PPRuNe Forums

PPRuNe Forums (https://www.pprune.org/)
-   Rotorheads (https://www.pprune.org/rotorheads-23/)
-   -   Helicopter missing in the Med (https://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/632022-helicopter-missing-med.html)

Winnie 29th Apr 2020 19:45

Helicopter missing in the Med
 
Norwegian news is reporting that a helicopter operating from a Canadian warship is missing between Italy and Greece. No further news.

Flying Bull 29th Apr 2020 21:44

Some more information about type

https://www.thechronicleherald.ca/ne...-coast-443793/

wrench1 29th Apr 2020 22:23

https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/235604

John Eacott 29th Apr 2020 22:38

Canadian military helicopter reported missing while operating in Mediterranean



Defence officials are scrambling following reports a Canadian military helicopter has gone missing while participating in a NATO operation in the Mediterranean Sea.

Greek TV says the helicopter, which is believed to have been one of the Royal Canadian Air Force’s new Cyclones, went missing in the sea between Greece and Italy while operating off a Canadian frigate.

A NATO spokeswoman confirmed an incident involving a helicopter from a ship under NATO command and says a search-and-rescue operation is underway, but did not reveal the nationality of the aircraft or vessels.

HMCS Fredericton left Halifax for a six-month deployment around Europe in January with a Cyclone on board, which included a port call in Italy in March.

The military’s 18 Cyclone helicopters carry four-person crews and first began flying real missions in late 2018 after more than a decade of developmental challenges and delays.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....f72641c758.jpg

Nigel Osborn 30th Apr 2020 04:17

Sadly 1 dead person recovered & 5 missing.

gulliBell 30th Apr 2020 11:56

How deep is the water?

Self loading bear 30th Apr 2020 12:10


Originally Posted by gulliBell (Post 10768265)
How deep is the water?

South west of Kefalonia it goes quickly over 2000 meters.

Jetscream 32 30th Apr 2020 14:21

Very sad - RIP - hope they locate and recover wreckage to try and work out what happened. Shame that Echo or Enterprise isn't in the Med... hopefully, someone has got something close-by that can locate it.

gwillie 1st May 2020 05:43

.
SEE: https://www.pprune.org/military-avia...5-missing.html

According to a June 23, 2014 report.....“The Conservative government has agreed to accept new helicopters to replace Canada’s 50-year-old fleet of Sea Kings even though they don’t meet a key requirement recommended for marine helicopters by Canada’s air safety investigator.....the government has agreed to forego...a formerly mandatory safety measure: a 30-minute run-dry standard for its main gear box. The importance of the ability to fly for 30 minutes after a loss of lubrication in the main gear box was reinforced by an investigation into a deadly 2009 crash of a Sikorsky-built helicopter. The gearbox is a kind of linkage between the helicopters engines and its rotor system. It’s packed with lubricating oil that cools the gears and keeps power flowing to the rotors. If a helicopter loses oil in its main gearbox, the system will get too hot and either seize up or otherwise fail. That would lead to a loss of power in the rotor, forcing a helicopter from the sky. A helicopter that meets the run-dry standard can continue flying for 30 minutes even if there’s no oil in the main gear box — a critical feature for helicopters flying hundreds of kilometres out to sea.” https://theaviationist.com/2020/04/3...Cu63ALQ-SNxyk1k
And........"a deadly 2009 crash of a Sikorsky-built helicopter".......well, that's here: https://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/36...ghlight=cougar
.

9Aplus 1st May 2020 12:25

gwillie
So you are quite sure that it is gearbox case, again...
Mean, nothing else can go wrong out there in the middle of nothing?!

atakacs 1st May 2020 12:43


Originally Posted by 9Aplus (Post 10769430)
gwillie
So you are quite sure that it is gearbox case, again...
Mean, nothing else can go wrong out there in the middle of nothing?!

Obviously no idea what happened but a survivor is unikely if it was the gearbox.

CYDC 1st May 2020 13:01

From CBC news
Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said the Cyclone’s flight-data and voice recorders have been recovered after they broke away from the helicopter when it crashed and will soon be returned to Canada for analysis.

Fareastdriver 1st May 2020 13:03

It must be catastrophic whatever happened. Naval aircraft are not short of radio communication devices and if it just disappeared without an emergency call then then whatever it was must have been almost instantaneous.

gulliBell 1st May 2020 14:57

Yeah, CFIT is instantaneous. A MGB dropping all its oil or a TR falling off or virtually every other mechanical malfunction is not.

jimf671 1st May 2020 15:54

Apart from the likelihood of CFIT due to the lack of distress comms, there really is nothing in the public domain to go on. To start speculatively grasping at the S-92's weaknesses is currently a waste of time even by pprune's standards! Reports state that they have the recorders, so somebody will know more soon.

YeahYeah 1st May 2020 17:32

TV news reports that it disappeared 17 minutes after departure, and that it was in the process of returning to ship. Also that flares had been deployed. Anybody confirm?

Lonewolf_50 1st May 2020 19:14


Originally Posted by YeahYeah (Post 10769715)
TV news reports that it disappeared 17 minutes after departure, and that it was in the process of returning to ship. Also that flares had been deployed. Anybody confirm?

"Flares deployed" says to me "shot at," perhaps by an IR guided SAM.
(Military aviator).
What did you mean by "flares deployed?" That, or something else?

AAKEE 1st May 2020 19:15


Originally Posted by Lonewolf_50 (Post 10769792)
"Flares deployed" says to me "shot at," perhaps by an IR guided SAM.
(Military aviator).
What did you mean by "flares deployed?" That, or something else?

Probably built in automatic flares in the deployable emergency transmitter/ VFDR-storage?

gulliBell 2nd May 2020 00:30


Originally Posted by CYDC (Post 10769462)
...the Cyclone’s flight-data and voice recorders have been recovered after they broke away from the helicopter when it crashed...

I've never heard of that happening before.

CYDC 2nd May 2020 02:57

he flight data recorders were recovered from the debris and are to be analyzed at the National Research Council in Ottawa.

In an interview with CBC News that took place before the search switched to recovery mode, Sajjan acknowledged the difficulty involved in reaching wreckage that may be as much as 3,000 metres below the surface of the Ionian Sea.

Few nations possess that kind of deep-diving capability and Sajjan said he's been talking to NATO's secretary general and allies about the technological options.

"I can assure you we will put in all of the resources necessary," said Sajjan who expressed confidence in the investigation team. "Our folks on the ground will figure what happened."

The debris also is believed to be spread over a wide area on the ocean floor. One expert said that spread suggests something about the forces involved in the crash.

"It suggests a high speed impact" with the ocean, said Michael Byers, a University of British Columbia defence expert who has testified before the Senate on search and rescue.

"That will obviously increase the challenges of the recovery operation, but until we have something that can actually go down there — even just to take pictures — we really won't know what happened to the aircraft."

From CBC news


Hank195 2nd May 2020 03:29

Maritime helicopters in this class are frequently fitted with an Automatically Deployed Emergency Locator Transmitter (ADELT) which would/could also contain memory modules for the FDR & CVR. This device is visible in pictures of the port side of the CH148 on the tailcone (orange disc).
Very sad news.

loop swing 2nd May 2020 10:42


Originally Posted by Hank195 (Post 10770072)
Maritime helicopters in this class are frequently fitted with an Automatically Deployed Emergency Locator Transmitter (ADELT) which would/could also contain memory modules for the FDR & CVR. This device is visible in pictures of the port side of the CH148 on the tailcone (orange disc).
Very sad news.

Whilst you are correct about the ADELT, they do not carry any memory modules. They are purely a location device.

finalchecksplease 2nd May 2020 11:42


Originally Posted by loop swing (Post 10770380)
Whilst you are correct about the ADELT, they do not carry any memory modules. They are purely a location device.

Don't know of any O&G aircraft having this but there is an option to have those fitted.
See here: HR Smith CPI memory module

loop swing 2nd May 2020 12:05

Thank you. I was unaware of their existence. I've only encountered the position indicator only models.

AAKEE 2nd May 2020 12:40

Deployable VFDR recorder
 

Originally Posted by loop swing (Post 10770380)
Whilst you are correct about the ADELT, they do not carry any memory modules. They are purely a location device.

While the correct term may not be ADELT there is debloyable devices containing the CVR and FDR data. Quite common for aircrafts operating over sea.
I dont know the term used for this on the CH-148 though...

This one is used on the A/C I fly:
Recorder Beacon Airfoil

YeahYeah 2nd May 2020 22:45

Now reported that it was inbound to the frigate, only two miles out. No doubt there will be eyewitnesses

jimf671 5th May 2020 23:46

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/cyc...cton-1.5555308

malabo 6th May 2020 02:52

Crashed at 6:52 local, sunset at 8:30, 2 miles back from the frigate with everyone watching them coming in. CFIT would be a puzzler.

gulliBell 6th May 2020 11:18

The water is reported 3,000 meters deep. Blackhawk 221 was recovered from the same depth, challenging but it can be done.

212man 6th May 2020 11:51


Originally Posted by gulliBell (Post 10774231)
The water is reported 3,000 meters deep. Blackhawk 221 was recovered from the same depth, challenging but it can be done.

Without wishing to start a thread drift - have you read the BOI report on that accident? Sobering reading!

OttoRotate 6th May 2020 19:25


Originally Posted by 212man (Post 10774266)
Without wishing to start a thread drift - have you read the BOI report on that accident? Sobering reading!

I'd be very interested in that, if you can share a link

twinstar_ca 6th May 2020 19:43

me too....

212man 6th May 2020 19:50


Originally Posted by OttoRotate (Post 10774634)
I'd be very interested in that, if you can share a link

https://www.defence.gov.au/Publicati...boi_report.pdf

[email protected] 6th May 2020 20:59


Originally Posted by 212man (Post 10774657)

Dear oh dear, that was a catalogue of problems waiting to bite someone - and sadly it did. Not the first time a Special Forces Sqn thought they were more 'special' than they were in reality.

Seems unlikely that the sad loss in the Med has a similar cause.

212man 7th May 2020 16:17


Originally Posted by [email protected] (Post 10774714)
Dear oh dear, that was a catalogue of problems waiting to bite someone - and sadly it did. Not the first time a Special Forces Sqn thought they were more 'special' than they were in reality.

Seems unlikely that the sad loss in the Med has a similar cause.

I agree and wasn't suggesting that - simply responding to the reference to the incident

swampqueen 8th May 2020 05:32

FBW
 
Could the fly by wire systems be called into question?

[email protected] 8th May 2020 11:46


Originally Posted by 212man (Post 10775540)
I agree and wasn't suggesting that - simply responding to the reference to the incident

212 man yes :ok:

GrayHorizonsHeli 8th May 2020 12:21

anyone wonder if some airmanship shenanigans led to this tragedy?
like requesting to buzz the deck or scud run low level over the water or anything like that?

I only offer this suggestion because their doesn't seem to be transparency from the get go from the military.

Although I like Norman, his captain obvious assertion that it was one of two things, pilot error, or maintenance related was so basic, I think my dog could pick one or the other if a treat was offered.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/mark...rash-1.4922760

212man 8th May 2020 15:32


Originally Posted by swampqueen (Post 10775971)
Could the fly by wire systems be called into question?

I would say everything is on the table until evidence starts to narrow it down - such as whatever is recorded on the CPI. I'm not sure why you would single out FBW? It may not be present in civilian helicopters but it has been in the NH90 which first flew in 1995, and was in the Comanche which first flew in 1996, so is not new technology for Rotary Wing. The latter built by Boeing and Sikorsky - the former with FW FBW experience (at that time B777) and the latter no doubt using the Comanche experience to inform some of the design of the Cyclone system.

Old Dogs 9th May 2020 00:41


Originally Posted by GrayHorizonsHeli (Post 10776278)
Although I like Norman, his captain obvious assertion that it was one of two things, pilot error, or maintenance related was so basic, I think my dog could pick one or the other if a treat was offered.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/mark...rash-1.4922760

I like Mark Norman too, but that article is utter gibberish spoken by someone who knows little about helicopters.


All times are GMT. The time now is 14:08.


Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.