Helog Bell 212 D-HALS Crash
 

Sorry if this thread duplicates any other running on the subject just wondered if anyone had any more info into the loss of D-HALS Bell 212 operated by Helog in West Africa with the loss of both crew.

AFAIK investigation is still going on...

AFAIK it crashed during sling load operations, killing both pilots.

Bell 212 Helicopter Crash In Gabon; Two Crews On Board Killed | Aviation Report Global

The french pilot was a friend of mine. From what I have heard, they were carrying a water tank with a 80 m long line, the line got caught in the trees.
The aircraft was no equipped for vertical references. My friend had just arrived on the operation and was fresh on the 212, with experience on long line, the other way around for the other pilot. Again, rumours.
RIP

ATN

The austrian pilot was a friend of mine....flew with him on a few occasions.

Long line work, hum?

Hope that was not one of these "Sure-we can do this (although we never did it before)" things........

What did you mean with "the helicopter was not equipped for vr?"

When i do long lining on Bell mediums, the only "preparation" is to take of the doors...

Never could do long line (above 150 ft) with a mirror....

The Bell mediums we use for V/R over here are usually equippped with a Left side Pilot door that has a big bubble window and instrumentation in the door. The V/R pilot then flies it from the left front seat.

The Eurocopter mod for the Squirrel/Astar involves a hole in the cabin floor just to the right of the front right seat so the pilot can V/R from that seat.

The holes definitely lined up in the swiss cheese here. (A reference to the James Reason model of accident causation)

The B212 was equipped with a LH Vertical Ref. Door / Door Instruments & a LH Cargo Emergency Release Installation plus a LH and RH Ext. Cargo Mirror.
Byside these facts no more details are available.

while the holes may have lined up, and they should have got someone that had done lifting in a 212, surely if there was a LL pilot on board, and a 212 pilot, one could watch the gauges while the other guy flew the thing and watched the load.

Apart from Installing a Hook, the only other thing you need to do is take the door off to get a 212 ready for LL ops.

If it had VR door, LH and RH mirror, etc, then maybe something else went wrong, or they got distracted, forgot the line was on, talking about where they were supposed to go??

i cant do a line any length with mirrors. i get all lost about which way im supposed to go, it all happens backwards...

Just throwing stones in the darkness here...but someone mentioned that the "experienced long line guy" had nil hours on a huey...(?)...

If that is so-that should be considered a "no go" from the operational side.

Someone without longline-experience can NOT fly a long line-even when he has 5000 hours on type. It is totally different from flying external cargo (although i know that especially some of the former military guys think that they can do it, because they have EXTENSIVE external cargo experience....some of them even have 50 hours!!).....((and-no, i don´t want to start the "ex-mil against civi pilots" debate again...most civil pilots think the same...))...

On the other hand-someone without any experience on the huey CAN NOT fly it instantly-especially not when long lining is involved.

A huey is behaving so different from any squirrel or other helos normally used for ll-operations...

I had 700 hours LL (on the Huey´s) when i changed from Huey to BK-and needed app. 5 hours to get myself comfortable in this helicopter with the line....(of course-i do not insist on being the fastest....)...

But-like i said...throwing stones in the dark here.....just thinking loud, without any evidence....

hueyracer,

I mentionned that the french pilot was experienced in LL with a fresh type rating on the 212.

Pure speculation: could it have been a mixing of training and production flight, this not necessarily being the causal factor ?

ATN

Maybe it was after all just a technical fault?
A governor problem could have led to a rapid descend, giving another reason why the line could got caught in a tree......

But i have trained enough pilots in hueys-205´s and 212´s and even with a "fresh" type rating (5 hours including checkride), most of them struggle to keep it hovering without a load hooked under it...

I don't know who's said that the (french) pilot wasn't experienced on "hueys" and neither do I know his accurate CV but I can say, that he'd been flying seasonal fire fightings for many years on 205s (at least since 1994) and that, for having flown with him, he knew long line ops (mirror and VR) for quite a while too. I also can add that he was familiar with the area...(Gabonese forest, 200 feet high trees)

He's not the first, and he'll not be the last.... !

Sounds like a typical Helog bodge..........:ugh:

They are arrogant enough to think they can do or get away with anything.:=

details
 

just came over this one , late but still saw it. i went there from nigeria as they sent me get all out. i have all the details

Now that everyone that does not know what happened has had a say......how about a change of gears and someone with firsthand knowledge clean up this food fight.

Please yes