CHC Puma floats deployed in flight
 

BBC News reports a CHC Puma had to return to Aberdeen this morning after the floats deployed in flight.

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There was also 30 or so successful flights today but nobody hears about them.

Get over it BBC.

As above + we also had an whole host of flights today in this country without incident, same yesterday in fact, and the day before and many many before..... you get my drift.
At least we know the floats work. Better an unintentional deployment in the air, than landing in the water and nothing going off. I recall at least two Lynx during my time, where that was the case, and they sank very quickly. The Puma has a pretty good reliability with floats.

It has happened before in Oz about ten years ago. They inflated when the floats were armed on finals to a rig in the middle of the Timor Sea. No replacement floats bottles available so eventually it was flown back with them still inflated, some 180 n.m..

Pretty wet in that part of the world and it was believed that the co-pilots collective switch assembly had got rained on before the flight. They now have a plastic sleeve over them on the ground to keep them dry.

It didn't make the papers then. No reason why it should now.

Quit it
 

And the scare mongerers continue their quest......
Quit it guys and give us a break! All pilots of the three UK North Sea Op Companies are working hard to quash the ‘bad vibes’. There’s enough trouble in PD without pouring 100LL on the fire.

Well, it was an impressive site as is came back in.....

simfly

I think its highly unlikely that the floats deployed when they weren't armed. Even if they did, 130kts is within the demonstrated flight envelope for flight with floats deployed / inflating. It really isn't a drama!

HC

The installation must have been close to the shoreline if it had and was .
I heard that a passenger had smuggled a nitrogen bottle on board and inflated the floats deliberately.

Simfly

Your source is not very close to action as he is totally wrong is he a Walt?

332M

Early stages of the approach - IAS 110kts

Rig is a bit more than 50Nm from Aberdeen (30Nm off Peterhead).


Agree with HC: floats were armed (normal at this stage of the flight).
A big bang - nose down attitude for a few seconds (a bit of a change in aerodynamics!!) - and then normal flight back to base (just a bit noisy though!).
It really is not a drama and you just wonder what crosses some minds...:rolleyes:

Quote:
Is the float deployment switch on a 332 anywhere near the AP de-couple button?

I've never flown the Puma but I have it on good authority that the aforementioned switch and button are within 6ft of each other!! :eek:

A bit touchy GK? I think I have heard of accidental float deployment because pilots thought they were uncoupling the auto pilot. Don't sweat the small stuff.

helimutt, I have refused to post on Pprune for about 2 years for a few reasons but you should know better than to ask that question so I feel the need to post!

First of all; there is NO need for speculation. The crew returned quite happily and they confirmed the floats deployed without any crew intervention. This is backed up by the fact that the frangiable cover on the button is still intact. So you speculated for no need whatsoever, just ask a straightfoward Qu & it would have been answered :ugh:

By simply asking that here will just give those ppruners who know nothing something to speculate on.

Also I don't understand why you think it has anything to do with the AP decoupler. Hmmm A small round button on the cyclic Vs a big square covered button below the strip panel and both used at different phases of flight. People do (not in this case) make mistakes and I for one, will never criticise them, but I find it sad you immediately jumped to that conclusion even though you actually work for CHC.

Get a grip, all experienced pilots know tech problems happen every day, some are just more visible than others.

GKaplan Thankyou for asking the same questions!!

Goodness gracious, Pumas are quite happy to fly with floats.

NO BIG DEAL!!

Happy now?
I asked the question, as I have never seen inside a PUMA, nor would I care to. What is it with some people? So full of themselves that they love to criticise those who ask what they feel is a valid question.

Oh well, suppose i'll crawl back under my rock now.

Blind: it made my day to think that someone felt the need to post having wandered the wilderness for the last two years, but, hmm, what is this:-

http://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/315...ml#post3949593

Check out that date!!

Pretty fragile egos, I say!

Seem to remember a L1 float deployment in Aberdeen years ago, as it was being dragged out the hanger by the engineering chaps. Duff wiring was the problem then.
outhouse
:ok:

Gentlemen since I became a member of this forum I have refrained from commenting preferring to treat inaccurate statements with the contempt that they deserve and absorbing valid facts as an aid to rectification of defects.
However as a licensed avionic engineer with 25 years experience on super pumas I have to inform you that there are three float firing switches, one on each collective & one on the control panel, only the one on the control panel is guarded by a mica diaphram, the others are recessed inside a housing. An SB was introduced years ago to resolve the collective water ingress problem, this involved potting the firing switches terminals & drilling a water drain hole in the switch housing.
As for the location of the AP couple disconnect switch it is located on the cyclic. Not quite 6 feet away but far enough.
So in conclusion gentlemen get your facts correct before you post, honest it really does help understand what you are on about.

On the S-76 the floats button and AP disconnect are both on the cyclic, and I've heard of one incident where the floats were inadvertently deployed due to finger trouble.

Apparently they hovered for 20 minutes while the engineers came out and deflated them...

Many moons ago maybe even before Pprune I was capt of a 365N2 when we had a similar experience but this time just as we rotated away from the helideck with the co-pilot as HP (honest). There was a bang followed by a whooshing noise and my chin window filling with a grey balloon. Wasn't me guv was the first response from LHS:E! Due to our being on min fuel for the beach we landed back on the rig as I didn't know what the excess drag would do to my fuel consumption (cruise in a N2 is about 135Kts but with floats inflated it is 90Kts).

Engineering advice sought - this was the days before 2 day risk assessments - advice from them was remove float covers and bring it back lad.

So brought it back to Aberdeen at 90kts - very noisy drumming from floats - told ATC I had to make approach to Red hangar side which was no problem - on short finals - hangar doors opened and most of company came out to watch:ooh:

Five+ hours after inflation floats were still rock hard and supporting weight of helicopter - nose oleo fully extended. Which is reassuring:ok:

Fault traced to probable water contamination as a/c had been offshore in very wet weather.

Didn't even make local P+J newspaper.

HF

Oooh one post in one year! Trust me I've wanted to post on a few occasions to say get a fecking life!!!But it's not worth it it, I'm glad I left PPRUNE just to be a lurker, you make me laugh quite often..

Enjoy!!