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Little Rock PD Helicopter crash August 2018

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Little Rock PD Helicopter crash August 2018

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Old 23rd Aug 2018, 13:04
  #21 (permalink)  
 
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Maybe the highly experienced pilot is the guy in the blue shirt who comes storming out of the door, trying to save the day by marshalling the helicopter back onto the pad...
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Old 23rd Aug 2018, 15:27
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There are warning signs in the media texts..... the same ones that were fed that it did not take off so it did not need reporting to the FAA..... operated around 165 hours in three years of which a lot was training .... so this is not a busy unit and is based well away from the local airport ....

Anyone checked out the N number of the Bell?

Anyone checked out who the registered owner is.... or when the Little Rock PD last owned an aircraft?

Lots of gaps in the answers..... in fact it looks like pure vapour....
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Old 23rd Aug 2018, 15:32
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So...you set the ground handling wheels aside...buy a platform dolly and tractor but forego the purchase of a set of chocks or screw down brakes!

Sure seems like false economy!

Last edited by SASless; 23rd Aug 2018 at 21:18.
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Old 23rd Aug 2018, 16:14
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I presume those would be the yellow fluffy type.....
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Old 23rd Aug 2018, 18:04
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Quit a lot so they will have to be cheep.
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Old 23rd Aug 2018, 18:57
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Originally Posted by nigelh
"...insurance claim will be interesting...."
Not sure about liability, facility, and medical claims, but as to the hull: "...the department got a bargain on this chopper. "We pay $2,000 annually to participate in the state of Arkansas Law Enforcement Support Program," said Little Rock Police Department Lieutenant Nathan Tackett.With that $2,000, the acquisition fee was waived and all that was left to pay was the transportation cost of the equipment."
url: greenvilleonline.com/story/news/2015/12/10/lrpd-unveils-new-crime-fighting-tool/77115424/
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Old 23rd Aug 2018, 21:19
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Originally Posted by Fareastdriver
Quit a lot so they will have to be cheep.

They would be easier seen yellow, but nothing in aviation is cheap, other than shots!
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Old 23rd Aug 2018, 21:50
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Frictions tightly on for maintenance as the aircraft became airborne... would explain the jerky nature of the aircraft.
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Old 23rd Aug 2018, 22:22
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Err not really . If you release the friction on the collective you do the cyclic as well !!! Any helicopter run up I do I expect to get airborne..ie harness on , all frictions off , hand on collective unless there is a lock , which there isn’t on the 206 !
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Old 24th Aug 2018, 01:10
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Tail Number

Originally Posted by PANews
There are warning signs in the media texts..... the same ones that were fed that it did not take off so it did not need reporting to the FAA..... operated around 165 hours in three years of which a lot was training .... so this is not a busy unit and is based well away from the local airport ....

Anyone checked out the N number of the Bell?

Anyone checked out who the registered owner is.... or when the Little Rock PD last owned an aircraft?

Lots of gaps in the answers..... in fact it looks like pure vapour....
The tail number was N54331. https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinq...umbertxt=54331
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Old 24th Aug 2018, 01:34
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The number painted on the nose was a give-away clue as to the rego.

I'm still at a loss to believe the helicopter was being operated by a pilot, even a retired one at that. There must have been no intention to take-off and land back on that mobile dolly, given it wasn't chocked. And even if caught by surprise by the thing getting airborne, there was ample opportunity to put it on the ground after entering wobbly mode. That helicopter is totaled, not much to be salvaged from what's left.

Yeah, maybe aft CG had something to do with it. There was a night-sun hanging off the back and the race cowl was off the front. But still.
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Old 24th Aug 2018, 02:29
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Thank you for the N number OBD.
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Old 24th Aug 2018, 04:38
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I find it hard to believe that is an experienced pilot at the controls... it looks suspiciously like someones first attempt at hovering!

Either that or it's a helicopter version of one of those "hit the accelerator instead of the brake" moments that seem to regularly happen to senior citizens j/k

I'm glad there were no fatalities with a few people fairly close by... very lucky.
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Old 24th Aug 2018, 04:55
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Originally Posted by nigelh
Err not really . If you release the friction on the collective you do the cyclic as well !!! Any helicopter run up I do I expect to get airborne..ie harness on , all frictions off , hand on collective unless there is a lock , which there isn’t on the 206 !




There is no direct link between the collective and cyclic friction that I know of on a Bell 206 or derivative. They can be selected as required, independently, to suit a pilot's requirements and the individual aircraft.
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Old 24th Aug 2018, 07:32
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Originally Posted by John Eacott

There is no direct link between the collective and cyclic friction that I know of on a Bell 206 or derivative. They can be selected as required, independently, to suit a pilot's requirements and the individual aircraft.
I believe he was saying that you should release all frictions as if you intended to fly.
Even with frictions on, the aircraft should be manageable for most people.
Perhaps they disabled hydraulics for the ground run.
It will be an awkward discussion with the insurance company.
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Old 24th Aug 2018, 10:18
  #36 (permalink)  
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The aircraft was an Army Surplus TH-67 (Fort Rucker Training aircraft) and cost the LRPD....nothing to obtain.

They would have had some expense to fit Mission Communication equipment....which might not amount to much in reality.

The Hull Loss is minimal as there are still surplus Jet Rangers available.

In all likelihood it was not insured at all due to being a Public Use Aircraft owned by the City Government.
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Old 24th Aug 2018, 13:15
  #37 (permalink)  
 
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Bell ringer ... correct . If you flew 300,s many moons ago you got into the habit of always expecting to have to lift off on ground runs ... hence bucked up and frictions all off !! This was partly I think due to its amazing ability to get into ground resonance.....
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Old 24th Aug 2018, 16:49
  #38 (permalink)  
 
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What is the white object in the area of the pilots seat? Is that just his t-shirt or is that a flight helmet? Wondering if there was something interfering with the controls....
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Old 25th Aug 2018, 09:08
  #39 (permalink)  
 
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Outwest...the only thing interfering with the controls was the ‘Pilot’!
Even if the dolly was left out with the aircraft shutdown and unmanned it should have been chocked!
Cowboys used to tie their horses up, seem they have forgotten the basics nowadays.
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Old 25th Aug 2018, 23:10
  #40 (permalink)  
 
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Agree about the dolly, but seems strange that at one point the a/c is in a fairly stable hover when it all goes for S@#T again......
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