Westwind, you are totally right with your quote about the regulatory framework but just because the law says it's not allowed doesn't mean that it's not done.

[WestWind1950]

Sorry Westwind, you are totally right with your quote about the regulatory framework but just because the law says it's not allowed doesn't mean that it's not done.

Oh, I realise that. Just because you're not allowed to drive faster then 50 km in the town, doesn't mean it doesn't happen for sure. But, unless there's a radar gun to catch you, you get away with it. The same with private pilots doing (illegal) commercial flights. But then, one gets caught, like the guy in this story, and wham.... he REALLY pays for it! Sometimes I wonder if those jerks really realise the consequences?

[Dantruck]

Just back from my local bar here in Torre Del Mar, southern Spain, at 19:40 ETC and several beers worse for wear. Please excuse any typos therefore...

Ref my post number 30:

PP-L: I understand what you mean about the YouTube audio, but my very point is that the internet is a 'zero quality' source for anything truly important (PPrune included...if you are guessing at the degree of 'truly'.) Video-audio sequencing is not fixed. Others here can no doubt speak with more authority on that particular subject, but are we prepared to condemn the pilot, even in part, on such questionable internet evidence? I for one will add it to my bank of knowledge and consider it later, perhaps when I have had the chance to view the original video tapre... you see my point, I hope.

'simondlh': 'Natural to discuss'...yes...you are correct. But you and I will only truly learn something if it is based on fact, knowledge or first-hand experience. My point is that guesswork, or similar, leads low time pilots down a wrong and therefore dangerous path. Therein lies my very problem. To 'discuss' is good. To guess is bad...bad in more ways than you or I can imagine. For what you and I guess, too many others on this thing we call the internet, take as fact.

Now, if I can discern so little whilst half cut (drunk ,etc) what's wrong with the rest of this community?

Off to bed now...Mrs Dantruck is waiting...you understand

[Morane]

RE torquetalk

Only Prelim Info about this accident August 2009.

http://www.bfu-web.de/cln_005/nn_223...tin2009-08.pdf

Joe

[Torquetalk]

Thanks Morane.

[ReverseFlight]

What difference does it make whether they are a PPL or CPL?

None whatsoever. I was trying to restrict my discussion to PPLs as per Spunk's comments. As I said, there should technically be no competency difference between PPLs and CPLs.

[madman1145]

So any further news about this crash ?
Any official report out yet, preliminary and/or final ?
Has the pilot been crucified or were all the papers in order ?

- madman

[Spunk]

final report

You have to scroll down to page 35 and knowledge of german language is helpfull.

Summary:

Pilot: 50 years old, PPL(H) (first issue 04.01.2008), total flight experience of 325 hours (all on type)

Aircraft: R 44 Raven II, YOM 2008, S/N 12138, TOM in Oerlinghausen: 1.100 KG, ACTT: 353 hours

MET at Paderborn-Lippstadt (EDLP) @ 27 km away: cavok, wind 250-6kts with reported showers in the vicinity of crash scene, in gusts wind could increase to 25 kts, light to moderate turbulences in showers

Landing spot: parking area in front of disco respectively grass area was approved by the local aviation authority for a private flight
(see picture in report for details)

additional information:

The pilot is the general manager of the company (with limited liability) being the owner of the aircraft. The company was offering flight training as well as commercial passenger and cargo transportation. The company neither held an AOC nor a permission according to §20 LuftVG for commercial flights.
On their web site the company pointed out that all of the commercial flights are conducted in cooperationby an AOC holder. This AOC holder was the holder of the aircraft.
On June 18th, 2010 the LBA requested the AOC holder to revise the situation at the branch office in Oerlinghausen as there was no longera field executive nor a commercial pilot on scene. After that the AOC-holder closed the branch office as of July 5th, 2010 .
The owner of the aircraft charged for the flight. The invoice was paid up front.

Reason for crash: VRS combined with LTE

[[email protected]]

It doesn't look like VRS at all - it does look like an approach towards a high hover without enough power - engine tops out, Nr reduces, aircraft descends, pilot pulls more lever, Nr decays...................smash.

It is possible he didn't anticipate the reduction in the wind effect behind the trees or turbulence affected him - either way he didn't have enough power to do what he was trying to with the helicopter.

Guess what decaying Nr does to yaw control - - LTE

You have to be descending at least half and more like three quarters of your downwash speed which, on a robbie, is probably in excess of 1000fpm to get into VRS - then you have to be very slow and then you have to pull lots of lever.

Robinsons are not exactly renowned for their excess power with pax on board. Running out of power is not VRS.

[BlueWhiteSky]

I took the time and modified a auto translation of the accident report to a more readable format. Some interesting details are not mentioned in the summary a few posts earlier. Like low rotor rpm warning.
I omitted the basic description of the R44 and did not alter the references at the end which are revering to FAA publications

[BlueWhiteSky]

Ok something missing here it is

Circumstances

Events and flight course

Within the scope of an arrangement of a discothek the pilot flew with three passengers in a
helicopter Robinson R 44 Raven II from the airfield Oerlinghausen to the approx. 14 NM away located off airport landing area in the vicinity of the village Altenbeken. At the landing site the helicopter was expected from several persons.

The approach approx. 17:27 (local time) was filmed by a spectator. According this movie
the helicopter flew over the planned land surface and then turned in a left turn to a kind of base leg and an other left turn to an approx. HDG 030 degrees . After the first turn the fwd speed decreased
and the helicopter slowly lost height. In the last turn the helicopter had problems to maintain a coordinated turn to change direction to the left. The helicopters nose yawed to the right into the wind. After the turn the helicopter fell with almost no fwd speed to ground.
At this stage the helicopter made a full rotation (clockwise) around its vertical axis to the right hit trees and impacted the ground.
According to the pilot he could not land on the planned landing field, the parking lot of the disco, because it was already occupied with people and cars.. Therefore, he wanted to fly over the area first of all to find out about the local circumstances. According his statements he flew parallel to a farm road field-concentric in 200 – 300 ft above the powerlines in the area. While turning to the left in the direction farm road he heard the horn of the main rotor-speed warning and the helicopter lost height. He had the feeling of a " stall without advance warning “.
The helicopter came to rest lying on the left side. Three persons where able to leave the wreckage on there own althrough seriously injured. One seriously injured passanger had to be rescued by rescue teams from the wreck.

Information to persons

the 50-year-old pilot was in the possession of a private pilot license for helicopter (PPL (H)) acc. JAR-FCL, first issued on 04.01.2008, valid until 18.02.2015, with type rating for R44, valid until 08.02.2011 and night rating . He held a medical class 2 valid to 13.04.2011. The total and type experience acc. to his logbook and technical records of the helicopters based at Oerlinhausen airfield was approx. 325 hours.

Information to the airplane

The accident helicopter, construction year 2008, had the serial no. 12138. The DOW amounted to 704 kg and to the takeoff mass in Oerlinghausen approx. 1 100 kg.
The last airworthines certificate was issued on 13.05.2010 at a TT of 288 hours. At the time of the accident the helicopter had a total time of approx. 353 hours.

Meteorological information

The METAR of the airport Paderborn-Lippstadt (EDLP) approx. 27 km away stated at the accident time visibility of more than 10 kms, wind from 250 degrees with 6 kt, no clouds below 5,000 ft GND and a temperature of 5 °C with a dew point of 2 °C. The atmospheric pressure (QNH) amounted to 1 010 hPa.
After recordings of the German weather service partial showers appeared in the area Altenbeken. In the vicinity of the showers the wind could increase to gusts up to approx. 25 kt. The in general westerly wind could have tuned in shower proximity approx. 20 ° to the right and it was to be calculated with lighter to moderate turbulence in shower proximity.
Navigation

Navigation support aboard the helicopter there was a Flymap L. The flight was carried out with support of the GPS.

Radio traffic

After the take off in Oerlinghausen no radio traffic was led.

Information to the airfield

as an outside landing field a meadow or a parking lot had been planned northeast of the village Altenbeken, in the immediate proximity of a discothek. (see attachment) the outside landing for a private flight had been applied at the responsible civil aviation authority and had been approved by this under restrictions.

Flight data recording

the helicopter was not equipped with a Flight Data recorder (FDR) or cockpit Voice recorder (CVR). These recording devices were not required.
During the flight photos were made by a passenger. These admitted conclusions about flight course, airspeed and height as well as achievement data of the engine during cruise flight.
An evaluation of the Flymap L was not possible. Because the flight from the system was not recognized as concluded, the data were not stored permanently and got lost with the loss of electrical power in the scene of the accident.

Scene of the accident and findings in the airplane

the scene of the accident was approx. 800 northeast of the village Altenbeken in the westerly edge of a group of trees on a street. (see attachment) the helicopter lay on the left the rear rose in the trees. Around the tail rotor a phone cable was wrapped. In the flight controls no evidence was found of a pre damage. The tanks were damaged, fuel ran out. The helicopter was rescued and afterwards examined. On this occasion, no signs arose for a technical lack.

Fire

there originated no fire.

Additional information

the pilot was manager of a Ltd which was owner of the helicopter.
On the Internet and with advertisement at the airfield the Ltd offered the realization of flight education, personal transports and material transports of all kind. An approval of the Ltd by the civil aviation authority acc. JAR-OPS 3 or the local aviation authority acc. §20 air traffic act for commercial flights did not exist.
On the Internet page of the Ltd it was pointed out to the fact that the commercial flights would be carried out by a cooperation partner. This cooperation partner was an aviation company approved by the civil aviation authority and the registered operator of the helicopter. With a letter dated 18.06.2010 the civil aviation authority requested to clear the situation in the branch office Oerlinghausen because no branch office leader and commercial helicopter pilot where permanently on site. The company canceled the branch office Oerlinghausen with the civil aaviationauthority on the 05.07.2010.
The owner of the helicopter issued a invoice for the flight, which was paid from the customer before the flight.

The manufacturer of the helicopter warns in SN-22 "Always Reduce Rate-Of-Descent Before Reducing Airspeed" about slow land flights with high Sink rate in the Safety Notice. With such a flight it can come to a whirl ring stage (vortex ring state or settling with power).
The American aviation authority (FAA) describes this aerodynamic state in the main rotor in her "Rotorcraft Flying Handbook". On this occasion, it comes in spite of powered rotor on the basis of spreading out whirls at the rotor sheet ends to a high Sink rate which cannot be stopped in spite of achievement supply with the collective shifting lever (Pitch). The FAA describes typical examples in which it can come to a whirl ring stage, among other things with the floating external-half of the ground effect with tail wind.
In general a pilot should try in such a situation to raise the Vorwärtsgeschwindigkeit and to lower the Pitch to leave the whirl ring stage.
Furthermore the FAA describes the phenomenon of "loss of tail rotor effectiveness" (LTE) in "Rotorcraft Flying Handbook" and in the " Advisory Circular 90-95 “.
On this occasion, it comes to an unintentional rotation around the high-level axis against the rotation direction of the main rotor. This can lead to the entire controlling loss over the helicopter. Typical examples of the forming of a LTE are Flü-ge with which high achievement are claimed by the engine and accordingly high forces are required by the rear rotor for the torque balance. Flights external-half of the ground effect with low headway below the transitional impetus, with high flight weight and if necessary tail wind should be avoided according to the FAA not to reach in the danger of a LTE.

[Winnie]

I agree with Mr. Crab here...

The Low rotor RPM HORN/Light will back that statement up, POWER SETTLING rather than VRS.

I guess it was just easier to reach that conclusion. Gotta know what you are doing.

Cheers
H.

[eivissa]

Just for clarification. The report doesnt clearly say LTE or VRS is the reason for this crash. They just mention these issues without further comments if this might have happened.

[Morane]

Hi,

it's not a final report, it's the preliminary report.
It does not state the cause of the accident.
It's just a summary of facts.
The low rpm warning is from the report of the pilot (not confirmed).

Joe

[ReverseFlight]

Looking at the vid, the approach was high and slow right from the start (call it downwind). The tight turn onto base and final would have reduced the vertical component of lift even more.

[Torquetalk]

I also think Crab has it right in terms of cause and effect. Running out of power in an R44 if you are 4-up and approach like that without a headwind is all but inevitable. Completely inept. LTE and "VRS" are secondary symptom of being overpitched. The passengers also reported hearing the low RRPM alarm.

Based on information so far, including the pilot's arrogance and failure to understand that they caused an illegal flight to crash, I sincerely hope he goes to jail.

TT