Erickson Aircrane accident Jericho, Victoria
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Erickson Aircrane accident Jericho, Victoria
There is very limited information but reports that a water bombing aircraft may have been involved in an accident in Jericho, working on the fire near the Thomson Dam around 7pm this evening. Reports that crew are ok. Sure we will hear more once it hits the media.
Erickson Skycrane Christine.
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Firebombing helicopter crashes Yarra Ranges
A water bombing helicopter used to fight bushfires has crash-landed into a dam in the Yarra Ranges on Monday night.
Emergency crews rushed to Jericho after the chopper came down and plunged into the water.
Three people on board the Helitak341 have luckily escaped without serious injury.
Communities around Mt Buller had been on alert for fires, following recent bushfires in the area including at Aberfeldy and Woods Point.
It’s not clear to which fire the crews on board the helicopter had been attending.
Local man Pedro, from the Tatong Tavern, said patrons had seen police and ambulance heading towards Odea Rod just after 8pm.
“That area is mainly bush, it’s a gravel road with lots of hills and mountains then it goes into a valley,” he said.
“They [emergency services] would have to access it by a back road though I’d say — it’s not private land but it’s got gates and fences.
“There’s a few farms that back onto the area too.”
Victoria Police spokeswoman Natalie Butler said crews were called to Nine Mile Rd about 7.15pm.
“It is believed all occupants of the aircraft are safely out,” Ms Butler said.
“The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has been notified.”
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/la...11413634ff9ae0
Christine or Delialah? I saw Delialah operating up there yesterday.
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Presumably they don’t usually fly with an engineer during sorties?
The dam is more shaped like a river.
TV news video shows they are equidistant from raised banks with trees, maybe one rotor diameter either side. Hardly conclusive, but no obvious sign of impact with trees on the edge of the closest adjacent bank is evident.
mjb
The dam is more shaped like a river.
TV news video shows they are equidistant from raised banks with trees, maybe one rotor diameter either side. Hardly conclusive, but no obvious sign of impact with trees on the edge of the closest adjacent bank is evident.
mjb
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https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-01-...WOPXZJgEETtseQ
https://www.9news.com.au/2019/01/28/...-dam-bushfires
A Victorian water bombing helicopter has crashed into a dam while it was working to battle fires in the Gippsland region.
There are unconfirmed reports the craft flipped while scooping up water from a dam.
The Victorian State Control Centre last night confirmed an Aircrane aircraft, carrying three people, had been fighting the Aberfeldy fire over the Thomson Complex Catchment at the time of the incident at 7.15pm.
The three crew members – two pilots and an engineer – all safely escaped the aircraft and swam to the edge of the Thomson Dam, which is located next to Mount Gregory in the rural suburb of Jericho.
Ambulance Victoria authorities were dispatched to the area to assess the crew members but no one was injured.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau and Worksafe have been notified and an investigation is underway.
“Over the past several days, the aircraft had been involved in fire suppression activities at the Thomson Catchment Complex fires,” The State Control Centre said in a statement.
“The Aircrane was one of ten aircraft working on the fire.
“Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp said that he was grateful that the crew are safe.”
There are currently 49 water fighting helicopters operating in Victoria.
It's the first bushfire where night-time water bombing has taken place, however it was still light when this incident occured.
© Nine Digital Pty Ltd 2019
There are unconfirmed reports the craft flipped while scooping up water from a dam.
The Victorian State Control Centre last night confirmed an Aircrane aircraft, carrying three people, had been fighting the Aberfeldy fire over the Thomson Complex Catchment at the time of the incident at 7.15pm.
The three crew members – two pilots and an engineer – all safely escaped the aircraft and swam to the edge of the Thomson Dam, which is located next to Mount Gregory in the rural suburb of Jericho.
Ambulance Victoria authorities were dispatched to the area to assess the crew members but no one was injured.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau and Worksafe have been notified and an investigation is underway.
“Over the past several days, the aircraft had been involved in fire suppression activities at the Thomson Catchment Complex fires,” The State Control Centre said in a statement.
“The Aircrane was one of ten aircraft working on the fire.
“Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp said that he was grateful that the crew are safe.”
There are currently 49 water fighting helicopters operating in Victoria.
It's the first bushfire where night-time water bombing has taken place, however it was still light when this incident occured.
© Nine Digital Pty Ltd 2019
News reports that the Crane fleet is grounded in Australia until Erickson/Kestrel satisfy the authorities as to the cause of the accident. Already speculation on news reports that the schnorkel may have snagged, but the images to date appear to show the schnorkel on H341 in the raised position.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-01-...WOPXZJgEETtseQ
https://www.9news.com.au/2019/01/28/...-dam-bushfires
And the inevitable Worksafe involvement is a sign of the times; as if they should have a further say in an aircraft accident
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-01-...WOPXZJgEETtseQ
https://www.9news.com.au/2019/01/28/...-dam-bushfires
And the inevitable Worksafe involvement is a sign of the times; as if they should have a further say in an aircraft accident
In regard to worksafe my view is they do have a roll to investigate and prosecute any failures in the adherence to labour laws. But they don’t.
Lifting the Aircraft while flooded could be a real chore......perhaps some flotation bags....get her upright and afloat....pump out as much water as possible....then go for the lift.
Thankfully no one was seriously hurt
I worked at Canadian Helicopters in Canada when they plunked a 61 into a small lake fighting fires.
The 64 came to remove the wreck from the waters edge after a bulldozer dragged it partially to shore.
It did the lift with minimal effort albeit slowly while the remaining water drained out.
I know a 64 doesn't have a bathtub of an airframe to collect as much water, so I wonder if another 64 can manage with a little more effort. If it cant...go ahead and drag that sucker up onto dry land.
I worked at Canadian Helicopters in Canada when they plunked a 61 into a small lake fighting fires.
The 64 came to remove the wreck from the waters edge after a bulldozer dragged it partially to shore.
It did the lift with minimal effort albeit slowly while the remaining water drained out.
I know a 64 doesn't have a bathtub of an airframe to collect as much water, so I wonder if another 64 can manage with a little more effort. If it cant...go ahead and drag that sucker up onto dry land.
The temporary grounding has now been lifted and all Cranes are cleared for operations in Australia.
mjb, yes there is a donkey dick on all belly tank machines; the news report alluded to the water scooping which I referred to as a schnorkel.
Latest ABC News report, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-01-...iRzQaaYXONIn_A
mjb, yes there is a donkey dick on all belly tank machines; the news report alluded to the water scooping which I referred to as a schnorkel.
Latest ABC News report, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-01-...iRzQaaYXONIn_A
The company operating a firefighting helicopter that crashed into a dam in eastern Victoria says the aircraft was "performing normally" moments before the accident.
The three men managed to swim to the edge of the dam.
Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp said the chopper "landed heavily" and the crew was flown to the Latrobe Valley Hospital for treatment.
"They were examined for some minor injuries and shock, as you'd imagine, but I believe they've been released from hospital now," he told ABC Radio Melbourne.
He said the cause of the crash was not yet clear.
Fleet grounded as 'precaution'
The Aircrane helicopter is one of the largest water-bombing aircraft in the world, and Victoria contracts two Aircranes as part of its firefighting fleet.
Five similar Aircranes — in NSW, South Australia, Western Australia and Victoria — were grounded while the crash was investigated.
Kestrel Aviation managing director Ray Cronin, whose company manages the fleet, said the ground was a "precautionary measure" while the company interviewed the crew and determined a probable cause.
He said after an initial investigation, the company and authorities had agreed that the grounding of the Aircrane fleet would be lifted.
"The Aircranes will return to service almost immediately," Mr Cronin said.
"The crews are with the aircraft ready to rejoin the fire fight in Victoria."
He said while he did not want to pre-empt the outcome of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau's (ATSB) investigation, he understood "the serviceability of the Aircrane" was good at the time of the crash.
"[I'm] absolutely confident in the aircraft — they're a workhorse, they're a very reliable aircraft."
A 'hazardous operating environment'
The Aircrane was refilling its water at the time, Forest Fire Management Victoria deputy fire officer Darrin McKenzie said.
"So they're actually quite close to water at that point. They have a snorkel which drops down into the water. They haven't fallen a great distance before they impacted with the water," Mr McKenzie said.
He said it was a "hazardous operating environment".
"This dam is surrounded by trees, and surrounded by hills. But it is quite rare that we have an event like this," he said.
"So they have to be really careful about what the wind conditions are, any downdrafts. So wind and visibility are the key things they need to think about from a safety view."
Work will begin in the next few days to try and work out how to get the Aircrane out of the water.
Crash 'very unusual' for renowned Aircrane
With a water-holding capacity of up to 9,000 litres, the Aircrane is popular with firefighting agencies around the world, CFA incident controller Mike Owen said.
"They're renowned across the world for their large firefighting capability and they operate in the USA, Canada, Australia, Greece, France and there's a fleet of about 20 of these worldwide at any time operating across firefighting," he told ABC Radio Gippsland.
"So very specialist equipment, very reliable, and Erickson are a well-known, well-respected company that operates them."
Each Aircrane is worth about $30 million, which Mr Owen said indicated the "sophistication" and "reliability" of the aircraft.
"It's very, very unusual to have an incident like this," he said.
Hundreds of hectares continue to burn
The helicopter was one of 10 water bombers being used to contain the Thomson Catchment Complex fires, which are burning just north of Mount Baw Baw.
Mr Owen said the fires were in a rugged area, making it difficult to get equipment into the area.
"There are three fires that are in the catchment … and together they're about 700 to 800 hectares at the moment," he said.
"Yesterday was the start of a concerted effort to use lots of aircraft bombing it, trying to create lines and assisting firefighters on the ground when we can get them in."
Premier Daniel Andrews said the crash was "a really serious incident" and said any lessons learnt during the investigation would be taken on board.
"We're very pleased obviously that nobody was seriously injured. It could've been a very different outcome," he said.
WorkSafe has been notified of the crash.
The three men managed to swim to the edge of the dam.
Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp said the chopper "landed heavily" and the crew was flown to the Latrobe Valley Hospital for treatment.
"They were examined for some minor injuries and shock, as you'd imagine, but I believe they've been released from hospital now," he told ABC Radio Melbourne.
He said the cause of the crash was not yet clear.
Fleet grounded as 'precaution'
The Aircrane helicopter is one of the largest water-bombing aircraft in the world, and Victoria contracts two Aircranes as part of its firefighting fleet.
Five similar Aircranes — in NSW, South Australia, Western Australia and Victoria — were grounded while the crash was investigated.
Kestrel Aviation managing director Ray Cronin, whose company manages the fleet, said the ground was a "precautionary measure" while the company interviewed the crew and determined a probable cause.
He said after an initial investigation, the company and authorities had agreed that the grounding of the Aircrane fleet would be lifted.
"The Aircranes will return to service almost immediately," Mr Cronin said.
"The crews are with the aircraft ready to rejoin the fire fight in Victoria."
He said while he did not want to pre-empt the outcome of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau's (ATSB) investigation, he understood "the serviceability of the Aircrane" was good at the time of the crash.
"[I'm] absolutely confident in the aircraft — they're a workhorse, they're a very reliable aircraft."
A 'hazardous operating environment'
The Aircrane was refilling its water at the time, Forest Fire Management Victoria deputy fire officer Darrin McKenzie said.
"So they're actually quite close to water at that point. They have a snorkel which drops down into the water. They haven't fallen a great distance before they impacted with the water," Mr McKenzie said.
He said it was a "hazardous operating environment".
"This dam is surrounded by trees, and surrounded by hills. But it is quite rare that we have an event like this," he said.
"So they have to be really careful about what the wind conditions are, any downdrafts. So wind and visibility are the key things they need to think about from a safety view."
Work will begin in the next few days to try and work out how to get the Aircrane out of the water.
Crash 'very unusual' for renowned Aircrane
With a water-holding capacity of up to 9,000 litres, the Aircrane is popular with firefighting agencies around the world, CFA incident controller Mike Owen said.
"They're renowned across the world for their large firefighting capability and they operate in the USA, Canada, Australia, Greece, France and there's a fleet of about 20 of these worldwide at any time operating across firefighting," he told ABC Radio Gippsland.
"So very specialist equipment, very reliable, and Erickson are a well-known, well-respected company that operates them."
Each Aircrane is worth about $30 million, which Mr Owen said indicated the "sophistication" and "reliability" of the aircraft.
"It's very, very unusual to have an incident like this," he said.
Hundreds of hectares continue to burn
The helicopter was one of 10 water bombers being used to contain the Thomson Catchment Complex fires, which are burning just north of Mount Baw Baw.
Mr Owen said the fires were in a rugged area, making it difficult to get equipment into the area.
"There are three fires that are in the catchment … and together they're about 700 to 800 hectares at the moment," he said.
"Yesterday was the start of a concerted effort to use lots of aircraft bombing it, trying to create lines and assisting firefighters on the ground when we can get them in."
Premier Daniel Andrews said the crash was "a really serious incident" and said any lessons learnt during the investigation would be taken on board.
"We're very pleased obviously that nobody was seriously injured. It could've been a very different outcome," he said.
WorkSafe has been notified of the crash.
Good that the cranes are back in the air and that no one was seriously injured.
A slightly off thread question but last week we had a small amarda of rotary and fixed wing aircraft attacking a fire across the valley. Our house seems to be a waypoint for the rotary stuff east going south and slightly west going north. I could follow a lot of activity on Flightradar including the big stuff like the 737 coming down from 20000 ft and its leader at 7500 feet and the RJ85 coming in and going but when they hit a "box" around the fireground they simply disappeared like the transponders were turned off. Other rotary and fixed wing aircraft could be followed continuously in the same "box". Any ideas?
A slightly off thread question but last week we had a small amarda of rotary and fixed wing aircraft attacking a fire across the valley. Our house seems to be a waypoint for the rotary stuff east going south and slightly west going north. I could follow a lot of activity on Flightradar including the big stuff like the 737 coming down from 20000 ft and its leader at 7500 feet and the RJ85 coming in and going but when they hit a "box" around the fireground they simply disappeared like the transponders were turned off. Other rotary and fixed wing aircraft could be followed continuously in the same "box". Any ideas?
I’m on an iPad and can’t post an enlarged image ATM, but on the available photos it looks very much like a broken tail rotor drive shaft from the 45 box up to the 90 box.
A Victorian water bombing helicopter has crashed into a dam while it was working to battle fires in the Gippsland region.
One risk of the fixed tank system is the uplift pump. has to be very carefully monitored....as it will slurp up water until the tank overflows.
A malfunction that prevents stopping the uplift can get serious very quickly.
I am not sure how the Crane system works....but on the Huey/212/412....that took some monitoring especially as you are single pilot.
A malfunction that prevents stopping the uplift can get serious very quickly.
I am not sure how the Crane system works....but on the Huey/212/412....that took some monitoring especially as you are single pilot.