2 Blackhawks down in Utah, no injuries
Yes, but if you're going to run into trouble, it's nice to do it where help will walk [ski] over to see if you're okay!
They got it.
)Also, many years ago in South Germany, an AAC Lynx ended up on it's side in a snow landing. They were inserting an SF patrol on an exercise. The troops exited the wreckage checked that the crew were OK and moved out on their patrol.
Avoid imitations
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Wandering the FIR and cyberspace often at highly unsociable times
Posts: 14,573
Received 422 Likes
on
222 Posts
Some years ago, a Britmil Gazelle landed in a snow and ice covered car park somewhere in Norway. During or after shutdown (can't recall which, it was decades ago) the aircraft skids worked just as advertised and the aircraft set off down the slope and ended up nose first in a snow bank.
A second Gazelle pilot spotted the incident just after it had occurred. He dropped down to help out and landed just where the first one did. Also having skids, unfortunately it followed almost exactly in the tracks of the first aircraft, the back end of which unfortunately wasn't as soft as the snowbank....
Easily done, I once found myself hanging on the end of the right hand pilot's door of a Gazelle during an engine running crew change as it skidded gently downhill on an icy dispersal towards other parked aircraft. Pilot's flying boots have very little useful tread and I was a mere passenger until a drain cover stopped the aircraft going any further.
A second Gazelle pilot spotted the incident just after it had occurred. He dropped down to help out and landed just where the first one did. Also having skids, unfortunately it followed almost exactly in the tracks of the first aircraft, the back end of which unfortunately wasn't as soft as the snowbank....
Easily done, I once found myself hanging on the end of the right hand pilot's door of a Gazelle during an engine running crew change as it skidded gently downhill on an icy dispersal towards other parked aircraft. Pilot's flying boots have very little useful tread and I was a mere passenger until a drain cover stopped the aircraft going any further.
Purveyor of Egg Liqueur to Lucifer
Would this be the Norway incident? Two gazelles from 2Flt AMF
XZ348 and XW843 (same numbers, different order)
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/65049
UK Military Aircraft Losses
Did 3 BAS have a similar incident, or has time blurred the facts?
I think the Lynx incident mentioned above, was close to the Ex Snow Queen hut.
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/64963
XZ348 and XW843 (same numbers, different order)
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/65049
UK Military Aircraft Losses
Did 3 BAS have a similar incident, or has time blurred the facts?
I think the Lynx incident mentioned above, was close to the Ex Snow Queen hut.
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/64963
Last edited by SilsoeSid; 26th Feb 2022 at 07:50.
Below the Glidepath - not correcting
Starting with the original accident here, this has to win the "Most avoidable accident " award. Sitting in a 30 foot hover waiting for the snow cloud to envelop you, with the Number 2 creeping up behind you only has one outcome, and this was it. They either didn't know the correct technique, or forgot they were over snow. Attempted formation zero-zero landings is probably an advanced lesson...
So, the Norway stuff for the UK.
The Puma incident was a classic. Puma enters whiteout, loses references, crashes and rolls over. Army or RM Gazelle goes to assist, attempts to land, whiteout, rinse and repeat. A second Gazelle then tips up, attempts to land, whiteout, and now 3 helicopters crashed in the snow. I don't remember there being any serious injuries but talk about slow learners.
The 2 Flight AAC incident was at a civvy airfield in Norway (Floro?), transiting back from Winter Ops. 5 Gazelles (the entire Flight!) were hover taxiing in for a refuel, the area was a bit tight and the 2 front gazelles clipped each other causing bits of rotor blades and crap to fly everywhere, those 2 crashed immediately, the debris then hit the 3rd aircraft and the 4th aircraft over torqued trying to avoid the ****fest coming at him. The fifth aircraft was far enough back not to be part of the destruction. The 2 in the mid-air were Cat 5, third one was Cat 4 and the fourth was Cat 3. A Norwegian ground crew operative was seriously injured by the debris. Back to the "Most avoidable accident" awards...
So, the Norway stuff for the UK.
The Puma incident was a classic. Puma enters whiteout, loses references, crashes and rolls over. Army or RM Gazelle goes to assist, attempts to land, whiteout, rinse and repeat. A second Gazelle then tips up, attempts to land, whiteout, and now 3 helicopters crashed in the snow. I don't remember there being any serious injuries but talk about slow learners.
The 2 Flight AAC incident was at a civvy airfield in Norway (Floro?), transiting back from Winter Ops. 5 Gazelles (the entire Flight!) were hover taxiing in for a refuel, the area was a bit tight and the 2 front gazelles clipped each other causing bits of rotor blades and crap to fly everywhere, those 2 crashed immediately, the debris then hit the 3rd aircraft and the 4th aircraft over torqued trying to avoid the ****fest coming at him. The fifth aircraft was far enough back not to be part of the destruction. The 2 in the mid-air were Cat 5, third one was Cat 4 and the fourth was Cat 3. A Norwegian ground crew operative was seriously injured by the debris. Back to the "Most avoidable accident" awards...
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Hanging off the end of a thread
Posts: 32,892
Received 2,832 Likes
on
1,210 Posts
Report out and chalks it up to pilot error.
https://apnews.com/article/utah-42c4...4108779fe8f315
https://apnews.com/article/utah-42c4...4108779fe8f315
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Whiteout conditions caused a Blackhawk helicopter pilot to lose sight of where he was trying to land, causing a February crash with another helicopter near a Utah ski resort that resulted in more than $9 million in damages, the Utah Army National Guard said Thursday.
Remarkably, none of men and women aboard the helicopter or the dozens of skiers nearby at Snowbird Ski Resort were injured.
Investigators chalked up the incident to human error because the pilot couldn’t figure out his position and had to rely on aircraft flight instruments, leading the Blackhawk rolling on its side and break its main rotor.
One piece of the rotor flew off and hit the tail rotor of the other helicopter that was nearby in the training exercise, investigators found.
The second pilot managed to land his Blackhawk despite spinning around after being hit. That pilot’s actions to safely land his helicopter were described as commendable by investigators.
Both helicopters ended up with major damages estimated at $9.23 million, the report found.
The crash startled skiers and snowboarders taking advantage of post-Presidents Day weekend’s fresh snow and clear skies. They heard the boom and saw a huge cloud of snow billow from the crash site near a chairlift.
Remarkably, none of men and women aboard the helicopter or the dozens of skiers nearby at Snowbird Ski Resort were injured.
Investigators chalked up the incident to human error because the pilot couldn’t figure out his position and had to rely on aircraft flight instruments, leading the Blackhawk rolling on its side and break its main rotor.
One piece of the rotor flew off and hit the tail rotor of the other helicopter that was nearby in the training exercise, investigators found.
The second pilot managed to land his Blackhawk despite spinning around after being hit. That pilot’s actions to safely land his helicopter were described as commendable by investigators.
Both helicopters ended up with major damages estimated at $9.23 million, the report found.
The crash startled skiers and snowboarders taking advantage of post-Presidents Day weekend’s fresh snow and clear skies. They heard the boom and saw a huge cloud of snow billow from the crash site near a chairlift.
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Somewhere, Over the Rainbow
Posts: 200
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I recall when this accident happened, a former commander of the unit ridiculed on a Facebook post the multiple civilian/utility pilots that basically identified exactly what the report has said (yours truly included). The arrogance that “you are all below the great Utah National Guard” when among the level experience that was in the comments there leads me to think that this wasn’t pilot error, it’s an institutional failure of overconfidence and incompetence that bled over into these two crews.
I can’t say that I’ve ever been graced with a position in National Guard aviation, but in my time with some higher echelon active duty aviation organizations in the past, we were always very keen to be humble, open to suggestions and critiques, and willing to admit when we were in over our heads.
Mike
I can’t say that I’ve ever been graced with a position in National Guard aviation, but in my time with some higher echelon active duty aviation organizations in the past, we were always very keen to be humble, open to suggestions and critiques, and willing to admit when we were in over our heads.
Mike
Agreed THM - it was obvious to most of us it was a pilot error - he could have just overshot vertically and got out of the snow cloud.
Looking at the video it would seem the number 2 allowed himself to get too low behind the leader and eat his snow cloud as well as his own. He then has the blade strike which takes out the TR on the lead who spins round and crashes.
All very avoidable as we have said earlier.
Looking at the video it would seem the number 2 allowed himself to get too low behind the leader and eat his snow cloud as well as his own. He then has the blade strike which takes out the TR on the lead who spins round and crashes.
All very avoidable as we have said earlier.
Its disappointing as AATD had been given proposed crew cueing to alleviate brownout and whiteout issues a long time back, Shawn Coyle and I tried to get traction, and as usual, AATD's speedbump was at play. The speedbump finally fell off the perch, which may make Ft Fumble revert to it's former title, Ft Eustice.
What is the staff solution here? A higher hover to remain clear of the snow cloud and wait, wait, wait for the loose snow to be blown away and references to be maintained? Or zero speed it on, accepting the risk of what might be lurking below the snow?
Mt. Hood maybe? 2002? USAF H60? Insufficeint power to HOGE? No loss of visual, just needed more-better training interpreting the operator's manul performance data.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7QcYZ0qLHU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7QcYZ0qLHU
I speculate that this may have been a contributing factor in this case.
Heavy, cold air from up the mountain flows rapidly down the slope.
A katabatic wind is an example but it can be a localized phenomenon too. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katabatic_wind