Squirrel vs Bambi, La Reunion.
 

This has popped up on YouTube, undated, so guessing it was recent and guessing it was a Bambi too? There must be some info out there, but does anyone else get the desire to clip the 'cameraman' around the head to keep the machine in the picture? :rolleyes:;)

There it is :ok::

https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/221065

Blimey! Well found, Modtro thanks.


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....6f3171b29.jpeg



https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....879c8cc1f.jpeg

I saw that too and shared your sentiments, albeit recognising that the guy with the phone was probably trying to avoid being at the scene of the accident! I’m assuming that the bucket acted as a drogue chute and gave some directional stability, which helped the outcome. Sounds like the main rotor also came into contact with it at some point.

The guy should have played the lottery...
Don‘t know wether the note from Airbus, that the bucket has to be either on a long line or rigged, so that it can’t reach the tail rotor was before or after this incident.

OFML - quite an appropriate registration!

:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

The note has been in the Bambi manual for a long while, but there are still some pilots that don’t know how to read......like the pilot of the second machine in the clip.

The really scary bit is the damage to the tailboom... if that had seperated...

Never mind the framing. I would be taking steps long ones away from the crashing A/C

On the brighter side.....At least the image was recorded in landscape instead of portrait. :)

Incredible "landing" among the pointy lava rocks in one piece. Incredible.

The bambi may have been a useful stabilising drogue for flight. Wonder if it would have been possible to find a smooth empty surface for a run-on?

Did I mention, incredible?

Perhaps the people taking the video standing on the road he planned to use for a run-on landing made things a bit trickier?

Same thought came to mind when I watched that video.

I would've expected him/her to complete an autorotative landing per the RFM procedure for a complete loss of TR (twist grip to IDLE) to avoid the uncontrolled yawing we see near the end of the video... The other helicopter surely would have been able to radio to him/her that his TR was ******, so that would confirm to him/her that a power-off landing is the correct procedure. Regardless, job well done getting it on the ground with all the meaty stuff inside still breathing and hats off to the pilot.

Really? What do you think would happen if he entered an auto with a drouge attatched to the tail....

Pitch the nose down?

Yes, quite simple physics actually.

I simply don't understand how he went from a death spin to a pretty good landing given the terrain.
What did he do in those few seconds that the camera cut away?

Closing the throttle would have achieved this.

Yeah, it's always very impressive how fast the rotation stops once you close that throttle assuming a decent vertical fin.

This is, however, why I've never liked the throttles above arrangement. I think it's a big advantage having the throttles right under your hand on the collective where you can snap them off without having to remove your hand from the collective, and can yaw the aircraft as well ( especially in a piston ). I was disappointed when I flew the 505 and realized it had no twist grip... :ugh:

This was our chief pilot, he did an incredible job and cold blood, hats off to him !

If only he had followed the advice in the Bambi manual he would not have had to use his skills......

kind of like the famous Frank Borman quote:

”A superior pilot uses his superior judgment to avoid situations which require the use of his superior skill.”