R-22 helicopter MAY have gone down near San Pedro, CA (not yet confirmed)
 

By ABC7.com staff
SAN PEDRO, LOS ANGELES (KABC) --

Authorities are responding to reports of a helicopter down in the ocean off San Pedro.

So far no wreckage or victims have been spotted.

But Eyewitness News has learned that an R-22 Beta helicopter left the Torrance Airport around 4:30 p.m.

Eyewitness News has also learned that the helicopter belongs to JJ Helicopters, a Torrance-based company, and that the aircraft is unaccounted for.

It is unclear if that helicopter landed somewhere else or crashed.

Officials say passengers on a cruise ship reported seeing a helicopter go down in the port area.

The U.S. Coast Guard, who came to assist in the search, closed the Los Angeles Harbor entrance as efforts to find something continued.

Authorities responding to report of helicopter down off San Pedro | abc7.com

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Helicopter reported down near LA harbor; search underway
The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES —

Authorities launched an air and sea search Wednesday after reports that a helicopter went down in the waters near Los Angeles harbor.

U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Andrea Anderson says the possible crash outside the San Pedro breakwater was reported at about 5:45 p.m. Wednesday by several passengers aboard an outbound cruise ship.

Authorities learned that a Robinson R22 with two people on board took off from the airport in nearby Torrance.

Anderson says it was supposed to be taking photographs in the general area but hadn't made contact or landed back at the airport by evening.

Coast Guard ships and a helicopter were searching the area near a harbor lighthouse but after several hours had not found any aircraft, wreckage or people.

Helicopter reported down near LA harbor; search underway | The Tribune

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Update -- nothing has been found so far -- unclear if will turn out to be just another "report from a cruise ship passenger" --- (though in that case, presumably they should be able to confirm with the company that the chopper has reported in or is otherwise not missing).


The U.S. Coast Guard and crews from the Los Angeles city and county fire departments mounted a search along with boat crews from the Long Beach Fire Department, but as of about 7:30 p.m. no aircraft, victim or debris had been located and county and Long Beach Fire Department boats were released from the scene, Stewart said.

"Los Angeles Fire Department boats are on standby while Port Police establish a search grid,'' she said.

regrettably, crash now confirmed - 2 fatalities
 

Wreckage of missing helicopter found in Los Angeles Harbor

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A helicopter that went missing after taking off from a Southern California airport on a photography flight was found in harbor waters with two bodies inside, authorities said Thursday.

Searchers using sonar located the Robinson R22 shortly after 11 a.m. in Los Angeles Harbor, Port of LA spokesman Phillip Sanfield said.

Crews were trying to extricate the two victims from the fuselage, Sanfield said. He could not immediately confirm their identities.

The crash was reported about 5:45 p.m. Wednesday by several passengers aboard an outbound cruise ship and fishermen along the San Pedro breakwater, authorities said.

"They noticed a small black helicopter approaching the water in what they said was a crash position," Petty Officer Andrea Anderson said late Wednesday. "It was very close to the water."

A search-and-rescue operation went through the night and continued despite rainy conditions.

Coast Guard ships and a helicopter, along with police vessels, scanned the area near a harbor lighthouse.

The entrance to the harbor was closed for a time during the search, the Coast Guard said.

Authorities learned that a black Robinson R22 with two people on board took off from the airport in nearby Torrance, Anderson said.

It was supposed to be taking photographs in the general area but hadn't made contact or landed back at the airport.

Tail being reported as N702JJ, registered to JJ Helicopters, and took off from TOA.

It was indeed JJ Helicopters out of Torrance.

They were conducting a photo flight with a prominent photographer supposedly for the Port Of Los Angeles.

Some will know that one of my offices is right there within a mile of the crash site. I fielded many calls last night. We have a contract with the Port of Long Beach for all their photographic needs. We however do not use Robinsons and have floats. (Caveat--at this point we do not know the reason for the crash or whether the two would be alive had they have had a float equipped aircraft).

Bodies now found

Screenshot from the ABC video.
http://i.imgur.com/Qc3VBKy.png

One rotor snapped about 2-3 ft from hub, the other snapped but in one piece a little further out from hub.
Canopy destroyed on right hand side, whole front seems "shifted" to the left. Can't speculate if it's a canopy strike or if it's impact damage.

The were circling the cruise ship, and eyewitnesses state they started spinning and then hit the water.

Found in 15-25 foot of water.

Just speculating, but flying a small lightweight helicopter like an R22 near some of the larger cruise ships would seem unnecessarily risky in light of the air turbulence such a ship would create.

I have just been told about the image as on Willpete's post. It is interesting as a follow up to the OZ M/R blade crack incident. The blade on the right hand side does appear to have a crack of the same dimension, shape and near enough to the same position as the OZ one. A crack happening in flight as it did over here, will give increasing vibrations. There is possibly good reason to assume those vibrations intensified quickly enough to then snap the other blade off. and bend the cracked blade, I believe that almost immediately the broken blade departed M/R rotation would have ceased..It would be interesting to hear the TSN of the blades and can it be confirmed they are the latest blades?.. T/R drive continuance for at least a second could certainly have initiated cabin spinning. Cab damage looks merely due to water contact. tet.

Topend, was that the old UXF west of Sydney, which had been started by the operator with the clutch engaged for hundreds of starts, because he didn't replace the faulty clutch?

AC, no, TET is referring to a new one......I think.

Thought it had a run before, this one. You may wish to take a cup of tea while reading, or maybe a stiff rum!

https://www.casa.gov.au/files/awb-62...Blade+cracking

Only applicable if you happen to fly one of these things which thankfully I haven't for many
years and have no intention to again otherwise its just wood for trees.

Caveat Emptor.
Vote with your feet and snap out of the delusion.

If you can't see the "elephant in the room"
Well hey......................:ugh:

The standing joke is how long will it continue? I think the point may have been proven. Pile of junk.

DOC in NZ have stopped using them - someone has woken up at least.

People continue to confuse legality with safety. How many times can you be told or warned?
Over the first 35 years the average was 40 fatality's a year - near enough to one a week.

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
http://ci.memecdn.com/5144831.jpg

According to the FAA accident database, in the USA, calendar year 2016 through 31 Oct (the last date I have data for) there were 24 Robinson accidents with 4 total fatalities and 33 Bell accidents with 12 fatalities. Don't know how that breaks down into an hourly rate per type, but certainly Robinson training hours are a big number. So if we are throwing out the baby, don't forget the bathwater, too. Maybe SFAR 73 is working. Or maybe it's a statistical anomaly.