Another fatal accident...this really sucks
 

This just came off the news...Another fatal accident involving a JetRanger in Switzerland. According to the article in a Swiss newspaper the aircraft hit terrain and the pilot plus passenger succumbed to death. Well, lets see what the final report will bring to light.:sad:

Another sc(r)ummy newspaper article-trash newspaper anyway...this one in german for our central european community.



www.blick.ch/news/schweiz/artikel19914

Preliminary report from the Swiss authorities already out. Anybody to translate?
Accident happened on 14/04.
Not good.

http://www.bfu.admin.ch/common/pdf/HB-XXN

Brief translation
 

All this one page states is the helicopter was owned and operated by BB Helicopters in Zurich, the accident pilot is of swiss nationality, passenger (1) on board also died, and it was a business flight from LSZH to Bergamo. While en-route (Gotthard region - Airolo) the helicopter impacted terrain and burned out completely. Not a nice way to depart...RIP:sad:

The helicopter departed at 10:38 in Zürich (Switzerland) inbound Bergamo (Italy) At 16:00 Bergamo missed the ship and informed the Switzerland Air Rescue (REGA). A Rega helicopter spotted the wreckage at 18:30 above Airolo completely outburned in 8000ft.
The ship collided with the mountain in bad weather. Heavy fog on the south side of the Gotthard and stormy chinook wind on the north side of the pass. Due to the fog it was impossible on the first day to recover the bodies.
At the moment without questions the next CFIT in bad weather.

I think it's very wrong to make an assumption that it's a CFIT. It might be, but of course it might not.

Ok ShyTorque,

a technical problem in dense fog in high mountain area isn't exluded in the moment.
But in this case it was really misfortune, isn't it? :\ :confused:

And by the way, assumptions are parts of an accident investigation. The line of the swiss CAA is a CFIT in bad weather up to the point of finding technical or other not so presumably points.

The Gazelle accident has been fully investigated and because of the circumstances, the due course of law was followed (in that case military law), the Swiss one hasn't.

I don't think it safe or correct to assume anything until after the completion of the formal investigation by the relevant authority. For an individual to pronounce it a CFIT on a public website at this stage is premature and inadvisable.

This crops up time and time again.

Look - this is a RUMOUR NETWORK for chr***s sake. People can 'rouminate' (ruminate) as much as they like.................
This is what its all about...we're all grown up and ALL realise the truth will eventually come out, so lets get down to some serious guess work eh and have a conversation???????

[You should know that by now Shytorque - you've been here long enough;) ].

Sarcasm follows:
Sounds like what was really needed was a full, hard core Catagory A aircraft so that we needn't speculate about engine failure as the cause.

The concept that we as professionals have accepted - routine operations in terrain in poor weather - is going to continue to haunt us with mishaps and drive down public acceptance of our profession. Considering how little money is made in helicopters to begin with, it is my ernest belief that we detract from safety when we fix what is not broken (twin engine performance margins) while we sit placidly by and watch the broken things about the way we operate continue to harm our customers.

The cost to establish helicopter-specific IFR routes and approaches, equip the aircraft and train the crews is small, certainly a fraction of the liability cost of this one "accident". (I use accident in quotes because the definition is a bit strained in most CFIT cases - "an unforeseen and unplanned event or circumstance").

IMHO, CFIT happens, will continue to happen and is not unforseen. Also IMHO, only we can fix it, ppruners.

May the pax and crew of this mishap rest in peace.

Swiss accident
 

No disrespect Mr Lappos but have you ever flown when the Chinook was on? Hard core category A or not. I would not have taken the flight even with a twin engine on that particular route...it could be unforgiving. I would have devised an alternate avenue. Having that much said renders the sarcasm to a cold, hard fact.;)

alouette,
Sorry my sarcasm was lost on you, I truly ment that most of our accidents have nothing to do with engine failure, and much to do with operational problems like weather.
Yet we love to ask for more engine failure performance when asked what the biggest safety improvement should be.

Hi Thomas, was wondering when you would emerge to bite my ankles after the JCB thread. :ouch:

to Nick Lappos
 

Well, it's all about Human performance and the ability to make the right decision. But then again even high experienced pilots sometimes make the wrong decision and end up in deep trouble.

Sometimes it might even be better to have the courage and say "No" to a flight or turn the ship around. Regardless of all my banter in this message it was just a chain of unfortunate events leading to this accident. I remember having one of these classes talking about the 5M model, and mangement of the company is also responsible for a mishap. I wonder what the final report on this one will tell us. :sad: