UH-1H missing from Coffs Harbour 6th Sept 2019

[industry insider]

I may be wrong but should there have been 5 POB (4 pax) on an ex mil aircraft?

[gulliBell]

The FAA Type Certificate for UH-1H states:
"No person may be carried in this helicopter during fight unless that person is essential to the purpose of the flight".
Unless they had an alternative way around that, which they might with CASA. Don't know. Doesn't help them now, regrettably.

[megan]

No person may be carried in this helicopter during fight unless that person is essential to the purpose of the flight

Don't know how they get around it, but many UH-1H are used in the US to give rides to the public. Crew chief from my old unit has one and gives rides, financial side no idea.

I’m not aware of what instrumentation was fitted

If the instrumentation was as originally fitted and serviceable the aircraft was quite capable of IMC flight, goes without saying the driver needs to be up to the task.

should there have been 5 POB (4 pax) on an ex mil aircraft

The operator aimed to use the aircraft to give warbird joyrides to the public. An ad from the video.

Bell UH1H Huey Warbird flights. Get to da Choppa Book your seats now for our upcoming Huey flights Co Pilot seat Observer seats Troop seats Gunner seats

You Tube

[Nescafe]

https://www.casa.gov.au/part132

If operated in a ‘limited’ category, as some pictures indicate, there are allowances to take pax.

Part 132 of CASR sets out the requirements for limited category aircraft operations. It preserves the requirements under previous regulations (262AN and 262AM of the Civil Aviation Regulations 1988) but contains some important administrative and safety enhancements.

Overall, Part 132 sets out:

• the conditions under which various limited category aircraft operations may be conducted
• the responsibilities of persons involved in limited category aircraft operations
• the offences that relate to breaching the conditions for limited category aircraft operations.

This Part provides flexibility and certainty around recreational use of warbirds and limited category historic or replica aircraft. It permits air racing and glider towing, and provides authorisation for personal flights. It also permits the limited category aircraft with any of the following to be eligible for a limited category certificate for personal flights (not adventure flights for payment or reward) as long as these are not conducted over populous areas:

• unapproved major modifications
• expired airframe fatigue life
• life limited components that have exceeded their life limits.

Safety requirements include:

• an extra safety briefing at the point of sale for any adventure flight as well as before boarding
• limits to passenger numbers
• conditions for flights over populous areas.

[Twist & Shout]

Wasn’t it a B205 (Civilian)- painted up and used in movies as a UH1H?

[Nescafe]

Register says it was a UH-1H

https://www.regosearch.com/aircraft/au/UVC

[megan]

Definitely UH-1H

https://www.helicopterbuyer.com/user...Spec(1656).pdf

[havick]

Originally Posted by megan

Definitely UH-1H

https://www.helicopterbuyer.com/user...Spec(1656).pdf

Wow, if that’s the avionics fit then it wouldn’t have even been NVFR capable let alone IFR two pilot.

[Twist & Shout]

1. OK, UH-1H
2. In the “comments” section of the news link Bellytank supplied, it is suggested they landed, then subsequently took off again. This was a feature of a previous tragic weather related crash in the Newcastle area.

If individuals are to learn/gain anything from this latest crash (regardless of what the cause eventually turns out to be. Or if this reported landing did occur.) It should be: that if you land enroute - do not take off again unless the reason for the landing has been mitigated significantly. Convenience should not be a factor. Sitting in a helicopter, in a field all night, would be a small price to pay to avoid a fatal crash.

[zzodr]

Very sad news. Had seen this UH1H around in SE Qld. The thought of being up in that wind on Friday with a teetering rotor system gives me the willies. I wonder if it mast bumped or chopped the tail off.
Something very bad and sudden happened that's for sure, no mayday call was received.
RIP to the pilot and passengers.

[rottenjohn]

Originally Posted by hueyracer

.

I don't know the local weather and daylight hours... But 6:49 pm is hardly "VFR at night", or is it dark around that time of the year already at down under?

If you don't know the hours of daylight its hardly worth commenting that its hardly night is it.

[John Eacott]

Skip the first few minutes for some video in and around the UH-1H, and from 3:20 there is a scan across the panel. It looks to me like an iPad in the centre of the pilot’s side, and a single turn and slip underneath plus an AH on the left panel.

Is there some sort of app for the iPad to represent a suitable set of instruments for NVFR

You Tube

[zhishengji751]

From the youtube link from John.

[industry insider]

Originally Posted by zzodr

Very sad news. Had seen this UH1H around in SE Qld. The thought of being up in that wind on Friday with a teetering rotor system gives me the willies.

Just a breeze, plenty of Bell 212s have spent years and thousands of hours flying shuttles in the Northern North Sea and working in other places in far worse weather conditions than this.

But the pilots were IFR and more importantly night IMC trained for it and the aircraft were IFR equipped and certified.

Even then, we lost an aircraft and an outstanding group of 6 brave men on a night SAR mission.

[Squawk7700]

Originally Posted by John Eacott

Is there some sort of app for the iPad to represent a suitable set of instruments for NVFR

There are devices available however none are approved, TSO’ed or certified in any way unless I’m horribly mistaken.

iLevil and Aeleous Talon are a couple and they would be wired into the dash with pitot and static connected, then wirelessly connected to the WiFi.

[Twist & Shout]

Looks like an AH on the left side of the instrument panel.
Probably certified NVFR.
Trying to keep it upright with that in the scan, under difficult conditions, would, in my estimation, be “challenging”.

If an iPad were used as a primary instrument...... words fail me. (Well, nice words)

[hueyracer]

From my experience :

Just because something is installed in a helicopter does not mean it's actually working.. (Especially in a utility helicopter or a private use/restricted category one)....

​​​​​​

[Fareastdriver]

The IPad in the picture has two clips on the left hand corners and a retaining clip on the right hand side. The IPad could be removed and the normal instrumentation would be visible.

[Squawk7700]

Originally Posted by Fareastdriver

The IPad in the picture has two clips on the left hand corners and a retaining clip on the right hand side. The IPad could be removed and the normal instrumentation would be visible.

Ummm no, sorry. The instruments behind the iPad have been blanked out and the layout has been changed completely, presumably to fit the iPad in the middle. You can see where they used to be fitted, quite clearly. The AH on the left is a bloody long way away from the pilot.

[Old Farang]

The search continues for a pilot and four passengers who are feared dead after a helicopter crashed into waters off the NSW coast, with authorities seeking out witnesses who could have seen the aircraft in distress.

Police are spearheading the recovery operation after the Bell UH1 helicopter dropped off the radar near Anna Bay, north of Newcastle, early on Friday night.

The aircraft belonged to Brisbane Helicopters owner and pilot David Kerr, who is believed to have been flying it at the time.

https://au.news.yahoo.com/anna-bay-h...071939495.html

Queenslanders Jamie Ogden and Grant Kuhnemann, and NSW couple Jocelyn Villanueva and Gregory Miller are also believed to have been on board.

NSW Police has called for anyone who may have seen the helicopter in distress, and anyone who filmed or photographed the aircraft on Friday night to come forward.

The Australian Defence Force on Sunday confirmed Mr Miller was an employee but said he was not on duty at the time of the crash.

The force is engaging with authorities to help with recovery efforts, a spokesperson told AAP in a statement on Sunday.

Mr Ogden's brother Darren has reportedly flown to Nelson Bay from Queensland after hearing about the crash.