EC135 hard landing Chicago Area July 7
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EC135 hard landing Chicago Area July 7
A 20 year old EC135 made a hard landing saturday night in the chicago area. All four on board survived.
There are not many reasons for an immediate emergency landing at night.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/he...ighway-mayday/
skadi
There are not many reasons for an immediate emergency landing at night.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/he...ighway-mayday/
skadi
Avoid imitations
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) reporting the aircraft was on fire.
5. Dual engine failure.... Or #4 continued.... From the NTSB
On July 7, 2018, about 2123 central daylight time, an Eurocopter Deutschland GMBH EC135 P1 helicopter, impacted terrain during an autorotation following a dual engine failure while maneuvering near Chicago, Illinois. The pilot and paramedic sustained minor injuries, the flight nurse sustained serious injuries, and the patient was not injured during the accident. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, tailboom, and main rotor blades. The helicopter was owned by Bennett Aviation, LLC, Elmhurst, Illinois, and operated by Pentastar Aviation Charter under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 as an air ambulance flight. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and the flight was operated under a visual flight rules flight plan. The flight departed St. Mary Medical Center, Hobart, Indiana, at 2110, and was destined for Advocate Christ Medical Center, Oak Lawn, Illinois.
Preliminary satellite tracking and air traffic control information revealed the helicopter was traveling northwest from the St. Mary Medical Center on a direct route to Advocate Christ Medical Center about 1,000 ft above ground level. About 5 miles southeast of Advocate Christ Medical Center, the helicopter turned to the right after the pilot requested to return to the Gary, Indiana, airport. About 50 seconds later, the pilot declared a "mayday" and stated the helicopter was going down into a field. The helicopter came to rest upright in a grass area between the Interstate 94 and Interstate 57 interchange.
Surveillance video from a Chicago Transit Authority rail platform located adjacent to the accident site depicted the helicopter during the final phase of the autorotation and impact with terrain. The video showed a fire near the number 2 (right) engine during the autorotation. A explosion was observed after the impact with terrain.
Postaccident examination of the accident site revealed the initial impact was consistent with the fenestron skid cap contacting the terrain first, followed by the landing gear skids and fuselage. The left landing gear skid was separated and came to rest near the ground scar consistent with the fuselage. The fuselage was crushed upward, and the fenestron assembly was separated at the tailboom attachment location (see Figures 1 and 2). The pilot seat, paramedic seat, and flight nurse seat were found fully attenuated. Thermal damage was noted on the right engine and main transmission cowling. Both engines power turbine wheel blades were missing the outer halves of the blades. Multiple impact dents, consistent with the fractured turbine blades, were noted inside the exhaust stubs. The No. 1 engine had a 1/2" by 1/2" hole in the exhaust stub at the 2 o'clock position forward of the aft firewall, and the No. 2 engine had a 2" by 1" hole in the exhaust stub at the 11 o'clock position forward of the aft firewall.
The helicopter was equipped with an Outerlink IRIS video, voice, flight data, and satellite communications system. The IRIS equipment was removed and sent to the NTSB Vehicle Recorder laboratory for video, voice, and data extraction.
Preliminary satellite tracking and air traffic control information revealed the helicopter was traveling northwest from the St. Mary Medical Center on a direct route to Advocate Christ Medical Center about 1,000 ft above ground level. About 5 miles southeast of Advocate Christ Medical Center, the helicopter turned to the right after the pilot requested to return to the Gary, Indiana, airport. About 50 seconds later, the pilot declared a "mayday" and stated the helicopter was going down into a field. The helicopter came to rest upright in a grass area between the Interstate 94 and Interstate 57 interchange.
Surveillance video from a Chicago Transit Authority rail platform located adjacent to the accident site depicted the helicopter during the final phase of the autorotation and impact with terrain. The video showed a fire near the number 2 (right) engine during the autorotation. A explosion was observed after the impact with terrain.
Postaccident examination of the accident site revealed the initial impact was consistent with the fenestron skid cap contacting the terrain first, followed by the landing gear skids and fuselage. The left landing gear skid was separated and came to rest near the ground scar consistent with the fuselage. The fuselage was crushed upward, and the fenestron assembly was separated at the tailboom attachment location (see Figures 1 and 2). The pilot seat, paramedic seat, and flight nurse seat were found fully attenuated. Thermal damage was noted on the right engine and main transmission cowling. Both engines power turbine wheel blades were missing the outer halves of the blades. Multiple impact dents, consistent with the fractured turbine blades, were noted inside the exhaust stubs. The No. 1 engine had a 1/2" by 1/2" hole in the exhaust stub at the 2 o'clock position forward of the aft firewall, and the No. 2 engine had a 2" by 1" hole in the exhaust stub at the 11 o'clock position forward of the aft firewall.
The helicopter was equipped with an Outerlink IRIS video, voice, flight data, and satellite communications system. The IRIS equipment was removed and sent to the NTSB Vehicle Recorder laboratory for video, voice, and data extraction.
So thumbs up for the pilot carrying out a survivabel autorotation at night due, what seems one Engine failing and taking the redundancy with it....
Well done!
Sorry about my ppruning, didnˋt expected a major technical cause.
Well done!
Sorry about my ppruning, didnˋt expected a major technical cause.
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Not to mention the in-flight fire. And put it down in a "field by a road at night" like it says to in "the book", in urban terrain, no less. Well done, indeed!
So we're talking about, the pilot had about 1 minute warning that something was wrong with #2 engine, before that engine had an uncontained failure that took out the #1 engine. I wonder what indications were present on the problematic engine?
Guess there were a few thuds when No2 startet do disintegrate, shortly after that followed by a Fire warning.
While shuting down No2 and transmitting a Mayday (with fire you should really start looking for a place to land, cause you donˋt know, wether you get it extinguished or not), No1 also failed on him.
Would be really interesting to have a look into the recorded data.
Isn't that what the fire warning light is for? The aircraft has an engine fire extinguishing system, right?
And even if the fire wasn't extinguished, the engine bays are typically rated to contain a fire for 15 minutes, right?
Once the spare engine went bang, then quiet, there weren't many options remaining.
Isn't that what the fire warning light is for? The aircraft has an engine fire extinguishing system, right?
And even if the fire wasn't extinguished, the engine bays are typically rated to contain a fire for 15 minutes, right?
Once the spare engine went bang, then quiet, there weren't many options remaining.
And even if the fire wasn't extinguished, the engine bays are typically rated to contain a fire for 15 minutes, right?
Once the spare engine went bang, then quiet, there weren't many options remaining.
Activating it here, for No2 engine shuts down the fuel supply to the engine and the System discharges after pressing the extinguisherwhen N1 is somewhere below 45%.
you start the stopwatch and have another go after one minute.
If you donˋt extinguish the Fire it´s a „Land immediately“ - no 15 minutes time to play!
(Donˋt have the EC135 Manual at hand, but it sure is so, as it is with the BK117, the EC155 and also with the H145)
[1]
Summary:
https://www.gov.uk/aaib-reports/airc...-november-2013
Report:
https://assets.digital.cabinet-offic...015_G-SPAO.pdf
Flying Bull,
You are correct but the second extinguisher is an option so may not be fitted.
With one extinguisher, landing priority is;
Caption clears after using extinguisher - Land as soon as possible
Caption remains after using extinguisher - Land immediately.
FNW
You are correct but the second extinguisher is an option so may not be fitted.
With one extinguisher, landing priority is;
Caption clears after using extinguisher - Land as soon as possible
Caption remains after using extinguisher - Land immediately.
FNW
1. Engine compartment fire extinguisher(s) are an option on the EC-135.
2. FAR 27.861 stipulates that, each part of the structure, controls, rotor mechanism, and other parts essential to a controlled landing that would be affected by powerplant fires must be fireproof or protected so they can perform their essential functions for at least 5 minutes under any foreseeable powerplant fire conditions.
An un-contained failure of an engine and the resulting damage to the firewall and other fire protection could easily nullify the above.
2. FAR 27.861 stipulates that, each part of the structure, controls, rotor mechanism, and other parts essential to a controlled landing that would be affected by powerplant fires must be fireproof or protected so they can perform their essential functions for at least 5 minutes under any foreseeable powerplant fire conditions.
An un-contained failure of an engine and the resulting damage to the firewall and other fire protection could easily nullify the above.