Eivissa,

An interesting flight following clip you posted there from Youtube.

What immediately strikes me is that the surface contact/boat that they were obviously working with until 2014 (according to the clock bottom right) can't have been very far away when the helo contact disappears (approx 2016) yet continues to head away from the scene until clip finishes at 2020. I would have thought they might have seen /heard something and come to investigate but maybe weather/engine noise/heading precluded that....or maybe they did after 2020. Just an observation.

Helimer 207 flight following 2000 - 2300 local
 

I've made another video clip. This one shows what happened after the crash.

The helicopter which appears at 2259 came from Valencia (only judging by its flightpath). It therefore should be Helimer 205 (EC-KJT).

YouTube - Helimer 207 SAR ops



This is the search profile of the SAR helicopter (Helimer 205?) after two hours of search. The picture is taken at 0101 when the helicopter is about to land at LEAM.

http://img690.imageshack.us/img690/7...rofile0101.jpg

This one was the Helimer 203 EC-KLV based on Valencia.

Just to inform you that the body of Iñigo, the rescue swimer has been recovered this afternoon by Salvamento Maritimo.
All the crew is recovered.

Rest in peace

As an Ex SAR pilot my deep condolences to the families of the lost AW139 SAR crew.

The pic in post 41 of the undamaged tail rotor blade does fill me with concern and I hope the interim accident report is published soon.

HF

Hummingfrog :

I also have concerns over that footage mine are more along the lines of I can't see anything attached to that tail boom. ( can anyone else )
Personally till the report comes out if I were you guys, Just don't look during a preflight walk around touch and tap any doub't point it out.

Mav

I would start to worry if the tail pylon and part of the tail boom was found some distance away from the main wreckage. It looks like the tail boom has fractured near the joint at stn 11020, which is aft of the problem areas.

A sad day for all the SAR AW139 operators

AW Response
 

AW has to give a preliminary report ASAP. Delays will result in speculation and unfounded fears. There is an initial report thereafter dead silence. Good or bad ..let us know. So, if anyone from AW is reading this ...we need your proactive customer support.:*

so this shows they where in the air 2h 30 min + departure time...

Are you really sure... ???
Try with new glasses... :ok:

The only strange thing is that after a week CIAIAC has not issued a factual/preliminary report.

As I understand, the company has more than one AW139.

They have a survivor from the accident.

Have they grounded the remaining aircraft ?

Makrider :
Obviously you see more than I do. Can you recommend a good opticians.:ok:
Helispanner
In full agreement it "seems" to have fractured aft of the known problem area.

Mav

The search and recovery of the black box starts today. We might have some answers soon.

Is there any reason why a dive crew has not been sent down to recover and investigate instead of the sub?
Found this with a quick search:
or is it not possible to bring this wreckage up to the surface?

Maybe Agusta could learn something from Toyota about Customer Service and Safety.

Back in Post 22 it was reported that the Spanish coastguard had issued some sort of complaint because Almeria ATC (LEAM) had alerted them via the basic 911/999-type landline emergency telephone call, rather than by other means.
Cannot comment on the truth of that, but as a regular helicopter flyer in these parts I thought it worth stating for the record I, and others I know, have never found LEAM anything other than professional and helpful. I might also add that this rather small and, geographically speaking, quiet airport's controllers have rather better English language skills than many other parts of Spain I could mention. Indeed, on my last passage through their zone the man on duty went out of his way to be helpful.
Don't get me wrong. Spanish ATC ranges from some very professional IFR coverage to the joke of Europe where VFR, low-level , ie: rotary-wing, cover is concerned. Yet one must speak as one finds.
For what it's worth...
Still can't believe Sam...the co-pilot...is gone
Dan

It seems there have been quite a few negative comments regarding INAER training procedures and consistency.
Is anyone in the know with regards to how many hours these flight crews actually fly every month, how are the shifts scheduled, do they use NVGs?
Also, what was the flight experience of the crew?

CIAIAC (Spanish Accident Investigation Agency) response time
 

Hi Makrider,

I think that you’re overestimating the CIAIAC response time. Just to give you two examples:

EC-FJJ, Sikorsky S-61 accident (Inaer), Tenerife, one of the main rotor blades detached in flight after several warnings were ignored, 6 fatalities:
Accident: 08-Jul-2006
Preliminary Report: Mid 2007. http://www.fomento.es/NR/rdonlyres/9..._A_INTERIM.pdf (English)
Final report: Awaiting

EC-HFP, McDonnell Douglas MD-82 accident (Spanair), Barajas Airport (Madrid), aircraft stalled during take-off, 154 fatalities:
Accident: 20-Aug-2008
Preliminary Report: 10-Oct-2008 http://www.fomento.es/NR/rdonlyres/C...A_032_2008.pdf (English)
Final report: Awaiting

So I guess that it will be a few months before we hear anything official re Helimer 207 accident.

No need to say that the Ministerio de Fomento is in charge of both ‘Dirección de Aviación Civil’ (Spanish CAA), and ‘SASEMAR’ (i.e. Spanish Coastguard), so no conflict of interests! ;););)

Furthermore, 66% of Inaer turnover comes from government agencies (including SASEMAR). (Refer to Grupo Inaer (English) ). So you can draw your own conclusions. :mad:


Sadly in the meantime SASEMAR AW139 operations are in ‘business as usual’. Other than a short note emailed by management acknowledging the accident, no preventive action has been taken, despite the fact that there are already a few hypothesis on the table. :=

eggbeaterone, no it is not. Station 11020 is way down the back of the tailboom, just in front of the IGB. STA11020 is the production join between the boom and the fin.