S76C++ Brazil Platform accident
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S76C++ Brazil Platform accident
CCS just received from Sikorsky, Does anyone have any more details/news on this ?
Subject: S-76 Helicopter Accident Notification
On March 1, Sikorsky was informed that a Sikorsky S-76C++ was involved in an accident on an offshore platform’s helipad off Brazil’s Campos Basin.
Sikorsky has offered assistance in investigating the root cause of the accident. If this
investigation reveals any safety or airworthiness issues that affect the S-76 helicopter fleet, all operators will be notified.
While the cause of this accident remains unknown at this time, Sikorsky reminds all operators that compliance with publications including Maintenance Manuals, Operating Manuals, Alert Service Bulletins, and Sikorsky Safety Advisories is essential. Alert Service Bulletins provide a recommended maximum compliance time. Earlier compliance is always encouraged.
Very Truly Yours,
Joseph LopezS-76 Program ManagerSikorsky, a Lockheed Martin Company
Cheers
Keepitup
Subject: S-76 Helicopter Accident Notification
On March 1, Sikorsky was informed that a Sikorsky S-76C++ was involved in an accident on an offshore platform’s helipad off Brazil’s Campos Basin.
Sikorsky has offered assistance in investigating the root cause of the accident. If this
investigation reveals any safety or airworthiness issues that affect the S-76 helicopter fleet, all operators will be notified.
While the cause of this accident remains unknown at this time, Sikorsky reminds all operators that compliance with publications including Maintenance Manuals, Operating Manuals, Alert Service Bulletins, and Sikorsky Safety Advisories is essential. Alert Service Bulletins provide a recommended maximum compliance time. Earlier compliance is always encouraged.
Very Truly Yours,
Joseph LopezS-76 Program ManagerSikorsky, a Lockheed Martin Company
Cheers
Keepitup
From Flight Global:
Sikorsky S76C++ PR-MEY (msn 760766 built 2009) operated by Omni Taxi Aereo has been damaged while landing on mobile oil platform P-37 in the Campas Basin near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 01 March 2017. There were two crew and eight passengers on board and 4 persons have suffered slight injuries.
Sikorsky S76C++ PR-MEY (msn 760766 built 2009) operated by Omni Taxi Aereo has been damaged while landing on mobile oil platform P-37 in the Campas Basin near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 01 March 2017. There were two crew and eight passengers on board and 4 persons have suffered slight injuries.
I signed up to Flight Global's accident alert service. Truly terrifying how many accidents there are on a daily basis.
I recently found out my mother in law's flight to visit was delayed because one of the flights in front of it had it's undercarriage collapse and block the runway via the FG service!
I recently found out my mother in law's flight to visit was delayed because one of the flights in front of it had it's undercarriage collapse and block the runway via the FG service!
I recently found out my mother in law's flight to visit was delayed because one of the flights in front of it had it's undercarriage collapse and block the runway via the FG service!
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The papers show the fotos - possible inadvertant deployment of floats system whilst in landing causing instability and the blades to strike the deck !
Four lightly injured.
https://www.portalmaritimo.com/2017/...uatro-feridos/
Four lightly injured.
https://www.portalmaritimo.com/2017/...uatro-feridos/
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The aicraft PR-MEY made its approached to the large structure ship Petrobras P37 with 8 pax and apparently due to the high wind turbulence behind the large structure, the helicopter lost its lift and made a hard landing.
After the hard landing the helicopter turned sideways and since the ship was moving too much the aircraft started sliding towards the edge of the helideck and the captain decided to deploy the floats, in case it hit the water.
No serious injuries.
After the hard landing the helicopter turned sideways and since the ship was moving too much the aircraft started sliding towards the edge of the helideck and the captain decided to deploy the floats, in case it hit the water.
No serious injuries.
Interesting explanation...that was a lot to think about in what would have been a hectic few seconds. If an aircraft falls off the deck with the floats inflated I've got a hunch they'd just be ripped off on impact with the water. And with all that wind blowing over the deck, with floats inflated I've got a hunch it's more likely you'd get blown over the side. Falling off the deck, whether with floats inflated or not, will be an ugly outcome. Lucky they stayed where they ended up.
As for attempting a landing in strong winds and turbulence, I've never seen an S76 have trouble landing in conditions up to the point where it gets dangerous for the passengers to get out of the helicopter and be at risk of getting blown off the deck themselves.
Out of curiosity what is the size of that Petrobras P37 helideck, is it a 16D or bigger?
As for attempting a landing in strong winds and turbulence, I've never seen an S76 have trouble landing in conditions up to the point where it gets dangerous for the passengers to get out of the helicopter and be at risk of getting blown off the deck themselves.
Out of curiosity what is the size of that Petrobras P37 helideck, is it a 16D or bigger?
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Gullibell, the design structure is old, the helideck is D22, has restrictions due to exhausts, trialled by Petrobras and HCA using a S92 and HFDM to study conditions. The customer demands crews not to depart without rig status report less that 1 hour old. Radio Operators are required to faithfully report PRH using calibrate means - and have been fired for failing to do so. There are extreme weather conditions triggered by wind speed but this does not account for turbulence / down-draught during landing. We are a little more advanced than earlier posts here might infer.
I don't have a lot of experience landing an S76 on this type of vessel whilst underway, just trying to get an appreciation of how the reported wind conditions would have been within acceptable criteria, but they don't take into account turbulence that was obviously a dangerous environment for the helicopter to tangle with.
P-37 is a weathervaning FPSO with an internal turret in the forward part of the ship. In zero sea current it will turn into the wind.
The heli deck is at the stern (=aft) and in wind direction then also aft and below the top of the deckhouse.
Not ideal to say at least.
SLB
The heli deck is at the stern (=aft) and in wind direction then also aft and below the top of the deckhouse.
Not ideal to say at least.
SLB
Something else to consider, is the RFM warning of adverse collective to yaw coupling. A strong right crosswind, or healthy tail wind for that matter, with lots of left pedal can jam raising the collective - especially if aircraft is heavy and there is a high power demand. The only way out is to kick right pedal in to free up the mixing unit. This can happen when trying to align the aircraft before touchdown. It's a very real event that all 76 drivers should be aware of. Just a few seconds of this unrecognized condition may be all you need to sink, hit the deck and roll.
You shouldn't have to kick right pedal in, you just need to take your feet off the pedals for the mixing unit to stop driving down the collective. The mixing unit is only driving the collective down because system limits have been attained before the pedal stops have been reached. Thus, further application of left pedal results in the collective driving down through the interaction of the mixing unit, with no change in tail rotor pitch. Just take your feet off the pedals and let up collective have priority. The same considerations also apply to some tail rotor malfunctions (particularly, TR control jam aft of mixing unit malfunction).
This scenario can't be practiced in the aircraft, but it can certainly be practised in the simulator. For those S76 pilots who do initial or recurrent training in the simulator, ask your instructor to demonstrate for you. The natural instinct is to maintain directional control, but you must overcome the urge to press left pedal because 1. you ain't gonna get any more tail rotor pitch change no matter how hard you press on that left pedal, and 2. the harder you press down on the left pedal the more the collective is going to drive down and put you at risk of hitting the deck hard. And if you're yawing when you touch down hard there is a chance you might roll over. And rolling over on a small helideck with the rotors turning is likely to bump you over the side, and floats inflated isn't going to soften the uncontrolled landing for you.
I've never experienced this scenario in operational flying, but I have experienced the opposite example where the aircraft is very light landing at the crosswind limit, using right pedal to maintain directional control to the extent that the collective rises and causes you to jump back in the air. Again, you just need to back off on the pedal input to allow the collective to go down and just accept some rotation on landing. If flying 2-crew CRM is important because one pilot who is taking corrective action can be over-ridden by the other pilot who is spooked by the situation, but who has the stronger legs. Stronger arms is never going to win the battle against stronger legs and the mixing unit in this situation. It's something that might be mentioned by the pilot flying as part of the landing brief when you're expecting to land heavy with right crosswind limit or light with left crosswind limit; but ordinarily, even at these crosswind limits, you should still be well within the normal flight control envelope and not getting to any system limits where adverse collective-yaw coupling might arise.
This scenario can't be practiced in the aircraft, but it can certainly be practised in the simulator. For those S76 pilots who do initial or recurrent training in the simulator, ask your instructor to demonstrate for you. The natural instinct is to maintain directional control, but you must overcome the urge to press left pedal because 1. you ain't gonna get any more tail rotor pitch change no matter how hard you press on that left pedal, and 2. the harder you press down on the left pedal the more the collective is going to drive down and put you at risk of hitting the deck hard. And if you're yawing when you touch down hard there is a chance you might roll over. And rolling over on a small helideck with the rotors turning is likely to bump you over the side, and floats inflated isn't going to soften the uncontrolled landing for you.
I've never experienced this scenario in operational flying, but I have experienced the opposite example where the aircraft is very light landing at the crosswind limit, using right pedal to maintain directional control to the extent that the collective rises and causes you to jump back in the air. Again, you just need to back off on the pedal input to allow the collective to go down and just accept some rotation on landing. If flying 2-crew CRM is important because one pilot who is taking corrective action can be over-ridden by the other pilot who is spooked by the situation, but who has the stronger legs. Stronger arms is never going to win the battle against stronger legs and the mixing unit in this situation. It's something that might be mentioned by the pilot flying as part of the landing brief when you're expecting to land heavy with right crosswind limit or light with left crosswind limit; but ordinarily, even at these crosswind limits, you should still be well within the normal flight control envelope and not getting to any system limits where adverse collective-yaw coupling might arise.
Last edited by gulliBell; 23rd Mar 2017 at 04:08.
but during those few seconds of panic when you've technically lost control of the aircraft, the last thing most pilots who haven't experienced it for real may do, is to remove their feet from the pedals. That is the point I was trying to convey. Be careful out there.
