Landing under HT cables
 

Yesterday about lunchtime, I heard the sounds of a Helicopter obviously getting into a low and slow config,.. but when I finally saw it, to my horror it was set up in a landing slope that not only took it over many houses, but UNDER a set of 6 main HT cable with the Earth at the top of the pylons, at the point of landing the cables actually dipped lower due to the hill they were fixed to, as I was going out I deviated to go and look, by this time Heli had just departed after seemingly dropping off one pax, that must have been a very important delivery(to a building site) to take such a risk IMO.

I honestly was expecting to hear the bump followed by black smoke, I was very relieved to have seen the JHeli departing, .....but what about next time..:ugh::ugh:

@Peter-RB -
the advantage of a helicopter is to go slow - or even hover.
Flying underneath powerlines is sometimes part of the buiseness - even so, avoided, if there is an suitable alternative.
But it´s not a big deal, if you are propperly trained.

wbr "Flying Bull"

lol reminds me when I worked in Hong Kong and we were sling loading HV Tower parts to the construction sites - these were mainly in very difficult to access areas. One issue was the pick up point for the loads - all steel components that bolt together that make up the complete tower.

At one site the flat bed truck parked very close to an existing set of HV Lines, it was the only place for it to park due to terrain limitations. We were using a Lama with a short sling to lift the steel out, with ground standing on the back of the truck to attach the stropes to the hook. Funny thing about HV lines is the rotor blades actually conduct electricity which travels all the way down to the hook!!

This is back in the days before mandatory health and safety etc, so when the first loader caught the hook and got zapped (which was funny at the time) all the ground staff refused to do the work! I was doing load mastering at the time and couldn't understand why they were all refusing to work, until I grabbed the hook on the next run!! :eek: christ almighty the jolt was fierce, so we quickly rigged a grounding rod and continued loading.

Not quite on topic but close...

It may have been an electricity board helicopter. We did that quite often.

Phil

Military Helicopters practice a lot. If I remember correctly, 7 feet below, 12 feet above and 15 feet laterally is the minima. Sometimes we are forced to fly under them as flying over might expose us to enemy fire. I only ever did it once in anger in Germany so that we didn't go IMC as we climbed over the top.

Air traffic Control is absolutely mandatory in China. If you a cleared to somewhere below 100 metres you go under any tall power lines on the way.

I can appreciate what you all say re the well trained Mil and poss PAS plus Ambulances will do such things along with the Elec Companies also, but the Heli was a R44, delivering some one to a private house building site, so IMO not an urgent type of thing re Pylon work or whatever or sufficient to take such a risk.... just seems crazy to moi!

And your point is????? Helicopters where designed to do just this and a lot more.....

Drama Queen

"Earth at the top of the pylons"

Yeah, that's not how that works. The risk is mechanical interaction with any catenary component, not "ooh plus it's electric".

Hi Peter,
Just to put it all in perspective:
It is illegal in the UK to fly under any wires if the flight path falls under ANO rule 5.(vehicles vessels structures persons).
There are exemptions and they are normally associated with life saving, electricity company helicopter aerial work and some mil outfits.
It is NOT the NORM and never should be.

If it was a GA helo - report him!

TC

Unless in the process of landing or taking off of course.

Peter-RB, I take your point. I had an R44 pilot ask if he could land at my golf course around 10 years ago - at the time I didn't know the purpose of the flight.

I wasn't there when they departed, but a member of staff told me the owner of the helicopter and/or the private pilot who'd asked my permission, had hover taxied under high tension cables during their departure with a couple who had just got married. I immediately called the guy's mobile and it rang out. I left a message to tell him not to ask my permission to land here again.

The following morning, he returned my call from hospital. They'd subsequently clipped a tree with their tail rotor and crashed into a mountain around 10 miles from golf course. The newly married couple were both killed, along with the aircraft's owner.

He told me that he knew it was wrong to hover taxi underneath the cables, but the bride was terrified of flying, and he didn't want to argue with the owner in front of the passengers.........................

of course you don't want this to happen...

R44, wires …

Videos
 

Nice videos! Although completely off topic ;-). The pilot who knows about the wires, and safely stays clear of them, has of course little in common with those two accident pilots who collided with a wire they didn't see.

Between the two, you tell me who is 'stupid'.

Come on, Thomas! Even if it is true that in your country some pilots are allowed, and others are not allowed to hover under a wire, what do you have to gain by reporting a fellow pilot? What is not allowed in the UK, may be (and is indeed) allowed in the next country. Arbitrary legislation here doesn't make it right, or God-given. Let's leave the reporting to the police.

Right up until someone takes the risk once too often and cocks it up, taking others with him.

Using the landing or take off excuse to get round the 500' rule in this case is just poor judgement - just pick a safer LS. The accident investigators have lots of records of people crashing in poor weather or into obstacles because they weren't prepared to walk or drive a few hundred yards.

Many people do what they think they can get away with in helicopters rather than what they should.

Of course wires are dangerous if not seen ,but with proper training I don't see flying under wires as any more dangerous than landing 6 feet from a hangar . I have flown under lots of power and telephone lines doing my job and certainly never felt I was taking a risk . It's the wires you don't see that will get you . There is a very well known helicopter company that has had its bowser under wires for years !!

I don't see what the helicopter type has to do with it. We fly powerline and pipeline controls with 44's in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. All pilots are very experienced and well trained. The fact that R44's are used is not only the decision of the operators it is actually prescribed by the customers. So a 44 doesn't neccesarily mean it is a private helicopter with a PPL flying it.

Well it seems most disagree with my comment , which was just that, based in the UK we are told wires Kill, and to stay well away from them, I understand all you chaps who for your living fly near ,alongside and through wires to fulfill your contracted work obligations, but taken in the context of the lie of the land in the area were I saw the R44 land, I went to look on foot, the HT cables ar at the very lowest I feel is legal for power transmission in the UK due to the terrain the R44 pilot landed in a downhill slope and took off towards trees to a height of 30/40ft within 50/75 yds of actual touchdown, ... however .750 yards away is a wide FLAT cable free field.
Some may say " And your point is" well I am only a PPL(H) but I know exactly which LZ I would have picked, if Pros feel that I am being too ultra safe in what I say and report ....then sorry but safe trumps risk( or balanced risk) anyday in my world..

Thank you TC for you comments, I was trained Never fly under or near cables, and I am still doing that..!:ok: