Helicopter down in NYC (Oct 2011)
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Helicopter down in NYC (Oct 2011)
Just saw on the news a copter went down in the East River in NYC.
I think everyone got out OK and were taken to the hospital.
I think everyone got out OK and were taken to the hospital.
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Latest reports say 1 didn't, can see most of the drama from my window. Jetranger 5 people on board, latest unreliable reports seem to hint at TR problems.
Latest news is that the 4 passengers where from the UK, 1 missing, 3 taken to hospital in very serious way and the pilot is ok and is helping with the recovery.
Latest news is that the 4 passengers where from the UK, 1 missing, 3 taken to hospital in very serious way and the pilot is ok and is helping with the recovery.
Last edited by Jarvy; 4th Oct 2011 at 20:34. Reason: latest news
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New York Daily News: Helicopter crashes in NYC East River; NYPD divers rescue survivors, one missing
New York Times: Helicopter crashes in East River
NEW YORK (AP) — A helicopter with five people aboard crashed into the East River on Tuesday afternoon after taking off from a launch pad on the riverbank, seriously injuring at least two people and leaving one missing.
The pilot and three others were pulled alive from the water by rescue crews shortly after the chopper went down. Authorities were searching for one other passenger, believed to be female, but the Bell 206 helicopter was submerged in the murky water, police spokesman Paul Browne said.
The private chopper went into the river off 34th Street in midtown Manhattan. It's unclear what happened, but witnesses reported it was sputtering and appeared to be in some type of mechanical distress.
A massive rescue effort was under way with a dozen boats and divers down into the cold, grey water.
The conditions of those who were rescued weren't immediately available. The fire department said at least two people on board were taken to area hospitals in serious condition.
Joy Garnett and her husband were on the dock waiting to take the East River ferry to Brooklyn when they heard the blades of a helicopter and saw it start to take off from the nearby helipad. She said she saw it do "a funny curlicue."
"I thought, 'Is that some daredevil move?'" she said. "But it was obviously out of control. The body spun around at least two or three times, and then it went down."
She said the chopper had lifted about 25 feet off the ground before it dropped into the water without much of a splash. It flipped over, and the blades were sticking up out of the river. She said people on the dock started throwing in life jackets and buoys. Two people came up out of the waves.
"It didn't make much noise," she said. "It was just a splash and sunk."
The weather was clear but a little windy Tuesday, with winds of 10 mph gusting to 20 mph and visibility of 10 miles, according to the weather station at LaGuardia airport. There were a few clouds at 3,500 feet above sea level, well above the typical flying altitude for helicopters.
Carlos Acevedo, of Puerto Rico, was with his wife at a nearby park area when they saw the helicopter go down.
"It sank fast," he said. "In seconds. Like the water was sucking it in."
Lau Kamg was leaving a dentist's office and was walking nearby when he saw the chopper go down, and he said it appeared to be in distress.
"The sound got my attention," he said. I saw it splash."
The chopper, a Bell 206 Jet Ranger, is one of the world's most popular helicopter models and was first flown in January 1966. They are light and highly maneuverable, making them popular with television stations and air taxi companies. A new one costs between $700,000 and $1.2 million.
On Aug. 8, 2009 a small plane collided with a helicopter over the Hudson River, on the other side of Manhattan, killing nine people, including five Italian tourists. A government safety panel found that an air traffic controller who was on a personal phone call had contributed to the accident.
The Federal Aviation Administration changed its rules for aircraft flying over New York City's rivers after that collision. Pilots must call out their positions on the radio and obey a 161 mph speed limit. Before the changes, such radio calls were optional.
Earlier that year, an Airbus 320 airliner landed in the Hudson after hitting birds and losing both engines shortly after taking off from LaGuardia Airport. The flight, U.S. Airways Flight 1549, became known as the Miracle on the Hudson plane.
The river has been closed to commercial boating traffic, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
The pilot and three others were pulled alive from the water by rescue crews shortly after the chopper went down. Authorities were searching for one other passenger, believed to be female, but the Bell 206 helicopter was submerged in the murky water, police spokesman Paul Browne said.
The private chopper went into the river off 34th Street in midtown Manhattan. It's unclear what happened, but witnesses reported it was sputtering and appeared to be in some type of mechanical distress.
A massive rescue effort was under way with a dozen boats and divers down into the cold, grey water.
The conditions of those who were rescued weren't immediately available. The fire department said at least two people on board were taken to area hospitals in serious condition.
Joy Garnett and her husband were on the dock waiting to take the East River ferry to Brooklyn when they heard the blades of a helicopter and saw it start to take off from the nearby helipad. She said she saw it do "a funny curlicue."
"I thought, 'Is that some daredevil move?'" she said. "But it was obviously out of control. The body spun around at least two or three times, and then it went down."
She said the chopper had lifted about 25 feet off the ground before it dropped into the water without much of a splash. It flipped over, and the blades were sticking up out of the river. She said people on the dock started throwing in life jackets and buoys. Two people came up out of the waves.
"It didn't make much noise," she said. "It was just a splash and sunk."
The weather was clear but a little windy Tuesday, with winds of 10 mph gusting to 20 mph and visibility of 10 miles, according to the weather station at LaGuardia airport. There were a few clouds at 3,500 feet above sea level, well above the typical flying altitude for helicopters.
Carlos Acevedo, of Puerto Rico, was with his wife at a nearby park area when they saw the helicopter go down.
"It sank fast," he said. "In seconds. Like the water was sucking it in."
Lau Kamg was leaving a dentist's office and was walking nearby when he saw the chopper go down, and he said it appeared to be in distress.
"The sound got my attention," he said. I saw it splash."
The chopper, a Bell 206 Jet Ranger, is one of the world's most popular helicopter models and was first flown in January 1966. They are light and highly maneuverable, making them popular with television stations and air taxi companies. A new one costs between $700,000 and $1.2 million.
On Aug. 8, 2009 a small plane collided with a helicopter over the Hudson River, on the other side of Manhattan, killing nine people, including five Italian tourists. A government safety panel found that an air traffic controller who was on a personal phone call had contributed to the accident.
The Federal Aviation Administration changed its rules for aircraft flying over New York City's rivers after that collision. Pilots must call out their positions on the radio and obey a 161 mph speed limit. Before the changes, such radio calls were optional.
Earlier that year, an Airbus 320 airliner landed in the Hudson after hitting birds and losing both engines shortly after taking off from LaGuardia Airport. The flight, U.S. Airways Flight 1549, became known as the Miracle on the Hudson plane.
The river has been closed to commercial boating traffic, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
Last edited by Flying Lawyer; 4th Oct 2011 at 21:20.
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US army corps of engineers recovery boat on scene getting ready to lift the helicopter. Last person now recovered didn't look good. Pilots name has been released, he is ok and helping on the scene.
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Helicopter down in East River NYC...
BBC News - Helicopter falls into East River in New York City
(Apologies, thread already running in Rotorheads. I'll leave this here as a heads up or mods feel free to delete).
Link to Rotorheads Forum >>> http://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/465...-down-nyc.html
(Apologies, thread already running in Rotorheads. I'll leave this here as a heads up or mods feel free to delete).
Link to Rotorheads Forum >>> http://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/465...-down-nyc.html
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British family in area for a 40th birthday, the lady that died was the birthday girl, others are her partner and her parents. Pilot reports that something was wrong and he was trying to get back to the heliport. All very sad.
They are lifting it up now, so far the helicopter seems intact.
They are lifting it up now, so far the helicopter seems intact.
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helicopter crash New York
just seen on the bbc3 quick news - a helicopter carrying british people has reportedly crashed in an american river. does anyone know any more?
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BBC reports 1 female passenger dead, recovered from wreck an hour after sinking into East River. 2 other female passengers in critical condition, 1 male passenger and pilot are stable.
Amateur (but perhaps reliable ) reports say Bell helicopter (206?) climbed to approx 25 feet, started spinning rapidly (tail rotor failure?) and then crashed into river having failed to get back to helipad.
Amateur (but perhaps reliable ) reports say Bell helicopter (206?) climbed to approx 25 feet, started spinning rapidly (tail rotor failure?) and then crashed into river having failed to get back to helipad.
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B-206 Crash in East River, NYC
Tragic accident: BBC News - Helicopter crashes into East River in New York City
My thoughts go out to the family...
My thoughts go out to the family...
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Sorry to hear about a tragedy for the birthday girl - thoughts are with her family.
I know it's too early to speculate about the cause of the accident, but from eye witness accounts it seems that the chopper started spinning as soon as she started to take off. Mechanical problems aside, my question is where was the wind coming from ? It's very hard to extract power and keep her stable in the hover near MTOW when the wind is swirling around the pier and could be coming from any direction or elevation. And did the pilot attempt transition or was it a max power takeoff ? It's awfully difficult to transition off a pier without ground effect and without sufficient airspeed the risk of low rrpm and LTE is high. I note however there is no coning of the remaining MR blade, according to the press pics.
Reminds me of two previous accidents - spot the similarities:
http://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/178...nto-river.html
http://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/179...-new-york.html
I know it's too early to speculate about the cause of the accident, but from eye witness accounts it seems that the chopper started spinning as soon as she started to take off. Mechanical problems aside, my question is where was the wind coming from ? It's very hard to extract power and keep her stable in the hover near MTOW when the wind is swirling around the pier and could be coming from any direction or elevation. And did the pilot attempt transition or was it a max power takeoff ? It's awfully difficult to transition off a pier without ground effect and without sufficient airspeed the risk of low rrpm and LTE is high. I note however there is no coning of the remaining MR blade, according to the press pics.
Reminds me of two previous accidents - spot the similarities:
http://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/178...nto-river.html
http://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/179...-new-york.html
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A private flight, not a Part 135 sightseeing one, so probably no requirement for them.
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Wind at the time from the NW at about 15 mph.As the helicopter lifted off it departed to the east planing to turn to the south. On lifting it appears to have started spining and the pilot tried to make it back to the heliport but it hit the water before he could.
No life jackets or floats as not required. Pilot is a family friend of the passengers and it seems he had just picked them up for a little sight seeing.
No life jackets or floats as not required. Pilot is a family friend of the passengers and it seems he had just picked them up for a little sight seeing.