Helicopter down in East River, NYC
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That would be consistent with the textual description of where everybody was sitting in the NTSB report. No matter, slim chance that at 500 ft and descending fast the pilot's going to notice that the right float is only partially inflated whichever seat he's in. And even slimmer chance at that point that he's going to be able to change his mind and not land in the water even if he did notice.
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Correct the aircraft was a right hand drive astar. There was a video out there from the front passenger that was posted to instagram that was mirrored and made it look like he was on the other side, that's what created the initial confusion.
That is what this system was designed to replace at a substantial discount. I'm not a fan of Apical but with no repetitive 6 month leak check inspection, integral external liferaft option, and a DOC of 50% less than OEM float systems it took over the industry requirement.
If those floats had inflated properly it would likely have resulted in the opposite outcome. DOC of 50% less than OEM turned out to be significantly more expensive than the alternative. Very sad.
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I was going to edit or delete my post above about N350LH being left-hand drive. Apparently it is a regular ol' RHD Astar.
In discussing this accident on the HPN Facebook page, I was reprimanded by two people who evidently work in the NY market and are familiar with Liberty. They churlishly told me that 350LH was in fact LHD - condescendingly adding that a simple Google search would've revealed this information had I expended the meager effort.
...That information that now appears to be incorrect. For that, I apologize. Sometimes we get things wrong.
To A Squared: "DOC" means Direct Operating Cost of an aircraft - in other words, the knowable, predictable things you can count on in advance to figure out what the machine will cost you per hour.
In discussing this accident on the HPN Facebook page, I was reprimanded by two people who evidently work in the NY market and are familiar with Liberty. They churlishly told me that 350LH was in fact LHD - condescendingly adding that a simple Google search would've revealed this information had I expended the meager effort.
...That information that now appears to be incorrect. For that, I apologize. Sometimes we get things wrong.
To A Squared: "DOC" means Direct Operating Cost of an aircraft - in other words, the knowable, predictable things you can count on in advance to figure out what the machine will cost you per hour.
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I was going to edit or delete my post above about N350LH being left-hand drive. Apparently it is a regular ol' RHD Astar.
In discussing this accident on the HPN Facebook page, I was reprimanded by two people who evidently work in the NY market and are familiar with Liberty. They churlishly told me that 350LH was in fact LHD - condescendingly adding that a simple Google search would've revealed this information had I expended the meager effort.
...That information that now appears to be incorrect. For that, I apologize. Sometimes we get things wrong.
To A Squared: "DOC" means Direct Operating Cost of an aircraft - in other words, the knowable, predictable things you can count on in advance to figure out what the machine will cost you per hour.
In discussing this accident on the HPN Facebook page, I was reprimanded by two people who evidently work in the NY market and are familiar with Liberty. They churlishly told me that 350LH was in fact LHD - condescendingly adding that a simple Google search would've revealed this information had I expended the meager effort.
...That information that now appears to be incorrect. For that, I apologize. Sometimes we get things wrong.
To A Squared: "DOC" means Direct Operating Cost of an aircraft - in other words, the knowable, predictable things you can count on in advance to figure out what the machine will cost you per hour.
A squared - perhaps you were thinking more along these lines
Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC; pronounced [denominatˈtsjoːne di oˈriːdʒine kontrolˈlaːta]; English: controlled designation of origin) is a quality assurance label for Italian wines. The system is modeled on the French Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) designations. The Italian government introduced the system in 1963 and overhauled in 1992 to comply with European Union law on protected geographical designations of origin, which came into effect that year.
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“The family of one of the victims of a deadly New York City helicopter crash has added several new defendants to its lawsuit following the National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary report. The amended complaint filed Wednesday claims Airbus Helicopters and Dart Aerospace manufactured unsafe component parts, including unguarded fuel levers and a malfunctioning emergency flotation system. … The family's attorney, Gary Robb, says there were multiple acts of fault on the part of multiple defendants.”
Gathering up all the holes so they can be lined up for the jury, it seems. And with Airbus in there, some very deep pockets.
Gathering up all the holes so they can be lined up for the jury, it seems. And with Airbus in there, some very deep pockets.
I doubt they will really be able to prove Airbus' fault for this. I'm not aware of any FAA/EASA requirement to protect levers against free floating lines/tethers in the cabin and Pax crawling around the pilot. Nice try though.
The float manufacturer might be in hotter water, however. That thing didn't work as advertised.
The float manufacturer might be in hotter water, however. That thing didn't work as advertised.
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henra
Even after this from 2010?
https://www.ntsb.gov/safety/safety-r...s/A-10-131.pdf
Quote:
The NTSB concludes that the design and location of the FFCL and its detent track in
Eurocopter AS350-series helicopters allows for easy access to and inadvertent movement of the
FFCL, which could cause a serious or catastrophic accident if the movement occurs at a critical
point during flight or on the ground.
Therefore, the National Transportation Safety Board recommends that the European
Aviation Safety Agency:
Require Eurocopter to review the design of the fuel flow control lever (FFCL)
and/or its detent track on AS350-series helicopters and require modification to
ensure that the FFCL is protected to prevent unintentional movement out of its
detents and that it does not move easily to an unintended position. (A-10-131)
I doubt they will really be able to prove Airbus' fault for this.
https://www.ntsb.gov/safety/safety-r...s/A-10-131.pdf
Quote:
The NTSB concludes that the design and location of the FFCL and its detent track in
Eurocopter AS350-series helicopters allows for easy access to and inadvertent movement of the
FFCL, which could cause a serious or catastrophic accident if the movement occurs at a critical
point during flight or on the ground.
Therefore, the National Transportation Safety Board recommends that the European
Aviation Safety Agency:
Require Eurocopter to review the design of the fuel flow control lever (FFCL)
and/or its detent track on AS350-series helicopters and require modification to
ensure that the FFCL is protected to prevent unintentional movement out of its
detents and that it does not move easily to an unintended position. (A-10-131)
Last edited by chopjock; 29th Mar 2018 at 20:21.
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I doubt they will really be able to prove Airbus' fault for this. I'm not aware of any FAA/EASA requirement to protect levers against free floating lines/tethers in the cabin and Pax crawling around the pilot. Nice try though.
The float manufacturer might be in hotter water, however. That thing didn't work as advertised.
The float manufacturer might be in hotter water, however. That thing didn't work as advertised.
Just the fact that the NTSB has made a specific recommendation regarding this exact issue, the recommendation was not followed, and this issue has become a pivotal factor in an accident in which 5 people died gives attorneys more than enough ammunition. Trust me, successful liability lawsuits have been made on far more tenuous means to establish "Duty of care" for a manufacturer. I would bet long odds that Eurocopter/Airbus/whatever they're calling themselves this week *will* be shelling out cash to plaintiffs. You can plan on it. I'm not claiming this is right (or wrong) just that this is the way it is.
a few people have mentioned that this is a twin / single issue
it obviously is not
it obviously is not
In a way it is. In a Twin Squirrel, the levers are in the roof so this accident wouldn't have happened.
Classy - using the deaths of 5 people to further your warped agenda! If it had been a twin there would have been certification requirements that would have removed a single point failure like this by introducing isolation and redundancy features.
212man - frankly I am somewhat surprised it took him so long!
just noticed the same on the Oz ditching thread..............
just noticed the same on the Oz ditching thread..............