SANDF Chopper down
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SANDF Chopper down
By calling the a/c a SANDF one, it is not clear if it is SAAF, Army or Navy.
SANDF chopper crashes near Worcester
No mention of casualties, hope it stays that way.
SANDF chopper crashes near Worcester
No mention of casualties, hope it stays that way.
Join Date: Dec 2015
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That was based on misinformation, the airshow was the day before the crash.
The location is a narrow mountain pass, allegedly cleared for low-level flight training.
The crashed helicopter ended up blocking both directions of the national road between Cape Town and Johannesburg.
The location is a narrow mountain pass, allegedly cleared for low-level flight training.
The crashed helicopter ended up blocking both directions of the national road between Cape Town and Johannesburg.
The aircraft had featured in the recent airshow.
It went down in the military helicopter training area, hitting wires spanning a valley at approximately 250ft (according to some accounts).
The local utility Co isnt fond of putting markers on spans to make them more visible.
Fortunately everyone survived.
It went down in the military helicopter training area, hitting wires spanning a valley at approximately 250ft (according to some accounts).
The local utility Co isnt fond of putting markers on spans to make them more visible.
Fortunately everyone survived.
That statement comes from a crew member trying to cover his a$$e.
This was simple a low level jolly that went wrong.
Last edited by bront; 11th Dec 2017 at 23:53.
Sorry but that is incorrect. I am very familiar with those wires and they have been there forever. Have a look at Google Earth Street View and they are clearly visible and those photos weren't taken in the last week.
That statement comes from a crew member trying to cover his a$$e.
This was simple a low level jolly that went wrong.
That statement comes from a crew member trying to cover his a$$e.
This was simple a low level jolly that went wrong.
Bront seems to believe the only reason two aircraft are flying in low level formo in a military training area is because they were "on a jolly".
While that isn't an impossibility it seems a premature assumption.
While that isn't an impossibility it seems a premature assumption.
Hi Claw, I'm not sure what your problem is mate but if you care to go and compare the dash cam footage and Google Earth Street View images of the same spot you will see that these are not new wires. They have been there for years and that is a fact. They are even on the aerial chart of the area. There are numerous other wires in this valley. I know this because I have done numerous helicopter aerial film shoots of cars on this road. To have flown up the valley, as they were seen to be doing on the dash cam footage, without first recceing the route was just plain suicidal, as turned out to be the case.
These two helicopters had been conducting training at Touws River I believe and were returning to base. It is my opinion that if they had been authorized to do this low level in that valley, then it would have been carefully planned and they would have been aware of all these wires. Therefore it is my opinion that this was not authorized.
I'm really glad that no one was seriously injured but I put that down to luck more than anything else. It could very easily have ended up otherwise.
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Edit: On another forum there are those insisting that there is a new wire. It is not clear who to believe, in the absence of factual evidence, such as damage to the existing powerlines.
Last edited by GordonR_Cape; 12th Dec 2017 at 15:18.
Not sure what relevance old vs new wires have in a see and avoid environment.
Wirestrikes are a common risk, even known wires.
Stats show that most involved with Wirestrikes are not inexperienced, it can happen to anyone.
Wirestrikes are a common risk, even known wires.
Stats show that most involved with Wirestrikes are not inexperienced, it can happen to anyone.
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Weather conditions were CAVOK, and visibility was unlimited. In a narrow and twisting valley, that may have created a false sense of security.
I appreciate your comment, but as a member of two different forums, I'm trying to reconcile two contrasting interpretations.
Last edited by GordonR_Cape; 12th Dec 2017 at 16:09.
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