AW139 Crash in Bahamas - 7 Killed
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From the Bahamas AAID Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/baaid.mota/
The AAID has delegated the investigation of this accident to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) n the USA. Going forward all questions or concerns are to be directed there. Mr. Timothy Monville is now the Investigator in Charge.
All further updates will be given by the NTSB.
All further updates will be given by the NTSB.
July 8, 2019
The Flight and data recorders (Blackbox) for the helicopter have been shipped to the National Transportation Safety Board in Washington DC, USA for analysis.
Investigators currently on site documenting wreckage to determine the complete craft was recovered.
No new time when an update will be given.
The Flight and data recorders (Blackbox) for the helicopter have been shipped to the National Transportation Safety Board in Washington DC, USA for analysis.
Investigators currently on site documenting wreckage to determine the complete craft was recovered.
No new time when an update will be given.
https://www.facebook.com/baaid.mota/
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...tims/70053950/
Interesting that G-LABL has been mentioned because the previous Haughey accident (G-HAUG) shared something with this one - nobody knew it was missing until the next day!
I shall ask a rhetorical question here......it is based upon a previous question that was asked about the Floats on the accident aircraft and the reply...that there might not. have been any installed. (We do not know if there were or were not.)
If it is discovered there were no floats installed....and had been removed for some unknown reason....what other deficiencies existed in the aircraft systems, equipment, procedures, and policies?
Very quickly....I can see the case for a very thorough FAA Investigation of that Operator....should there be no floats installed.
That would turn out very ugly in short order I would bet.
Disclaimer: Until we learn of the existence and serviceability of the float system....this is all supposition.
212Man.....just like a Bristow Bell 412 Crash in Nigeria as I recall....the one that did the Texaco Casevac into Port Harcourt and was not known to be missing until the Hospital began to inquire of the whereabouts of the patient they had been told to be ready to receive.
If it is discovered there were no floats installed....and had been removed for some unknown reason....what other deficiencies existed in the aircraft systems, equipment, procedures, and policies?
Very quickly....I can see the case for a very thorough FAA Investigation of that Operator....should there be no floats installed.
That would turn out very ugly in short order I would bet.
Disclaimer: Until we learn of the existence and serviceability of the float system....this is all supposition.
212Man.....just like a Bristow Bell 412 Crash in Nigeria as I recall....the one that did the Texaco Casevac into Port Harcourt and was not known to be missing until the Hospital began to inquire of the whereabouts of the patient they had been told to be ready to receive.
The most pertinent post so far. A medical emergency at 0200 on a remote island. The crew may have been on standby (they may have been in bed asleep for all we know at this point), but asleep or wide awake I doubt they were expecting to be asked to fly at this hour. What a difficult position for a pilot to be in.
The night before, me and my brother-in-law, we watched the chopper come in,” McIntosh told The Guardian yesterday.
“We watched it land and in about half an hour it [went] back up.
“As it [went] back up, it didn’t get very high. It went up and in about five minutes it just ‘boop’.
“We watched it land and in about half an hour it [went] back up.
“As it [went] back up, it didn’t get very high. It went up and in about five minutes it just ‘boop’.
@206Fan
If the NTSB report concludes "it just boop" it will be a fine report indeed.
I am interested to learn where the tail pylon is. Hopefuly that will become clear shortly, and they just haven't pulled it out of the ocean yet.
If the NTSB report concludes "it just boop" it will be a fine report indeed.
I am interested to learn where the tail pylon is. Hopefuly that will become clear shortly, and they just haven't pulled it out of the ocean yet.
Ok, well, uhh, I must be missing something....not sure what your point is with the eyewitness quote.
Last edited by 206Fan; 8th Jul 2019 at 19:23.
Paxing All Over The World
(from an outsider) One aspect of humans is that: The more money they get, the more likely they are to forget where they came from and the nature of being an employee. Note I say 'likely' not all. They can quickly get used to having things at their disposal and believing that they know the correct solution - after all is that not how they became successful and wealthy?
It may well be that the option of local medical support whilst the patient was stabilised was not fully considered and the rush to 'home' in the USA began. If it turns out that no flight plan was filed, that would indicate heavy pressure to 'fix it on the run'.
No surprise that Bahamas handed this off. They do not want to be the ones to find fault with an American of influence.
It may well be that the option of local medical support whilst the patient was stabilised was not fully considered and the rush to 'home' in the USA began. If it turns out that no flight plan was filed, that would indicate heavy pressure to 'fix it on the run'.
No surprise that Bahamas handed this off. They do not want to be the ones to find fault with an American of influence.
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My point was that they were not expecting a middle-of-the-night emergency flight. And they could have been awakened to reposition the ship to the house or wherever the pick-up point was. It was certainly after midnight when all this took place...unless they departed FL to go get the pax.
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Not sure why the investigation would be "delegated" to the NTSB by Bahamas since it's a US-registered aircraft. I would think if an N-numbered helicopter crashed in Cairo the NTSB would lead the investigation. Maybe I'm wrong.....
If you are experienced and current on black-hole helipad departures it is a purely mechanical exercise, more so with a 139 that will transition easily to forward flight without loss of altitude. From the hover all references are on your panel with sequential power and attitude changes. Has been done safely for years even in helicopters with no AFCS at all. We’d practise engine failures before and after rotation from a night helideck at the 139 sim every year.
With the impact damage seen, flotation isn’t especially relevant. Except as a disparaging comment on aircraft management if it wasn’t there. Pretty sure the previous owner had floats and Phase4 - noooby? Under Part 91 I don’t know what is required in addition to life jackets on board for all occupants. I’d insist on floats and rafts for a 150nm overwater trip with passengers, but that’s just me.
We don’t know where the aircraft was hiding out prior to landing to pick up passengers at 2am. Entry and exit from the Bahamas has to be from an AOE, closest would be Nassau. Was it headed for KFLL (24 hr customs) direct or via MYNN? If I’m departing from a remote location in the US or Canada I ask for an “assumed departure” when I file a flight plan - that way my flight plan opens automatically, even if I were to crash on takeoff.
With the impact damage seen, flotation isn’t especially relevant. Except as a disparaging comment on aircraft management if it wasn’t there. Pretty sure the previous owner had floats and Phase4 - noooby? Under Part 91 I don’t know what is required in addition to life jackets on board for all occupants. I’d insist on floats and rafts for a 150nm overwater trip with passengers, but that’s just me.
We don’t know where the aircraft was hiding out prior to landing to pick up passengers at 2am. Entry and exit from the Bahamas has to be from an AOE, closest would be Nassau. Was it headed for KFLL (24 hr customs) direct or via MYNN? If I’m departing from a remote location in the US or Canada I ask for an “assumed departure” when I file a flight plan - that way my flight plan opens automatically, even if I were to crash on takeoff.
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Got it. I stand corrected. Read 49 CFR...the Country/State of the accident unless in international waters.
I don’t think the head is missing - you can see the drag dampers still attached. Strange there are no torn blade roots though.
There have been a few crashes in the UK with N-Registered aircraft that were not investigated by the NTSB, probably because of the nationality of those involved or owning the aircraft. I guess things could get complicated if an aircraft, regardless of its country of registration, is owned by a secretive off shore company.
