Helicopter crash near M1
 

this was yesterday near Bedford
Three people had a miraculous escape when their helicopter crashed – less than one mile from the M1.

Aspley Guise helicopter crash: Passengers escape unhurt

Damn pilots, not being able to control their tails and digging the runners in.

I saw the interview with the policewoman on the local news last night. It did make me smile.

Oooh, here it is: Three people miraculously escape from helicopter crash - Milton Keynes Citizen

Looks like a high ROD landing that went wrong to me, due to the presence of a warning light. Look at the deep furrows in the top picture - did it impact, spin round throwing its tail behind it as it span and came to rest? Result was an inevitable mix of helicopter parts spread across the field. Lucky escape for sure.

Carb icing maybe? Raven 1 so 'carb heat assist' equipped.

Ooh look - a Robinson.

On the bright side that's 3 Robbo's this month and no injuries so that goes to show they do crash well and non CFIT crashes do seem very survivable ! Plus the owner no longer needs to worry about new blades

Cbs

On the brighter side still they could have been -7 blades so the insurers will take the hit on them.

having been close to mother earth it looks like the runners went through the grass but into the soil and by a little bit of bad luck the retard was enough to nose the rest over. but they all walked, so good ending..:ok:

On the bright side - 3 Robbo's removed from service. Win, win, win for all.

Boring Robinson bashing again, and I have no axe to grind either. Just remember how many people this manufacturer has brought into the industry and how many people in the industry have benefited. And yes, some do trade up to bigger helicopters too.

... and remember how many they've taken out too! Peter - RB you don't have to call him a retard I'm sure he was trying his best.

Oh bloody hell, now I find that I'm agreeing with TC! Does life get any worse?

Robinson has very much democratised entry into aviation

Those of us without the benefit of military training for many reasons (I was busy doing other things) at least had a way in when in our 30's that was not really possible before.

Robinson bashing generally seems to be in my experience mostly from people who haven't flown them to any significant degree.

I agree freddie. Or those who were trained at no cost to themselves. ie ex Military pilots.

I don't know many self improvers who trained on Robinsons who slate the machine constantly like the ex mil guys. But the robinson products served a purpose for me and gave me the break I needed. Would I fly one again? Tough question. Possibly. Do I need to? Not at the moment but I would do if I had to but my daily inspection would be more thorough than it ever was before. :ok:

Life was so much simpler in the days before there was a helicopter suitable for common people . When a private helicopter arrived in the 70,s you knew you were dealing with class and wealth .... Of course the rot started with cars .... There was a time when ,even if you had the cash , Rolls would not deliver one of their cars to you if you were not a gentleman .

Maybe it's because those ex-mil pilots are, ironically, brought up in a more open flight safety environment. Perhaps it is this that makes them more versed at speaking up when they see something wrong, especially in forums such as this, even if it upsets or is against the opinion of others. Of course, that then has the inevitable consequence of bringing with it the wrath of the internet experts.

If one 'pig headed ex-mil pilot' posts something on here than makes another pilot think twice before doing something, is that a good thing or a bad thing?
If I am considered to be in that category ….good!

How many times during threads of varying topics do we see others post comments such as, "I've learnt a lot from this thread!"; "I hadn't bought of it that way!"?
Many times, and these are the threads where the majority non ex-mil pilots oppose the views of these ex-mil pilots who are simply stating the obvious flight safety hazards. Things that then become obvious to the non ex-mil pilots, but not unfortunately until after the 'event'.

There are many cases where, if someone, anyone, had seen something take place and had spoken up, lives would not have been lost.

Helimut even sums it up for us when he says " Would I fly one again? Tough question. Possibly. Do I need to? Not at the moment but I would do if I had to but my daily inspection would be more thorough than it ever was before."

He doesn't like ex-mil guys slating the Robbo series, (not all do mind you), yet he then tells us that given the choice of flying one again he possibly would not. His own confidence has been dented at some stage, enough to tell us that even if he was to ever get into the machine again, his inspections would be more thorough than ever they were.

One doesn't have to fly a particular aircraft to see the affect it has on people and their friends & family. Maybe it is the pilot that induces the majority of incidents, and we are told many incidents occur because it is primarily a training aircraft and incidents of this quantity are to be expected. However, a fair few are with experienced pilots at the controls away from the training environment and, therefore, those commonly sounded triangular excuses* just simply don't fit onto those square holes.


p.s Anyone that knows me is aware that I have no chips to balance in the civ/mil discussion. We all got to the same place, but by different routes.
p.p.s. Oh, and yes I have had the 'pleasure'!


*Triangular excuses - training environment/inexperience/other human factor

Just looked at the pics in the Post 1 link.


I now understand why the registration is painted on the underside.

Pozidrive: :D:D:D:D:D:D:D

Look at it this way perhaps: How many people has the Robinson (allegedly) KILLED, who would still have been alive and kicking today if they had flown ANY other single piston helicopter?

Best thing as someone has already said at least no one has been hurt.
Our industry does not need this bad publicity.
We need helicopters saving people like the Air ambulance etc
We don't need idiots knocking what little aviation we have left, we require everyone in this industry to pull together to make it better not to kick the xxxx
out of anyone who is down, I know it's our national pastime.
Lets be positive about a great future for rotorcraft in the future in Aviation. :D

Best watch it lads, seems like the pilot has a past :ooh:

Helicopter crashes into Sussex field but pilot and two passengers walk away from wreckage.

Blue, they're blue!!!

Sid, You are quite incorrect Sir.

I don't actually care one way or another if 'ex-military' guys slate the Robbos. It would just 'appear' that the people who slate them are ex mil who have never had to train and hour build in one. :)

My reason for mentioning the more thorough inspections i'd do if I was required to fly one again, are because of mechanical/blade failures recently highlighted in NZ/Aus etc.

Must be nice to start a career without the 100k debt around your neck. :hmm:

Has anyone ever been forced to become a helicopter pilot?

Fair enough helimut, but it's a bit of a strange thing to say "my daily inspection would be more thorough than it ever was before" when all you would be doing is complying with a safety alert telling you to do so; The daily inspection is more thorough than it was in your/our time anyway. Normally I'd sense a bit of back pedalling going on there, but hey ho!
http://www.robinsonheli.com/service_...fety_alert.pdf

Oh, and should you venture robbo way again, don't forget the extra caution to be taken after maintenance;
http://www.robinsonheli.com/service_...s/rhc_sn43.pdf

Apparently the engineers appreciate the extra inspection of their work :ok: