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Stay safe out there - there be wires

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Old 29th Apr 2011, 20:07
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Stay safe out there - there be wires

Just saw this on another forum.

Apache had a wire-strike on training mission in the US - Instructor died though Dutch student pilot survived.

A Fort Rucker instructor pilot was killed this afternoon in what the army is calling a "mishap". It involves the AH-64D Longbow Apache helicopter on a routine training mission over Monroe County that went terribly wrong.

PACKERS BEND, Alabama - In a field in the northwest corner of Monroe County, an investigation is underway.

"There was a mishap with a AH-64D Longbow Apache helicopter with a flight of two on a routine training flight," says Ft. Rucker public affairs officer Lisa Eichhorn. That mishap, killed a man. "What I can tell you, we do have one fatality the instructor pilot was killed in the incident the student pilot was unharmed."

Folks who live in the area tells us what the military wouldn't that the choppers were very flying very low over the river when one of the choppers struck a cable that was stretched across the river that guided the ferry here.

"I told Phillip, he is going to hit the cable." Steve Barton was on the river with his fishing buddy Phillip Bryant.

"They were like a boat coming up the river," says Bryant, "They were that low, if you had a cane pole in the fishing boat you could have touched the bottom of the helicopter."

They watched in disbelief as the choppers headed straight for the ferry cable hanging about 50 feet above the Alabama River. "Instantly they hit. I was expecting it to flip and go in the river and we just dropped what we were doing and within a minute we were there but the helicopter was still in control and he banked out and went over the trees out of our sight," says Barton.

"We seen the cable pop, we seen it fall, we seen it splash in the water. Steve said lets go, lets go we gotta get up there," says Bryant. Three minutes earlier and the two fishing buddies say they would have been under that cable.

"It was amazing what I thought had happened when he hit the cable, I thought it would fall on the ferry but it didn't," says Barton.

Barton said it appeared the pilot pulled up at the last minute but it was too late.

The army has not released the name of the instructor pilot to the public but has made contact with his next of kin. The student plot, who is Dutch and was on his final training mission, landed the damaged aircraft about two miles from where the accident happened.
More info and some video in the link above.

In short wirestrike flying low-level along a river.

As an aside, is that a Bk-117 medevac at our 0:14 in the video? (Could well be my eyes!)
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Old 29th Apr 2011, 22:07
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Birddog-

Likely a UH-72 Lakota (EC145).
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Old 1st May 2011, 21:15
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Bad news, and no doubt an experienced pilot. From a civilian viewpoint Frank Robinson (prior to his retirement) would discuss dangers of low flying & wire strikes during his presentation during the Robinson safety course.

They played a video of an R22 leaving a field in the UK with two on board, either a recce prior to landing had not been made or the pilot had misjudged the wires he hit, result was unfortunatley one fatality.
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Old 1st May 2011, 21:47
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foxmead

They played a video of an R22 leaving a field in the UK with two on board, either a recce prior to landing had not been made or the pilot had misjudged the wires he hit, result was unfortunatley one fatality.
I suspect they knew EXACTLY where the wires were, but that information had dropped from their "immediate memory". I posted this on another thread---I will re-post it here in hopes people start to comprehend:

I fly low level most of the time, and land off airport more than on airport. I also am required to complete a day long course on "Wire and Obstruction Avoidance Training" on an annual basis. One of the things discussed in this training is short term memory. Basically your brain can remember about 4 or 5 key pieces of "key" information at any given time before it slips into "background" memory. (Forgive me, but I may not be using the correct terminology). There are numerous cases of aircraft landing in spots next to wires and then flying right into them on departure. The training I have received now requires me to think of the wire with every other thought...for example, on lift off, my thought process is:

Check torque
Where is the wire
Check N1
Where is the wire
Check TOT
Where is the wire
yada yada yada---you get the idea.
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Old 2nd May 2011, 01:05
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Gordy

Sometimes the best bits of advice are the simplest to remember. Thank you for that.

In the Robinson safety course, they point out that far more people are killed by wires than by engine failure, and yet the training about wires is, by comparison to EOLs, very low. It is high on the list of things they want you to remember.

Lafite
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Old 2nd May 2011, 05:40
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Another of April's 20+ fatal accidents was an R22 in Italy which was attributed to be a wire strike too (see here)
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Old 2nd May 2011, 06:13
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I fly low level most of the time, and land off airport more than on airport.
Ditto.

I also am required to complete a day long course on "Wire and Obstruction Avoidance Training" on an annual basis.
Very good idea!

Approx 80%+ of HEMS wire strikes seem to occur on take off from ad hoc sites. In my book a short verbal take off brief with the crew (especially if both are working the casualty in the cabin) is paramount for wire safety.
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Old 2nd May 2011, 20:59
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Gordy
Good points you make, reminds me of the texts in the Human Performance books, always worthwhile re-reading.
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Old 2nd May 2011, 21:40
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Just taking the opportunity to remind everyone about the wires that go across astroturf pitches which separate different areas. Even if the nets aren't across, the wires are

For example;

The pitch measures 75m x 40m (3000m2) in full, suitable for 10 aside games. It can also be divided into 3 individual playing areas measuring 40m x 25m (1000m2) suitable for 5 aside games. Each individual playing area has its own goals.
Big pic to look at;
http://clubdir.gaa.ie/monaghan/toome...astrosmall.jpg


The nets might giveaway one wire, but the other?
Is it there, is it not? Going to chance it?
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