Winching problem
 

Any one have details what went wrong with the winching incident off Thursday Island. The news said both the medic & crewman were injured after falling 16 metres onto the deck. Hopefully not too serious.

Just saw on the Aussie news website:

Rescuers plunge 16m from helicopter onto ship as winch breaks | The Courier-Mail

Mentions "substantial injuries".

Hope all is OK.

Hi Folks,

You know what kind of chopper and whinch was that ?

Bye :ok:
Mak

I believe that they have 2 Bell 412's up there. A Classic and EP.

Most of the SAR/EMS machines here in Australia have the BF Goodrich hoist fitted.

crew update
 

anyone got an update on the people involved in this incident. Nothing on the qld emergency or ambulance websites.

I would be asking questions about the winch operator's experience and skill level, not the pilot's.

Crab,
There's no problem with the skills and experience of those lads, all are eminently suitable for the task.
The cable apparently contacted a mast and the shock loading snapped it. See the newest Heliops for an article on shock loading - it's ... well ... shocking.

The Teabag has shoulder and arm injuries, the paramedic is not in good condition - perhaps because he is carried lower in the harness and the teabag landed on him?:(

Before you start asking questions about the winch operators experience and skill level, Mr Crab, perhaps you should wait until the investigation has run its course and the findings are released. Just remember that it takes a CREW to carry out a winch job. Not just the Pilot, not just the Crewman. I know for a fact that the CREW involved are both very professional and experienced operators.:ok:

Patriot - my point was exactly that - the article talks only about the pilot's experience and doesn't mention the winch-op at all. Deck winching can go from benign to scary in a heartbeat - perhaps winching the winchman down first and then sending the paramedic would be a better procedure - it is easier for one person on the wire to control their position and fend off obstacles than it is 2 and you only hurt one person at a time if it goes wrong.

A hi-line sounds like it would have been a good idea if the winching area was so tight that a mast got in the way!

If it was a merchant vessel I'm guessing it was a reasonable size - anyone know what the sea state was at the time?

Thoughts are with all involved, hoping for the best for the injured crew.

Patriot,

I think Crab's post was one of clarification, rather than criticism. I don't think he was having a dig at anyone. Hope those concerned get better soon.

MGD

My thoughts to the two badly injured blokes....lets not forget they were injured going into harms way for the sake of others.:D

Good luck boys.

I am still a bit surprised that both the medic & crewman went down together as normally the medic looks after the patient, so I'm not sure what the crewman was going to do.
No doubt all this will come out later. The news said the medic was quite seriously hurt, so let's hope everyone recovers.

In flight conditions
 

As I understand the winching took place in the Gulf of Carpentaria, approx 50 nm west of Horn Island in the Torres Straits. vessel was a container ship called MV Maersk Duffield. weather and sea state were all within limits etc

For what it's worth. MV Maersk Duffield.

SeapixOnline.Com professional maritime photo library

Would like to know how much cable failure accidents we have in that kind of operation?
Know some accidents in the mountains due to shock loading and one accident with the back jumping cable damaged the MR.

So it was a chuffing big boat, in daylight, in reasonable sea and wind conditions with crews appropriately trained and practised - what went wrong?

Since the report states the winch wire snagged a mast, you can rule out mechanical failure of the winch - it won't hold up several thousand tons of merchant vessel and the wire appears to have snapped after getting snagged.

There is no mention of a mechanical failure of the aircraft either which pretty much leaves operator error due to either the choice of the winching area or the control of the winching evolution or both.

Sorry to be criticising the crew but there seems little else that could have caused this unfortunate accident other than poor piloting, poor winch operating or both.

So there you have it no need to hold an enquiry Job done Crab that fountain of knowledge to all things SAR has worked out who's fault it was.:ugh:
The little respect I had for him has just gone out the window.:\

Gee Crab you are all over it. Perhaps the ATSB should speak to you about what went wrong. No need to go any further. In fact, they could use a person like you for all their investigations.:ugh:

It's great to see that this Rumour Network is living up to its name, cheers Crab...:=

As all (well most) SAR/EMS crews' know all too well, the very mundane that has been practiced and trained for time and time again can, in a heart beat, turn very ugly and into dangerous situation; it looks like this may have been one of those times. I am sure that the crew would not have been tasked to conduct any rescue that they were not qualified for or up to completing.

Why don't we all do the professional thing and wait for the the investigation to run its' course and then dissect the findings and then throw comment, be it re equipment failure or human error.
An update on the Rescue Crewie is that he will recover from his injuries after surgery and should be back in the saddle in a few months after rehab (straight from the horses mouth). The paramedic has undergone surgery for his injuries and all are hopeful that he recovers fully. :ok:

Well done to the second crew (yes, from the same company and with the same training) that were called out to recover their injured comrades; one can only imagine the thoughts and feelings that they were experiencing on the trip out. Great job guys & girls :D