Heli 'collides with gas rig' 11-Mar-08
 

Anyone seen this? Luckily it seems there were no injuries and the damage confined to the aircraft's TR.

BBC Norfolk 11-Mar-2008

Shortly after the autorotation from 12000ft and as the pilot was coming out of the seventh barrel roll he smashed straight into the crane...........

or could it be that the last 2 inches of the tail fairing came into contact with the crane railings!! No one injured except a very embarassed pilot!

Sticking your tail into cast iron is more than an embarrassment.....it was just inches shy of a disaster!:uhoh:

Is it not part of the course being inches from disaster flying to the rigs after all they ain't big exactly?

SASless - my thoughts exactly. I'm sure the families of the Brent Spar accident wish that all that had happened was flippant remarks on a bulletin board, rather than the tragedy that actually resulted.

Wasn't this the cause for poor old Flingwing207's untimely demise?

Some manufacturers are actively looking into TR proximity warning systems, in recognition of the very real accident rate that this threat results in.

''John Sewell, a Perenco spokesman, said a helicopter suffered minor damage when its tail rotor collided with a crane.''


Erm not actually true, the tail 'section' collided with a crane :(
Another good reason to choose a 'fenestron' on your next chopper :)

What type was involved ? Being CHC I'd imagine a 76 ?

NST

With a fenestron tail I'd imagine not a 76 :uhoh:

365 I believe

Ah thought it meant a good reason to have a fenestron so your tail wouldn't hit, 365 it could well be :ok:

NST

'Ah thought it meant a good reason to have a fenestron so your tail wouldn't hit, 365 it could well be'

You are correct :)

Was it actually at night ?? Or a slightly misjudged daylight approach

Sasless and 212man,

You would make good journalists! Ignore the facts and blow everything out of proportion.

To state inches away from disaster and to compare the brent disaster is niaivity beyond belief.

There was a scrape of a tail fairing, 2 feet clear of the enclosed fenestron. Absolutely no danger to anyone on board. Also, it happened, at the maximum, 3 seconds prior to an uneventful landing!

The Eastern daily Press are stating this as the most significant occurence since the very sad S76 crash 6 years ago. Hardly in the same category!

A few good summaries here which is why i gave a tounge in cheek aspect to the build up to the incident!

Lots of folk like to over dramatise!

"365 pilots getting too much time off!!!"

FINALLY a comment I totally agree with !!!!!!

Just needs the 'overpaid' comment to make it puuurfect,,lol

( only kiddin ) ;)

Steves,

Now there's a good chap.....bounce into yer Chief Pilot's office and pass on what you think about this little bitty doesn't amount to nothing event.

After you get the bleeding stopped.....tell us what you think then eh, mate!

Now if folks had been doing the ol' there but the grace of the almighty go I remarks, you would be exactly right. That ain't what happened as I see it.

The playpen I hang out in....one does not stick yer tail rotor....or any other part of the boss's machine into things that leave dings, dents, scratches, or slag heaps. If you do....you have diddled the pooch in public....which is not good for company-client relationships.

Lets hear how it came to be the crane got into the way.....and see if there is a way to learn from this so it might not happen again.

I'm with SASless on this - you hit your tail into something, anything, and it is a big deal. Most pilots here would automatically get sacked. You guys better not drink in any of the bars here and complain you should have had a tailcamera to see the obstacle, you'll be laughed out of town.

So Stevie says it is only a little scrape of paint on a fairing, and Helimutt says the photos are "boring". So I guess they just swapped passengers and flew it back to base did they? Where is the aircraft now?

Let's have a look at those "boring" pictures.....

Ditto

Results may be minor but that doesn't mean its a minor event

Steve mc -wow! Did you mean to write that? Are you actually a pilot if, so were you 'The Pilot'? :eek: Pretty sure the pax & client won't see it your way, nor the bosses at CHC. Hopefully lessons are learnt and the repeats are just as lucky (when they happen again as sadly will be the case one day).

Poor old XD...get well soon and hope to hear you flying again soon....enjoy the boat ride home!!!:)

Hehehehe, the above comment made me smile, :)

Nice to know somebody still loves the old bugger !