Those pesky tie-downs
 

NTSB Report was out on an R22 accident in May 2018, the result of a loose tie-down wrapped around the rotorhead. I don't recall seeing a thread on tis at the time: oops?


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Troublesome Tiedowns: The Sequel

Darn, this is a helicopter I used to fly. I actually wrote a trip report when the owner and I flew it back from Torrance to Boston: USA by Helicopter

The last time I was at the Robinson factory for R66 training I saw it there with the Boatpix floats on it.

Sad to see it trashed.

Something very similar was done to a 500D I flew a number of times. Pilot took off with the doghouse cover in place (bright red cover on bright blue helicopter). The straps broke all the pitch links, and the resulting crash was a four fatal. I have kept one of the pitch links, with the red fabric still wrapped around it to remind me to do thorough preflight inspections. After that the operator had red ribbons sewn to all the covers, so that the ribbon would go from the cover, in the door, and around the cyclic. We flew baskets on the sides of the 500's, and the rule was that no tiedown rope was permitted to be longer than five feet, in case it came undone in flight.

DAR,
Yup remember that 500 crash. Two of the drillers on board were brothers and friends of mine. Did many a drill move in Ontario with them. Sad and avoidable accident. RIP Nick and Walter.

Dave Reid 😪