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Newlywed Helo Crash in Texas

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Newlywed Helo Crash in Texas

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Old 5th Nov 2018, 22:22
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And why is BH-222 a type rating on an FAA pilot certificate anyway?
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Old 5th Nov 2018, 22:26
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As SAS said, that area is pretty rough if you cannot get lighting at night.
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Old 5th Nov 2018, 22:27
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Has to do with the ATP Practical Test being a Type Rating....all very confusing.

If I dug my License out....the old one.....it would probably show Bell 47 or Bell 206 or both....with the 47 being VFR only.
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Old 5th Nov 2018, 23:48
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Video of the NTSB presser today at the bottom of this page:

https://www.ksat.com/news/ntsb-terra...on-challenging

From the Uvalde Police Facebook page:

At approx. 12 midnight on Saturday (11/3/18), Uvalde Police Communications received a call from an aviation monitoring center of a possible down aircraft in the area of Northwest Uvalde County. After further investigation, Uvalde Co. Sheriff’s Office Deputies received coordinates of a possible more direct location of the aircraft in distress. TX DPS Troopers, Game Wardens, Border Patrol, Uvalde Vol. Fire Dept, and Uvalde EMS arrived in the vicinity of Chalk Bluff Park off HWY 55 to assist with the search. Upon break of day, the accident location was found and the Texas Dept. of Public Safety and the Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the scene.

An 'aviation monitoring center'? What would that be? These aircraft are not dispatched I would think. The NTSB investigator said in the video above that he thought the ELT was at the crash scene and broken. He seemed to imply that no signal was received.
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Old 6th Nov 2018, 00:02
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Such a tragedy...Rest in Peace
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Old 6th Nov 2018, 00:22
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Originally Posted by Airbubba
An 'aviation monitoring center'? What would that be? .
A number of private owners use flight-tracking software like Spider Tracks or Garmin InReach. Some pay to have it monitored . Or some monitor it themselves. A very tragic event.
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Old 6th Nov 2018, 00:47
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https://twitter.com/i/moments/1059485036028850178

I've flown out there at night, but not close to the ground. It's as SASless says.
A friend of mine had his daughter and new son in law flown from her wedding in a Huey, a few years back, in Houston.
At 4 in the afternoon.
Doing this at midnight?
Hmm.
RIP; I hope you never knew what you hit.
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Old 6th Nov 2018, 01:53
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Originally Posted by wrench1
A number of private owners use flight-tracking software like Spider Tracks or Garmin InReach. Some pay to have it monitored . Or some monitor it themselves. A very tragic event.
Thanks, that probably explains a couple of early news reports that the pilot made a call to 911 to report problems before the crash. Sounds hokey but it was probably the call from the tracking center to the police emergency line that generated the 911 report.

Also a news report listed the emergency call to Uvalde Police around midnight but said the crash was at 1:57 am. Usual confusion with breaking news I suppose. Some millennial wedding receptions I've been to in recent years are over by 10 pm but others turn up the volume at 11 pm to chase out the old folks and party well into the wee hours of the morning.

It appears that the family didn't know that their aircraft had crashed until in the morning when nobody called.

Last edited by Airbubba; 7th Nov 2018 at 00:43.
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Old 6th Nov 2018, 02:02
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Something about helicopters and weddings that seemingly often don't end well.
I've had the same thought myself. When my daughter was married here at home years back, I parked my plane in the middle of my runway to prevent any use of the runway for a few days. I did not want my daughter's wedding to be memorable because of an aviation event. There are times to fly, and there are times for family, they don't have to mix - family should always prevail.
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Old 6th Nov 2018, 04:17
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Originally Posted by Pilot DAR
I've had the same thought myself. When my daughter was married here at home years back, I parked my plane in the middle of my runway to prevent any use of the runway for a few days. I did not want my daughter's wedding to be memorable because of an aviation event. There are times to fly, and there are times for family, they don't have to mix - family should always prevail.
Inevitably they aren't planned well, operated by someone trying to help out under pressure of not ruining the special day.
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Old 6th Nov 2018, 06:02
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So, an elderly pilot (experienced but elderly) flying from brightly lit area into almost total darkness at the body's circadian low point - what could possibly go wrong with that plan?
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Old 6th Nov 2018, 06:58
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I parked my plane in the middle of my runway to prevent any use of the runway for a few days.
Don't we all......
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Old 6th Nov 2018, 11:02
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Crab,

Please show some respect for your Elders here!

But....exactly as you say....I just hit 70....and consider myself an Old Fart.

I always had excellent vision except for a Red/Green issue that caused a problem on two occasions during Medicals well after becoming an experienced pilot.

I thought about the Bright Light to DARKNESS in a Jet Ranger thing last night while sitting on my Porch looking across the bay to the lights on the other side.

I considered what it might look like peering out of the Wind Screen of that Jet Ranger if there were no lights on the other shore.

The Pilot was 75....well experienced....but his eyes had some normal wear and tear on them from all those years I am sure.

The average Jet Ranger is not an aircraft I would like to fly instruments in....especially in the middle of the night after a very long day.

How well it was equipped should be examined by the investigators among other issues.

The Human Factors issue in this tragedy surely needs examining closely.
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Old 6th Nov 2018, 11:49
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There's a reason why commercial flights in the UK prevent single pilot ops beyond 60. I believe it is 65 in the USA?
The rules for private flights are much slacker, which is weird because the medical reasons for endex @ 60 commercially still affect those flying privately.???
Would I want my family pilot flying my children during the day (let alone at night) at the grand old age of 75??
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Old 6th Nov 2018, 11:58
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There are a lot of Pilots of all ages I would never let my children ride with....in any situation.

Age itself is not the issue....but fitness is what counts.

The Nanny State mindset of Sixty and out ignores reality.

I lost my Medical at age 58.....and probably should have a bit earlier.

TC.....show us the Accident Stats that PROVE older pilots have a higher rate of involvement in accidents where their age/Incapacitation was the direct cause.
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Old 6th Nov 2018, 12:03
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TC, only scheduled Pt.121 operations are affected by the age limit in the USA.
Unscheduled Pt.135 operations do not follow that rule and even less Part 91 operations like the one of this accident if I understand that the 206B was in fact the family's helicopter and "Jerry" had been flying them for over twenty years.

Gullibell, it used to be that whatever airframe you used for your FAA ATP ride would show on your certificate forever, mine says HU-269 back since '96.
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Old 6th Nov 2018, 12:39
  #37 (permalink)  
 
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how far away from the wedding was the crash?
If the crash happened in local vicinity, then I could relate to the bright lights off into the darkness concern....but i don't think it happened close at all. I would think the partiers would have heard/seen something. But then again perhaps they were all trailer trash drunk at that point.
Had they departed at 11pm or whenever, and the notifications went out at midnight, they could have been miles off into the darkness and surely your eyes have adjusted for that light difference in the beginning.
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Old 6th Nov 2018, 12:51
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Can anyone explain how an aircraft owned by a company can operate outside that company's line of business (e.g. transporting employees to work sites) and give 'private' flights like this? Wouldn't that be a charter under an AOC?
Is it used like a company car and taxed as benefit in kind?
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Old 6th Nov 2018, 12:56
  #39 (permalink)  
 
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Originally Posted by Thomas coupling
There's a reason why commercial flights in the UK prevent single pilot ops beyond 60. I believe it is 65 in the USA?
The rules for private flights are much slacker, which is weird because the medical reasons for endex @ 60 commercially still affect those flying privately.???
Would I want my family pilot flying my children during the day (let alone at night) at the grand old age of 75??
Well that depends. There are some mighty fit 75-year-olds. Fit in mind; fit in body. There are some 50-somethings that smoke, drink, overeat, take no exercise and look manifestly unfit if not unwell. Some of them take blood tablets to reduce blood pressure or submit someone else’s urine for their medical. So why use something as arbitrary as an age-limit instead of a more thorough medical plus check ride to determine fitness-to-fly?

I can’t think of a better way to persuade people to stay fit and well, than to allow them to continue doing a job they enjoy rather than making them age-redundant.
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Old 6th Nov 2018, 13:02
  #40 (permalink)  
 
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If you own your own helicopter...you can certainly fly your family in it as you wish.

Have you read any of the posts/news articles etc....before you posted that question?

The news report indicated the crash was fairly close to the Ranch (location of take off).

I would suggest this family is in no way "Trailer Trash".... own a helicopter long enough and you can become poor enough to qualify however.

Was there drinking there....knowing most Texas Ranchers....very likely....just as at mostt Weddings I would presume.
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