Hobart accident
Actually Flying Bingi the posts on Facebook were made by people who I have known in this industry for about 20 years so pretty confident that what they are saying is factual. Cheers.
VH-BAA
https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications...r/ao-2017-109/
Deepest sympathy to Allana & the girls, RotorLift staff, family and friends.
Hoping that the injured pilot makes a speedy recovery.
RIP Roger
RW
https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications...r/ao-2017-109/
Deepest sympathy to Allana & the girls, RotorLift staff, family and friends.
Hoping that the injured pilot makes a speedy recovery.
RIP Roger
RW
Last edited by Rotor Work; 9th Nov 2017 at 04:37. Reason: Add url
Thanks gullibell. I understand that but I meant total loss of hydraulics.
I've only flown R44 and SA341 with hydraulics off for training which were
Manageable. But I thought the 350 was more difficult.
R
I've only flown R44 and SA341 with hydraulics off for training which were
Manageable. But I thought the 350 was more difficult.
R
Failures are necessarily manageable.
RIP
350 hydraulic failure (I've had one) is no fun but manageable, especially by high time experienced Pilots. Jack-stall or servo-transparency is also easy to manage which only occurs at high power setting in high G maneuvers. Approaching a landing the lever would be going down, no high G's so no chance of jack-stall. Something else went profoundly wrong, some catastrophic failure leading to a lose of control. A training maneuver gone wrong is out of the question for RC.
Rest in Peace Roger & condolences to the Family
Rest in Peace Roger & condolences to the Family
Update from ABC
33 year old pilot released from hospital
A 33-year-old pilot John Osborne has been released from the Royal Hobart Hospital as aviation authorities continue to investigate the helicopter crash at Hobart Airport.
Fatal helicopter plunge: Investigators probe Hobart crash site where rescue pilot Roger Corbin died - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Another Update
Hobart helicopter crash survivor John Osborne 'recovering well' after tragedy that killed Roger Corbin - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
33 year old pilot released from hospital
A 33-year-old pilot John Osborne has been released from the Royal Hobart Hospital as aviation authorities continue to investigate the helicopter crash at Hobart Airport.
Fatal helicopter plunge: Investigators probe Hobart crash site where rescue pilot Roger Corbin died - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Another Update
Hobart helicopter crash survivor John Osborne 'recovering well' after tragedy that killed Roger Corbin - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Last edited by Rotor Work; 9th Nov 2017 at 05:23. Reason: Another update
Join Date: May 2010
Location: New Zealand
Age: 52
Posts: 395
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
There is more than one highly experienced, well respected pilot out there who has bent an aircraft during a training maneuver. No matter how good you are, everyone is capable of making a mistake, nothing is out of the question...
Has the lucky survivor been able to say what happened?
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Tasmania and High Wollemi
Posts: 439
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
ATSB report
ATSB report VH-BAAhttp://https://www.atsb.gov.au/publi...r/ao-2017-109/
Last edited by catseye; 18th Dec 2017 at 00:51. Reason: typo
Preliminary report
Published: 18 December 2017
At about 1635 Eastern Daylight‑saving Time[1] on 7 November 2017, a Eurocopter AS350BA (AS350) helicopter, registered VH-BAA, departed Hobart Airport, Tasmania for a local training area to the northeast. On board were a pilot and instructor and the flight was the third training flight of an AS350 helicopter-type endorsement for the pilot.
The endorsement training was conducted over a two-day period. It included ground school training, and three flights that formed the practical component of the training syllabus. One instructor had assessed the first two flights but, since the third focussed on emergency procedure training, the occurrence instructor elected to fly with the pilot.
The pilot held a Commercial Pilot (Helicopter) Licence and a valid Class 1 Aviation Medical Certificate. The pilot had experience flying other turbine helicopter types, on various types of operations. The pilot’s existing low-level and sling approvals, which were reportedly held on a foreign licence, were also to be assessed during the AS350 type endorsement.
Following arrival in the training area, the pilot’s general helicopter handling and low-level flight were assessed. At about 1715, the pilots reported to air traffic control that operations in the training area were complete and requested a clearance back into the Hobart Airport control zone, to conduct practice emergencies. The approach to the airport reportedly involved conducting a simulated hydraulic system failure to the helicopter training area X-Ray (Figure 1).
Training Area X-Ray was located adjacent to and west of the main runway and was familiar to the pilot, as this area was used in the previous day’s training.
Figure 1: Approximate flight path of the helicopter (not to scale), showing the approach to the X-Ray training area, where the helicopter slowed before making an abrupt left turn and impacting terrain.
Source: Airservices Australia, modified by ATSB
The instructor reportedly announced the simulated failure to the pilot just prior to commencing the approach. The pilot responded to the simulated failure by stabilising the helicopter and reducing the airspeed to about 60 kt, in accordance with the manufacturer’s hydraulic failure procedure detailed in the aircraft’s flight manual.
The flight manual emphasised that, without hydraulic assistance, the flight controls exhibited force feedback requiring the pilot to exert additional force on the controls to maintain 60 kt in level flight. The manual also stated that, after transitioning to the recommended safety speed range, the second phase of the hydraulic failure procedure was to transition to slow run‑on landing[2] (at around 10 kt) via a flat final approach in to the wind. The pilot reported that, as the helicopter decelerated and descended towards the landing area, they noted the additional control forces required.
A video camera installed at the airport recorded footage of the helicopter’s final approach. As the helicopter descended toward training area X-Ray, it initially appeared to be controlled and in a flatter than normal approach profile. The helicopter then appeared to slow into a high hover about 30 ft above the ground. Seconds later, it commenced an abrupt nose-down turn to the left and impacted the ground.
The training procedure section of the helicopter flight manual cautioned pilots to:
…not attempt to carry out hover flight or any low speed manoeuvre without hydraulic pressure assistance. The intensity and direction of the control feedback forces will change rapidly. This will result in excessive pilot workload, poor aircraft control, and possible loss of control.
The impact forces caused significant damage to the cockpit area, particularly the left pilot side (Figure 2).
Figure 2: Damage to the helicopter showing significant impact damage to the cockpit area and left landing skid tip, consistent with a left nose-down attitude on impact.
Source: ATSB
Seated on the left side, the instructor sustained fatal injuries, while the pilot seated on the right was seriously injured.
The investigation is continuing, and will analyse the evidence obtained during the on-site investigation phase. Additional work will include a review of the:
At about 1635 Eastern Daylight‑saving Time[1] on 7 November 2017, a Eurocopter AS350BA (AS350) helicopter, registered VH-BAA, departed Hobart Airport, Tasmania for a local training area to the northeast. On board were a pilot and instructor and the flight was the third training flight of an AS350 helicopter-type endorsement for the pilot.
The endorsement training was conducted over a two-day period. It included ground school training, and three flights that formed the practical component of the training syllabus. One instructor had assessed the first two flights but, since the third focussed on emergency procedure training, the occurrence instructor elected to fly with the pilot.
The pilot held a Commercial Pilot (Helicopter) Licence and a valid Class 1 Aviation Medical Certificate. The pilot had experience flying other turbine helicopter types, on various types of operations. The pilot’s existing low-level and sling approvals, which were reportedly held on a foreign licence, were also to be assessed during the AS350 type endorsement.
Following arrival in the training area, the pilot’s general helicopter handling and low-level flight were assessed. At about 1715, the pilots reported to air traffic control that operations in the training area were complete and requested a clearance back into the Hobart Airport control zone, to conduct practice emergencies. The approach to the airport reportedly involved conducting a simulated hydraulic system failure to the helicopter training area X-Ray (Figure 1).
Training Area X-Ray was located adjacent to and west of the main runway and was familiar to the pilot, as this area was used in the previous day’s training.
Figure 1: Approximate flight path of the helicopter (not to scale), showing the approach to the X-Ray training area, where the helicopter slowed before making an abrupt left turn and impacting terrain.
Source: Airservices Australia, modified by ATSB
The instructor reportedly announced the simulated failure to the pilot just prior to commencing the approach. The pilot responded to the simulated failure by stabilising the helicopter and reducing the airspeed to about 60 kt, in accordance with the manufacturer’s hydraulic failure procedure detailed in the aircraft’s flight manual.
The flight manual emphasised that, without hydraulic assistance, the flight controls exhibited force feedback requiring the pilot to exert additional force on the controls to maintain 60 kt in level flight. The manual also stated that, after transitioning to the recommended safety speed range, the second phase of the hydraulic failure procedure was to transition to slow run‑on landing[2] (at around 10 kt) via a flat final approach in to the wind. The pilot reported that, as the helicopter decelerated and descended towards the landing area, they noted the additional control forces required.
A video camera installed at the airport recorded footage of the helicopter’s final approach. As the helicopter descended toward training area X-Ray, it initially appeared to be controlled and in a flatter than normal approach profile. The helicopter then appeared to slow into a high hover about 30 ft above the ground. Seconds later, it commenced an abrupt nose-down turn to the left and impacted the ground.
The training procedure section of the helicopter flight manual cautioned pilots to:
…not attempt to carry out hover flight or any low speed manoeuvre without hydraulic pressure assistance. The intensity and direction of the control feedback forces will change rapidly. This will result in excessive pilot workload, poor aircraft control, and possible loss of control.
The impact forces caused significant damage to the cockpit area, particularly the left pilot side (Figure 2).
Figure 2: Damage to the helicopter showing significant impact damage to the cockpit area and left landing skid tip, consistent with a left nose-down attitude on impact.
Source: ATSB
Seated on the left side, the instructor sustained fatal injuries, while the pilot seated on the right was seriously injured.
The investigation is continuing, and will analyse the evidence obtained during the on-site investigation phase. Additional work will include a review of the:
- conduct of training operations
- helicopter systems
- any environmental influences that may have affected the operation of the helicopter at the time of the accident.