Helicopter drops large air conditioning unit onto Oakland street 10Jan2021
Our company's underslung load insurance is .01/lb, that's right, a penny per pound, so not as expensive as one might think for the helicopter company, unless your including the cost to their reputation.
Not really. Most down town lifts with the crane are done on short strops. Part of it has to do with safety zones. We have to have a safety zone typically radius of 1.5 times the maximum eight of the aircraft. If you use a 100' line, that adds 150' radius to your safety zone, and that gets expensive when paying for the cops to close more streets.
Typically these are done at first light on Sunday mornings as there is less people around.
Not always, but in this case you may be right. FYI, that "operator" is a pilot and is able to control the whole aircraft from that seat.
Typically these are done at first light on Sunday mornings as there is less people around.
Not always, but in this case you may be right. FYI, that "operator" is a pilot and is able to control the whole aircraft from that seat.
Incidentally, I am endorsed for sling loads, and lost my own helicopter and pilot, plus my business, because of a botched up sling load many years ago.
Any Skycrane drivers out there who can say when the handover from the rear facing pilot to the front facing pilot happens on a job like this? I just wonder if it was at that crucial point that the release/failure happened.
... the strop is WAY to short ...
I think they knew what they were doing, regarding the rigging ... until the moment all went wrong, but I don't think the length of the strop is the problem.
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Going by the video in post #1 , I say it was a release , not broken cable , because if you pause at 0:30 it shows the loop is intact .
Would there not be two separated cable ends if it broke ??
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Would there not be two separated cable ends if it broke ??
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If you listen carefully there is a distinct change in the engine noise signature immediately after the load release. Sounds like one engine spooling up, so I wonder if there was a power loss and it was deliberately pickled?
There was no discernable decrease in engine noise post-lift.
Avoid imitations
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From the video, it looks like everything from the aircraft cargo hook downwards fell away.
Hopefully there is a company procedure in place to preserve evidence regarding switch and guard positions. Very lucky it all fell away in possibly the one place where collateral damage was little or none.
Hopefully there is a company procedure in place to preserve evidence regarding switch and guard positions. Very lucky it all fell away in possibly the one place where collateral damage was little or none.
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Facing backwards
Just idly thinking about flying a helicopter while facing backwards, presumably the controls are reversed so that pulling back on the cyclic actually makes the machine move forwards, and right cyclic makes it roll left.
This machine is equipped with an Anti-rotation device, the jettisonable part of which is attached directly to the Airframe Cargo Hook. This maintains the position of the load in relation to the helicopter and is used for precision construction placement. Prior to the first take-off of the day, the Cargo hook is physically tested in both electrical and manual release modes. Prior to flight, all hook releases are placed in the ARM mode. There is no means of determining if the Load is electrically released, other than functionally testing it after the event. In my experience, virtually all inexplicable Cargo Hook releases are caused by improper rigging setups, eyes hung up on the load beam, sitting on the keeper and slipping off (unless keeperless hooks), or lastly and very rarely, finger trouble.
In this instance, the jettisonable part of the anti-rotation device is released from the hook. It looks intact. There is no visible line or equipment failure.
These instances do happen, but pretty rarely for professional specialty lift operators. The fact that it is worthy of discussion is precisely because of its rarity and the fact it was captured on video.
In this instance, the jettisonable part of the anti-rotation device is released from the hook. It looks intact. There is no visible line or equipment failure.
These instances do happen, but pretty rarely for professional specialty lift operators. The fact that it is worthy of discussion is precisely because of its rarity and the fact it was captured on video.
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bksmith
Depending on what part of the system was dropped it might contain electrical and or pressurized equipment
I am in the middle of installing a small airco. Indoor unit contains some nitrogen. Outdoor unit
contains pressurised R290 (=propane). Large commercial units will be different or empty.
Too cold for me to work outside & verify.
Depending on what part of the system was dropped it might contain electrical and or pressurized equipment
I am in the middle of installing a small airco. Indoor unit contains some nitrogen. Outdoor unit
contains pressurised R290 (=propane). Large commercial units will be different or empty.
Too cold for me to work outside & verify.
bksmith
Depending on what part of the system was dropped it might contain electrical and or pressurized equipment
I am in the middle of installing a small airco. Indoor unit contains some nitrogen. Outdoor unit
contains pressurised R290 (=propane). Large commercial units will be different or empty.
Too cold for me to work outside & verify.
Depending on what part of the system was dropped it might contain electrical and or pressurized equipment
I am in the middle of installing a small airco. Indoor unit contains some nitrogen. Outdoor unit
contains pressurised R290 (=propane). Large commercial units will be different or empty.
Too cold for me to work outside & verify.
As I have had explained to me - thanks John - the rear facing pilot doesn't have mechanical controls but has a system giving 10% AFCS authority.
Anyone familiar with the Sea King AHT (auxiliary hover trim) will understand the idea.
As with the AHT, there is a verbal handover of control with the forward pilot following through on the mechanical controls while the load is positioned/lifted and then taking control for the transition.
So it is pretty certain the forward pilot was flying when the load dropped off.
Anyone familiar with the Sea King AHT (auxiliary hover trim) will understand the idea.
As with the AHT, there is a verbal handover of control with the forward pilot following through on the mechanical controls while the load is positioned/lifted and then taking control for the transition.
So it is pretty certain the forward pilot was flying when the load dropped off.