Apache down safely - Aberdeenshire
 

Apache down after 'engine failure':

Apache helicopter makes landing at farm near Milltimber in Aberdeenshire | Aberdeen & North | News

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Five Merlins flew northbound over me about the same time and their track wouldn't have been far from the incident.

An Apache will not maintain flight on one engine at nearly Sea Level in cool Temps?:rolleyes:

Maybe it failed with a big bang and lots of clattering noises.

The article reported "it was losing height".


Of course we know how very accurate Media reports of Aviation events can be!

The Major apparently said there will be a "post-crash enquiry" ......... !! Tally-ho!

As the link won't open for me, was this a "crash landing" or a precautionary landing due to one engine inop? :confused:

This might help:No word on schools, children's homes, hospitals, no mention of the words "plummeting, out-of-control, plumes of smoke" etc.

In other words, one donk gave up the ghost, and while it might have been possible to continue the mission on the other one, prudence says "stick it in that field, and we'll sort it out later".

Ah, no drama until after the media found out. :} Thanks.

If I'd seen an Apache circling my house, I'd have been quite worried! :}

Richard One is all right it's when there are a band of them time to worry:E

Been talking out of school have you, Richard?:uhoh:

No mention of Prince Harry at the controls either :E

There wouldn't be as he stopped flying them some months ago.

It would appear that the errant engine lost all its oil.

On the local BBC news tonight - it seems they plan to change an engine and fly it out. Of course that might be total tosh...

Not unreasonable, given that the technical expertise for ECU-changes in the field exists.

Can we blow it up to stop the baddies getting their hands on it :ok:

You'd think it would be easier to just sling it out under a bigger digger, I mean helicopter and change out the bits out of the wind and rain?

Getting back to the OEI question: can an AH64 loaded up with ordinance dump the load in order to maintain altitude on one engine and would it need to? More of a question when flying over Indian country I suppose?.

Krypton_John,

The option to undersling the aircraft exists - in this case they have elected to do an engine change in situ because it's an exercise and it's practice for the REME (a move back to "in the field" soldiering).

In the event of a single engine failure the crew can selectively or completely jettison stores (an SOP in Afghanistan if unable to maintain OEI flight).

The aircraft was carrying full RCEFs (external fuel tanks) and was on the edge of OEI performance. In this case the Ac Comd elected not to jettison external pylon stores and carry out a landing. No.1 engine had lost oil pressure but has run dry capability - the emergency is a Land as Soon as Possible i.e a safe and unhurried landing to the nearest suitable site.

Who's that? Slippery Salmon and his merry band of Scottish separatists? :E

They just need to nip across the road to here -


Alba Power


My future Son-in-law is the production manager, and I'm sure he could sort them out!


He sent me a couple of pictures of it sitting in the field.

Not rotary but they have a rather nice Hunter T7 gate guardian sitting outside the facility at Alba Power.

Slinging a Helicopter is never a "good" option in peacetime in a secure and benign environment. You might just drop the thing from a few hundred feet and that is far more expensive and hard to justify than just doing an engine change in a Farmer's field.:=

Seeing the original photo I thought it looked like the u/c had collapsed but seeing others I realise it's a rise in the field hiding them. It had lots of covers on various bits on the last local TV news I watched and it looked like the ends of the rotor were secured with some sort of tie-down as well. Plus a couple of little camouflage tents were visible.


You can see the rotor blade ties and some of the covers in the photo in this article:
Apache helicopter forced to land in Aberdeen field - The Scotsman

The AH64 was designed for maintenance in a field environment. An engine change in the field is really no big deal. As has been mentioned, slinging an aircraft is a risky process with respect to damage or destruction of the aircraft and should only be considered when the risk to the aircraft or personnel is higher if it is left in place.

Including all the 30mm pointy stuff if you have lost your tail rotor and every kilo counts :)

It's raining aircraft!
 

Gosh - it's getting like the Bermuda Triangle round here - what looks like a N reg Navajo lost an engine whilst flying from Wick to France around 1600 and put down in a ploughed field not more than 4 miles or so from the Apache landing site. Pilot is okay but I'm going to dig out my tin hat in case any more start falling around my house!

The Apache has departed under it's own power:

BBC News - Apache helicopter grounded in Aberdeenshire takes off

"Not rotary but they have a rather nice Hunter T7 gate guardian sitting outside the facility at Alba Power."


Picture from Christmas time here -
Alba Power helps Santa take flight - Alba Power