Newcastle Westpac 412.
 

Does anybody have any info on the B412 operated by Westpac Newcastle that came to grief yesterday?
I heard they were on a search low level in the hills with low cloud cover which resulted in rotor blades striking branches causing a forced landing. Fortunately all on board uninjured.
Any info appreciated.

Teams Training averted Copter disaster.

Try here. Interesting PR spin on it. Very lucky by the sounds of things and glad all are ok.

Turkey

Thx slapper,

I agree , a great PR job.

And I thought there was only ONE Newcastle, the proper one!!!!!!:O

4 new blades, a new windscreen and a sudden stoppage inspection, that's what I'd call an expensive day out!

Newcastle-under-Lyme or Newcastle,Co.Down?;)

I know they were going to a plane crash, but the third attempt to reach it seems like excessive and put the whole crew at risk.

Vie Sans Frontieres,

Cheeky.........there IS only one......Newcastle upon Tyne!!!!!:ok:

Hey Ned,

Wouldn't be suprised if that was a bit of journalistic license.

Happy New Year.

FBD

I heard that when all the UK Polytechnics were re-branded Universities a few years ago the original 'new name' for Newcastle Poly was going to be City University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne but only when someone designed a logo did they realise that they'd made a bit of a boo-boo.

Sorry, is this off-thread?

Ned-Air2Air : You weren't there mate.

VSF, I bet ned is glad he wasn't there, so am I.

Ascended into trees, now that's different.

Some one from the Hunter region once told me that their pilots are the best in the world and would NEVER make bad crew management decisions.

What fantastic spin, but then that's why these types of "accidents" keep happening, no one takes any responsibility for their actions and are in fact praised, as in this case, for their ability to fly into things in heavy cloud, get real.:yuk::yuk:

Now you will say, "trying to save lives" and all that stuff, tug at the heart strings, but it does not wash.

Lift your visor up mate, have a good look at the responsible world.

Mmmmm .....

Why not give those guys at Newcastle the "benefit of doubt" and leave them alone at least until some real facts of the situation come out.

They ARE very good operators and have a very good reputation for doing it properly .... so how about lets wait and see what the truth of the situation really is.

"Monday morning Quarterbacking" is so unnecessary!

VSF - No I wasnt but doesnt mean I am not allowed an opinion like everyone else.

I know Peter Cook and some of the others there and have a lot of respect for them, but dont know the pilot in question.

Your right Ned, and a fair opinion it is too,

How deep in the fog or cloud was he to not see the trees on the way up???

Very very lucky to not be a tragic statistic.

End result, rescue not done, crew put in great jeopardy, machine seriously damaged and out of service for quite a while, lots of money no longer with rescue service.

:sad:

Some others need to be questioned
 

Clearences - You got a copy of the press release you can post here.

Damaged rescue helicopter limps home
BY DAN PROUDMAN
27/12/2008 4:00:00 AM
THE damaged Hunter Westpac rescue helicopter limped back into its Broadmeadow base yesterday as the performance of its pilot and crew to avert disaster continued to emerge.

Pilot Kevin Ratcliffe has been praised for keeping the Bell 412 in the air after its rotor blades struck trees while nearing a rescue attempt of a plane crash survivor north-west of Merriwa on Christmas Day.

Some experts believe Mr Ratcliffe's impressive skills, along with that of his crew, were all that saved the lives of the five on board.

"The pilot and crew are trained to the highest possible standard and that has probably saved everyone on board," the service's crew chief, Graham Nickisson, said.

"It could have been catastrophic."

The incident occurred when the crew began a third attempt to rescue stricken crash survivor Scott Kennedy-Green from rugged terrain atop the Liverpool Ranges.

As Mr Ratcliffe flew towards the crash site, low-level cloud rolled in and the former military pilot decided to abort.

But as he ascended through the clouds, it became apparent that the machine was inside the forest canopy and its rotor blades struck trees.

The debris crashed on to the fuselage, smashing the windscreen and causing unknown damage to other parts of the machine.

However, Mr Ratcliffe was able to take the helicopter to a safe height and flew it to a paddock four kilometres away.

The pilot, air crewman Danny Morris, rescue crewman Michael Legge and two paramedics clambered out uninjured.

A rotor blade was later taken by road to the scene where engineers worked to replace it before the machine was flown back yesterday afternoon.

A full investigation is under way.

Mr Nickisson said there was no relation between Thursday's incident and one involving a Tamworth-based machine in February last year when four crew were lucky to survive an engine explosion more than two kilometres above the ground.

Mr Kennedy-Green's family has travelled to Sydney to be with him in hospital.

The successful Sydney-based real estate auctioneer has minor fractures, cuts and scratches and is in a stable condition, according to a hospital spokeswoman.

http://www.theherald.com.au/multimed...ull/423435.jpg
BACK SAFE: The Westpac rescue helicopter yesterday. - Picture by Peter Stoop

Mike - Thanks and provides interesting reading, especially the PR spin on it. Very similar type spin as the Kiwi BK117 that clipped the top of the hills between Wellington and Masterton.

Was actually after the NSW ambo press release that was being referred to.

Mmmmm ...

Ned .... I'm not sure there is any comparison to the Kiwi Bk incident!

Perhaps we shouldn't even go there.


:eek:

I suspect Ned was referring to the media coverage/angles/spin from the publicity machine more than anything else.

Certainly it has been my observation that the Hunter Valley operation has, at least in recent years, had far superior CRM, procedures, experience and training than LifeFlight and its aviation supplier Airwork.

The BK incident in the Tararua Ranges was an accident waiting to happen.

Back to Ned's point! Both were written up as "pilot was a hero" story.

TK