212 Whoopsy kept quiet?
 

Remember, this IS a rumour network.

In Oz recently, so the story goes, a 212 with belly tank and snorkel, dragged its dick through a tree. It snapped back and damaged the rotor system, so the pilot landed it.

Damage too big to fix on the spot, so another company's big lifter called in to take it out. Blades and head removed, load hooked up.

Struggle, struggle, starts to move, drags bird through the trees. More damage done by rescue attempt than by initial whoopsy. Red faces all around.
:\ :uhoh: :ugh: :bored: :sad:

How true is this story?? Any more info?

On Channel 7 News, about two weeks ago. As they said on the news, it happened a few weeks before, but (as they showed it being hooked up under a 214B) it was a bit hard to keep such an image quiet ;) Not sure that the report of damage on lifting is correct, though: it seemed to lift and fly OK on the TV footage.

It was out near the Thompson Dam, near Warragul. The damage to the blades was fairly extensive, from what was shown on the news as they were loaded into the back of the 214B: the driver would have done a good job to get it down safely, IMHO.

Missed the channel 7 news but this incident reminded me of a 212 stuff up on the North Sea.
A BEAS 212 came in to land on the late Piper A. Down below on the S 702 we saw its blades stop but the engines were still going! The sharp pilot realised he had just suffered a transmission failure, switched off & tied the 212 down. That night a gentle 60-80 kt breeze came up & broke the tie down, spun the blades up which then beat the hell out of the tail boom. Next morning a work boat took the 212 into Peterhead where unfortunately the crane dropped the 212 from about 30 ft!
So from a little transmission failure, the 212 was now fairly well pulverised and spent many months in Coventry being rebuilt!:(

Nigel,

Forgotten about BEAS. Happy days? The first landing on the new trolley on Nordraug (sp?), Brent Field, night, so close to the edge that there was no visual reference: made it! Then shut down, and a gust up the side of the accommodation block neatly tipped the blade back into the TR drive shaft and buzz sawed through it (the drive shaft).

Tough main rotor blades on the 212, not a mark on the blade tip, yet the tail rotor drive shaft rested neatly in two :rolleyes: Made the engineer's day.....

No need for a Lotto ticket, it already paid out........
 

If anyone objects, the're gone.

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Ain't metalurgy great?
 

Many years ago a USCG HO3S was dispatched to a sinking shrimp boat in the GOM. On the first winching operation a blade severed a mast guy cable. Upon returning to base to deposit the two shrimpers they inspected the blade and found a small indentation on the leading edge. They worked the area with crocus cloth per the maintenance manual and returned to the shrimp boat two more times. Upon shut down the damage blade exhibited a crack that ran from the leading edge to the rear of the spar.

They cut that area out and sent it to Sikorsky with their thanks for the robustness of the blade design.

Then there was the AB205 that landed and the entire rotor system fell off but that’s another story.


:E :E

212 damage
 

Hi All, Seeing it is a rumour forum - and I filmed the rescue.

The story I heard (2nd/3rd hand) of the original incident was that the snorkel (after getting caught) flew up and hit the MR blade - damage was not good (but only one blade was hit). Horizontal stab got a 'whack' as well. At the time, heard nothing about the incident, but the rescue became public knowledge. Wouldn't mind hearing the pilots story - must have been an interesting flight and landing.

The 212 did get 'dragged' through the top of a small tree during the initial part of the lift, but came free and flew fine after that. The (faily strong) wind dropped / swirled at a critical moment. Damage from that was a cracked chinbubble, bent front step and a door handled damaged, I believe.

Was interesting to watch - for a moment I thought it might get 'really' spectacular. 214 pilot handled it well.:eek: