Lucky LifeNet escape
 

Couldn't see this mentioned anywhere.

Home Video Of LifeNet Helicopter Hitting Power Lines- Could It Have Been Prevented? - Action 3 News - Omaha, Nebraska News, Weather, and Sports |

Glad everyone made it out safe!

...the video shows the AS350 performing a vertical takeoff, if anything turning his tail into the wire (not clear if they might have drifted into it) - surely a wire cutter would have helped! :rolleyes::ugh:
Once again an A+ on the background research for this article! :yuk:

Phil77, the Pilot was probably Cajun and the news crew had a hard time hearing him say tail rotor :p

In the video they keep mentioning rudder as well, and I have been sitting here trying to think of something witty to say with no success :*

Aah, so in future they intend to wear NVGs on their backsides to check them "rudder blades" behind them?

But NVGs aren't good at helping pilots see small wires and "wire strike kits" don't protect the tail "rudders" ...

Incredibly lucky though
 

Don't you love the media, the news jerks,...? Where is the crash? As far as I can see the pilot put the bird nicely on the ground and everybody involved walked away.

Videoclip here:
Crew Okay After Medical Helicopter Clips Power Line
Another with more story:
Home Video Shows Pilot's Heroics


Lucky escape indeed, however I would ask the EMS-drivers the following:

1.If this was a single (which I'm guessing, correct me if I'm wrong) why play Cat A when you're not going to achieve the safety of a reversing t/o as you would in a twin:confused:
2.Is it really SOP to reverse into the dark from an unknown LZ?

My understanding of a Cat A t/o, if done correct would let you land back onto the spot you took off from due to insufficient/improper clearance around LZ for safe forced landing possibilities, OR let you fly away with OEI after reaching your decision-point. (reason behind this type of t/o, not how :cool: it looks! But it still require 2 engines)
In the clip, the pilot reverses into the powerline, but instead of landing back again to the spot he took off from, he moves a fair bit foreward which show that the reversing t/o seem even more unneccesary.

Didn't seem like the pilot had any serious controll problems either, as he didn't seem to have a real hurry of getting it back on the ground. Not that I think 20 seconds is a lifetime....


In any case, good it went as it did after the strike as it could have ended much diffrent!

Not trying to explain, excuse, just experience in the same company, aircraft and operation.

We don't do "Cat A" profiles in singles in the company. We're taught to 'vertical' in and out of LZs, maintaining vertical profile while below "X" feet above all obstacles. I find it's easy to drift somewhat doing this, especially at night. Further complicating this, the company discourages turns in the accelerate/climb until above yet another "X" feet agl. Leads to turns to align with departure path in the hover vertical, easy to drift off the vertical, again, especially at night.
It's impossible to get useful depth by looking at the wires of the size and distances involved in EMS in the daytime, much less at night.
It's easy to inadvertently back in the vertical climb, most or your cues are out front and at an angle, so holding the angle means you're backing up.
The company SOP to compensate for this is 'all eyes outside' in flight except in cruise. The patient is stable enough to transport and doesn't require medical crew attention during takeoff and landing, or the brief will specify otherwise, and that's unusual.
Our aircraft generally have a fair amount of lights, including some directed to
the side, "scene" or "doghouse" lights. They don't seem to have been used here, except for the landing or direct-able searchlight. My perception is that the company discourages use of the scene lights for night departures. That could be wrong because I'm a crusty old... well, anyhow, I'm set in my ways and know what works for me.

In my experience there is an extremely high chance of drift when conducting a take off like this. Drift either from pilot input or failure to correct as a direct result of lack of perception quality or......external - airflow but commonly both. I always make a point whether under NVG or not, to ensure there is positive forward movement during take off and landing. I am not talking a vast amount of forward speed, just enough for the pilot to be 100% certain that the aircraft is 'drifting' in a determined direction and perhaps if the surrounds permit, a positive indication from the ASI, GSI/Doppler is better.

Seen this sort of thing happen in broad daylight and I have seriously spoiled a few airframes at night myself in the early days. Guess I should have paid more attention durring instruction eh?


Best Wishes

Understand the issues with drift and visual cues, but what made me ask was this statement:

Power Line realities.

As background I've worked in the UK electrical supply industry for 35 years, most of that dealing with powerlines.

In that time I've also been involved with helicopter patrolling so know the view from above as well.

Most single wires are, as you know, difficult to see from above, believe me they can be hard to see from below and at night, even when we know where they are, almost impossible without powerful torches.
It seems that all the lighting on helicopters (landing lights) are designed for that purpose - they point down!
Without a very strict and methodical proceedure there is, in my view, little or no chance of a pilot spotting overrunning lines at night.

What actually are these wires?
Taking the UK system and excluding transmission lines (those on pylons)
They can vary in the main from about 3/8ths inch diameter up to 1 inch
They can be: -
High Cadmium copper, - very stretchable and difficult to snap (I've seen this type brought to the ground by trees, when the tree is removed, the wires spring back up to 20ft with no problem
Hard Drawn copper, not as stretchy but generally only break due to the effects of electrical arcing, otherwise ratchet or hydraulic cutters (and a bit of effort) are needed
Hard Drawn and pure aluminium, these are easier to cut for the small sizes
Steel Cored Aluminium, usually a minimum of 5 strands of high tensile steel wire surrounded by aluminium, even hydraulic cutters struggle on the larger sizes and need frequent blade changes!,

Transmission line wires BTW are more often than not steel cored aluminium, sizes go up the 400mm squared.

There is often talk of "detecting" power lines by electronic means by measuring the Electrical & Magnetic Field, you'll find that in the majority of cases on distrubution lines you will need to be close to get any reading above background levels, and you will only detect them by the rate of change of the readings.

National Grid EMF - Power lines: typical magnetic fields

National Grid EMF - Power lines: typical electric fields

As with most things avaiation the Mk 1 eyeball, correct proceedures & an understanding of what you are dealing with are the only solutions!

West Lakes,

Thank you!! I can honestly say that I have learned something today.Always wondered about the strength and elasticity of wires. Now I have a little better idea.
Seems to me Mr. Edison has a lot to answer for as does Mr.Bell.But, I guess since their products "took off " before Mr. Sikorsky's did we are up the s**** creek. At least until someone finds a way to transmit electricity and sound without wires.
But thanks again for your input.:ok:
Alt3

Cheers

Some other thoughts

NVG
We've tried similar gear with limited success, some of the larger wires can be seen, if you kinow where to look, but with the reduced field of vision searching needs a lot of care.

Wire mechanical tension
On our systems (up to 33,000V) between 1/4 and 1 ton

Thinking back to the incident, as I mentioned looking up into the dark the chances of seeing the cables was very low, but by extension, if the pilot didn't know they were there - they must not have been spotted whilst landing either even with the benefit of landing lights.
Which is not intended to critisise the PIC but to demonstrate the problems

I make a habit of going for a bit of a walk around with a good torch after landing at these sort of sites to look for any wires towers etc that I might not have seen on the way in. Gives me a chance to plan my departure before starting up and dealing with other distractions.