Go Back  PPRuNe Forums > Aircrew Forums > Rotorheads
Reload this Page >

Pasadena Police - two OH-58s make contact

Rotorheads A haven for helicopter professionals to discuss the things that affect them

Pasadena Police - two OH-58s make contact

Old 18th Nov 2012, 22:31
  #1 (permalink)  
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: UK
Posts: 577
Likes: 0
Received 4 Likes on 4 Posts
Pasadena Police - two OH-58s make contact

Early reports suggest one was in the process of taking off and the other one landing - time was 4pm local Saturday. General scene of the result, followed by closer up shots of each - one with apparent damage to the rear fuselage, and the other to the front screen







That last one is none too clear, but the only still I can find at the moment. There are some videos including this one

Pasadena police helicopter crash: Feds to probe collision | abc7.com

ALTADENA, LOS ANGELES COUNTY (KABC) -- A federal investigation is set to get under way into a crash involving two Pasadena police helicopters.

The National Transportation Safety Board was expected to begin their investigation Sunday morning.

Six people were injured - five officers and one civilian observer. All were taken to area hospitals to be treated for minor injuries.

Officials say the helicopters' rotary blades may have touched during a maneuver at the police helipad on Yucca Lane in Altadena Saturday at about 4 p.m. One helicopter was taking off while the other was landing at the time of the incident.

Each Bell OH-58 helicopter was extensively damaged. One helicopter was on routine assignment to calls for service and the other was assigned to the USC-UCLA game at the Rose Bowl. Each helicopter had a pilot and an observer. Two of the injured were not on board.

These helicopters monitor not only Pasadena, but also Altadena, Glendale and Monrovia. Some residents were concerned that the damaged helicopters could affect police patrol coverage. Authorities say there's nothing to worry about.

"Well, obviously having two helicopters down is a major problem for us. But because we have six, four of which are still completely operational, we will be able to patrol our area as well as provide our mutual aid service to other areas in our partnerships and our taskforce," said Lt. Phlunte Riddle with Pasadena police.
helihub is online now  
Old 19th Nov 2012, 10:12
  #2 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: UK
Posts: 2,584
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
One aircraft terminally mangled from the cargo compartment aft and the other looking thoroughly second-hand above the gearbox platform and - am I mistaken, considerable disruption to the fuselage aft and boom too? Neither with gearbox or rotor system present.

one with apparent damage to the rear fuselage, and the other to the front screen
Fabulous understatement! That sounds like a softening-up report to the insurance company!
Agaricus bisporus is offline  
Old 19th Nov 2012, 13:36
  #3 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: Waltham Abbey, Essex, UK
Age: 77
Posts: 1,174
Received 8 Likes on 4 Posts
I wonder what the insurance value of even two 40+ year old Bell OH-58A's is.... bearing in mind that the buying in price was somewhere between zero and $100 .... insurance company's tend not to pay out on home improvements.....

They were lucky no-one was hurt.

It looks like they may have to look back into the cupboard at the Enstrom's they still seem to have in their charge to fly at all for the next few months.
PANews is offline  
Old 19th Nov 2012, 19:02
  #4 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: England & Scotland
Age: 63
Posts: 1,413
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I'm off to buy shares in T-Cut. It is going to take gallons to polish that out
John R81 is offline  
Old 19th Nov 2012, 19:47
  #5 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: London
Posts: 198
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Six people injured, two aircraft written off.

Professional pilots... Not!
heli-cal is offline  
Old 19th Nov 2012, 20:23
  #6 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Royal Leamington Spa
Age: 78
Posts: 440
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
We can't really judge till we know a little more - but, on the surface, I admit it looks bloody silly.
Anthony Supplebottom is offline  
Old 20th Nov 2012, 20:46
  #7 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: Waltham Abbey, Essex, UK
Age: 77
Posts: 1,174
Received 8 Likes on 4 Posts
It looks as if someone was reading my mind.... one of the latest reports on this accident states that.... 'damaged helicopters are Vietnam War-era Bell OH-58 models, and had minimal insurance coverage because they were obtained through a military program' and that they have three functional aircraft available for continued operations.
PANews is offline  
Old 20th Nov 2012, 21:25
  #8 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: London
Posts: 198
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Whilst they still have airworthy helicopters, perhaps they'll consider recruiting pilots capable of flying them.
heli-cal is offline  
Old 9th Mar 2018, 04:21
  #9 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Aug 1999
Location: Gold Coast, Australia
Age: 75
Posts: 4,378
Received 24 Likes on 14 Posts
Video seems to have just surfaced showing this bingle:


NTSB Accident report
John Eacott is offline  
Old 9th Mar 2018, 06:01
  #10 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: EGDC
Posts: 10,289
Received 608 Likes on 266 Posts
How the hell did the guy stood by the nearest aircraft not die?????? Very lucky boy.

It isn't easy to see but it looks like there are painted squares on the dispersal which, if both aircraft are on them, give rotor clearance.

But, the one dragged out for what looks like a ground run, is positioned off to one side.

If the incoming pilot assumes the one on the ground is in the right place and just positions himself over the 'second' spot without checking, then intermeshing rotors do what intermeshing rotors do...............
crab@SAAvn.co.uk is offline  
Old 9th Mar 2018, 06:14
  #11 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Aug 1999
Location: Gold Coast, Australia
Age: 75
Posts: 4,378
Received 24 Likes on 14 Posts
Have you read the NTSB report, crab@?
John Eacott is offline  
Old 9th Mar 2018, 06:18
  #12 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Hotel Gypsy
Posts: 2,821
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Disappointed in the hittee, mostly:

a. didn't switch off his strobe on vacating the aircraft.
b. didn't wander straight across to the hitter and thump him.
Cows getting bigger is offline  
Old 9th Mar 2018, 07:27
  #13 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: uk
Posts: 280
Received 8 Likes on 7 Posts
Disappointed in the hittee, mostly:

a. didn't switch off his strobe on vacating the aircraft.
b. didn't wander straight across to the hitter and thump him.
a. Would have been difficult because the switch is on the overhead panel which got chopped off.
b. Would have been difficult to hit him seeing its a her!
finalchecksplease is offline  
Old 9th Mar 2018, 08:46
  #14 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: EGDC
Posts: 10,289
Received 608 Likes on 266 Posts
Have you read the NTSB report, crab@?
I have now! I am clearly regressing to youthfulness as I was only focussed on the shiny video rather than the link to the wordy bits

An interesting discrepancy in the pilots opinions on parking outside the 'box' - the less experienced guy on the ground says it was normal practice to park the aircraft outside the box - the very experienced lady who has been there 22 years said she had never seen the aircraft parked outside the box!

Perhaps the HF element of this is that if you operate in the same place for 22 years you get into a very established routine, make assumptions that it will always be the same and then fail to notice when something is out of the ordinary.
crab@SAAvn.co.uk is offline  
Old 9th Mar 2018, 08:53
  #15 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Aug 2000
Posts: 1,944
Likes: 0
Received 43 Likes on 25 Posts
Experienced lady ?? I wouldn't expect a ppl to make such a fundamental error of judgement. Nothing quite like spacial awareness
Hughes500 is offline  
Old 9th Mar 2018, 10:03
  #16 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Europe
Posts: 120
Received 19 Likes on 9 Posts
Reading the official report the female pilot stated visual conditions were not great with rainwater beading on the side windows. Fair enough I suppose, she also stated she was unsure if the other helicopters rotor was rotating, again I thought under those weather conditions it would be difficult to spot a rotor aligned front to back.
Until the actual impact. Then I could see the parked heli's rotor (as it fell off) had white strips. Not sure how she missed the spinning rotor with those white markings.
DroneDog is offline  
Old 9th Mar 2018, 13:37
  #17 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: utah
Age: 67
Posts: 59
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
To me it sure looks like the departing AC was not rolled out to the yellow marked pad and the inbound looks like they were landing on their yellow marked pad...
atr-drivr is offline  
Old 9th Mar 2018, 14:38
  #18 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: usa
Age: 65
Posts: 43
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
For the life of me, I can't understand how this could happen. It says "DANGER" right there on the tarmac. In two places!
gator2 is offline  
Old 9th Mar 2018, 14:54
  #19 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Downeast
Age: 75
Posts: 18,267
Received 467 Likes on 191 Posts
The Police Chief....said there were some "Lessons learned"....would one of them be hiring Professional Pilots and not putting experienced police officers through a very brief training course and making them Pilots be the wiser option?

I see some very STUPID actions in the video.

You cannot account for fits of Dumb Ass no matter who you hire, train, promote, retain.
SASless is offline  
Old 9th Mar 2018, 15:02
  #20 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: EGDC
Posts: 10,289
Received 608 Likes on 266 Posts
And although the rain might have been beading on the sidewindows, she clearly yaws to point at the other aircraft after coming to the hover and moves forwards to the landing spot.

By the time she turns the tail again for landing, there is no way she couldn't have seen that the other aircraft was rotors running or that it wasn't on the square, yet she still carried on.

Sas - if she was a cop turned pilot, she can't have done too badly to get so many hours and have flown for so many years - unless she has had a long list of incidents that didn't make youtube.
crab@SAAvn.co.uk is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.