Duke Lifeflight Crash in North Carolina
 

Four dead....crash occurred approximately Noon....very good weather....no details known.

Location is in Perquimmans County in coastal North Carolina.

Sad news
 

Was one of the original pilots with Duke Life Flight in 1985. This is very sad news and my thoughts are with the crew, their family and the staff at Life Flight.

Just got off the phone with a friend who knew one of the Flight Nurses aboard the aircraft....she had one year to go till retirement.

Very sad news for all those connected to those lost....prayers and condolences to them all!

Very unusual.
A modern Twin engine Helicopter crashing violently from Cruise in best flying conditions.
The two Non- burned Rotor blades look strangely undamaged.
Very mysterious. And not the bog standard HEMS crash pattern.

Indeed. But both tailrotorblades are gone...

skadi

Duke helicopter crashes in eastern N.C. leaving four dead | The Chronicle

No real news....and per routine....despite Duke grounding the other aircraft....competitors are taking the flights that Duke would have undertaken.

Most news articles are talking of heroes out saving lives when discussing the Crew.

I prefer to think the Mission Statement should start off with "providing a safe, dependable aero-medical transportation service...." and leave off this "saving lives....".

I prefer to think the Mission Statement should start off with "providing a safe, dependable aero-medical transportation service...." and leave off this "saving lives....".[/QUOTE]

Duke Life Flight mission statement:

The mission of Duke Life Flight is to provide the highest level of care to patients, families and communities served by Duke Health through the integration of clinical care, education, and industry leading safety standards in air and ground transport.

The news media and some of the hospital reps are the ones to whom I refer as they go about euolgizing the folks who were lost.

We have to remind ourselves the fanciest EMS helicopter is just an Ambulance with advanced equipment and the Crew has skill sets that allow them to provide advanced care.....but the dangers of forgetting what the unit mission statement says.....if you fall prey to the "We are Life Savers cheating the Grim Reaper of his harvest " mentality...you will certainly increase your chances of an early demise.

That was not the case here as the crew was going about their stock and trade in good weather in daylight.

It is the media that carries on so!

Perhaps they might stick to quoting the Mission a Statement and forego the emotionalism!




Duke Life Flight mission statement:

The mission of Duke Life Flight is to provide the highest level of care to patients, families and communities served by Duke Health through the integration of clinical care, education, and industry leading safety standards in air and ground transport.[/QUOTE]

Airbus 145.
Vertical decent - no or little rotor speed.
http://www.dailyadvance.com/image/20...er-Crash-2.jpg

A recent news article.

NTSB takes control of Duke Life Flight helicopter crash investigation | News & Observer

No **** sherlock. Didn't take Einstein to work that one out.

Seems we have an American "Jim" to equal the British "Jim" that BBC drags out so often to comment on Aircraft Accidents.

Not any more - he died a few years ago....

NTSB Preliminary report issued this morning. https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.a...08X24535&key=1

So pretty much a vertical decent with almost zero RRPM.....I can only think of 2 things that would have that result. MGB seizure or collective up with a loss of power. The report saying that the MGB could not be rotated is not comforting.

From a visual inspection at the site?

The fixed wing guy has to ask, "Other than lack of power, what happens on a twin engine helicopter if one engine stops?"

At a very basic level, a loss of power in a twin will result in the healthy engine being required to supply the total required power based on flight profile and collective pitch. If 60% power was being demanded at the time of failure (per engine). The healthy engine would need to supply a full 120% power to maintain RRPM. If this wasn't possible due to engine electronic logic, or outside conditions, the remaining engine would give all she has, and the rotor would droop due to the lack of required power. The droop is much slower than when you lose all power, but it can still be fatal if your low (enough) and slow, and you react incorrectly to a loss of power. If they were on a medium final approach, 300 feet and lost power, this could easily result in a panicked collective pull to arrest the building rate of descent, and subsequent loss of control.

mnntech - the power required in level flight curve starts high for a helo in the hover and then reduces from about 12 kts to somewhere between 50 and 80 kts depending on type, then gradually increases again as forward speed is increased.

In simple terms at very low speeds the rotor is doing all the work of accelerating the air through it - then a phenomenon known as Translational Lift reduces power required as a function of the rotor moving forward through the air (that movement helping to push the air through the rotor).

After the bottom of the curve (50 - 80 kts) any increase in speed needs more power to overcome parasite drag.

So, at low or high speeds, the loss of one engine will be more significant on a twin than around the medium (bucket speed) due to variations in power required Vs power available.

Thank you both, that helps.
So if I understand the concept, from cruise flight allow the aircraft to slow down to what ever the remaining eng's max cont HP would allow (i.e. into Translational Lift I would assume) and then a run on landing. Somewhat like drift down on a transport fixed wing that loses an engine. Of course, weight, OAT designed power, etc. all can change any of the plan.

As an Army Aviator flying large twin engined Helicopters I learned attention to detail was a necessary trait for success.

In the Duke event, the aircraft was in cruise to a distant hospital landing pad.

The standard flight profile flown would afford adequate single engine performance adequate to maintain flight.

As there is no information to challenge the pilot’s performance....perhaps mentioning a panic reaction as was made does not apply in any way to the cu rent tragedy.