Helicopter crashed at Perth Airport
 

Training helicopter crashed at Scotland Perth Airport this morning, injuring one person.

You can't blame the pilot; it happened to an unlucky engineer.

Helicopter accident at Perth Airport - BBC News

An engineer doing rotors running ground runs......surely not.

Is an engineer who is not a pilot allowed to to have the rotors running without a pilot in the aircraft? Hope he’s ok 👍🏻

As long as there is no intent of flight, which includes taxying

CAT.GEN.MPA.130

The photo above, and the BBC's first photo, show the aircraft on its side with no foam around it. The BBC's second photo shows the aircraft upright surrounded by foam - did they right it and then think it might catch fire, or was on fire, and get the fire people to douse it? In any case, after an accident causing injury, should it have been moved before the AAIB had a chance to look at it?

The problem with the regulation is that a rotor-engaged helicopter is capable of flight or dynamic rollover very easily when compared to a fixed wing. It's one of those EASA rules that is not safety based, but one based purely on expediency!

For me, this accident is one of those "I told you so" moments.

I've always been told that it's perfectly safe for an engineer/mechanic to ground run helicopters. What has always made me have a different opinion is that post maintenance ground runs are when mistakes might easily be made, not least because the engineering requirements might be at variance with a normal start configuration. I got caught out once in a twin when the aircraft suddenly began "padding" laterally after the first engine start, just as the rotors came up to speed. I had to lift off immediately, single engine, to prevent ground resonance, which very much surprised the ground crew standing just outside the rotor disc and resulted in an MOR being filed. I know of an almost identical incident where the aircraft was badly damaged, not because the aircraft was lifted off, but because it was put back down again "rather enthusiastically".

There are plenty of opportunities for a ground run to go wrong, the Robbo isn't any different.
From the collective creeping up, accidentally disabling hydraulics on that silly switch to getting caught out by the governor engaging (if not set to manual).
Not having a qualified pilot at the controls of an aircraft running at flight RPM seems like an accident waiting to happen.
Robbie pilots can't be in such short supply to justify this approach.
One very lucky technician, one very annoyed owner.

I note the aircraft was over 12 years old and it’s ARC wasn’t current. I suspect it was getting a rebuild or overhaul. The rules seem crazy. I pass my ppl (H) and not allowed to fly until the paperwork comes through but an engineer can sit in the pilots seat, start the helicopter and get it up to flight rpm without a pilots licence. Thank god no one was killed.

Why? What did you tell us?

In my 31 years in the business, this is the first accident I've heard of with an engineer at the controls. I've seen 2 ground runs go horribly wrong with pilots at the controls.

Ground running was discussed a couple of years ago
https://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/47...chanics-2.html
and you even find rules in some country
https://www.casa.gov.au/file/117966/...token=8rns5oOS
or
http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/nqfdocs/units/doc/22888.doc

Sorry, it wouldn't be appropriate for me to say any more..... :mad:

Sky Sports... you must have missed this one then !

in July 2015 a Gazelle (details on aviation safety network) was being ground run by an engineer and became airborne, result.... pretty much destroyed.

Really? There's no mystery or secret decoder ring needed to run a helicopter. Mechanics have been ground running helicopters around the GOM for decades. Sure a few have tried to earn their wings or dinged one up but it's not rocket science. How else would you get the aircraft ready for a first-light departure to earn revenue?

Er - get a pilot in early to do it.

A helicopter is essentially flying when the rotors are running so the intent to fly is already there.

Absolutely barking, just to try and save some money.

I realise it’s impossible to imagine but some engineers actually hold a pilot’s licence. Perhaps the unfortunate person involved in this incident, did.

As for moving it before the AAIB visited - they may well have given permission for it to be moved and are more than likely not going to travel to Perth to see the helicopter anyway.

Who knows....?

PS Re the ARC bring expired. Not important for a ground run but even if the ARC had been renewed, G-INFO wouldn’t show the updated info until the following midnight when the system updates.

Possible - for sure. Likely - nope. :p

He did not hold a pilots licence. I mentioned the expired ARC and age of the helicopter to point out that I felt some major work was likely to have been getting done which may or may not had something to do with the accident not as to whether it was legal or not to do a ground run. It’s common sense that you have to be able to do a ground run if the ARC has expired 🙄🙄🙄

I hold both licences.