Wonder if a Cub was the sling load?

[GeorgeMandes]

IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 119PH Make/Model: ALO2 Description: SA-318/3130/3180 ALOUETTE 2
Date: 09/24/2006 Time: 0100

Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: None Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Substantial

LOCATION
City: PORT ALSWORTH State: AK Country: US

DESCRIPTION
N119PH, AN AEROSPATIALE SA319 ALOUETTE III ROTORCRAFT, A PART 133
OPERATION, CRASHED ENROUTE WHEN THE SLING GAVE WAY AND ROTORCRAFT NOSED
OVER AND CHOPPED THE TAIL, 60 MILES WEST OF PORT ALSWORTH, AK

INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 0
# Crew: 1 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Pass: 1 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:

WEATHER: METAR PALJ 240047Z 00000KT 10SM SCT020 BKN040 OVC060 10/10 A3002

OTHER DATA
Activity: Business Phase: Cruise Operation: OTHER

Departed: PORT ALSWORTH, AK Dep Date: Dep. Time:
Destination: PORT ALSWORTH, AK Flt Plan: Wx Briefing:
Last Radio Cont:
Last Clearance:

FAA FSDO: ANCHORAGE, AK (AL03) Entry date: 09/25/2006

 

[Dave Calkins]

With that description, I find it hard to believe no injury occured.

To my thinking, 'enroute' means flying toward a destination. So the thing was flying.

I also tend toward thinking that "...sling gave way..." would mean it had a load on it when it failed. So the load was immediately removed from the machine as the rotorcraft flew.

So the only way to define "...chopped the tail..." is obvious.

So............... a flying helicopter slinging a Cub (let's say it's a Cub) punches his load and has a rotor/tail strike and the pilot gets away uninjured!?!.

They oughtta make a movie outta this....

..or at least give a better description. With all the brains in the NTSB, and the stuff they need to know, you'd think a technical writing course would be a requisite for the job. DAVE hoping the heli pilot gout out okay for real.

 

[mghallen]

"My" NTSB report was quite revealing. I had a CFIT, apparently when the nose wheel strut linkage failed on landing rollout then proceeded to collide with the terrian during controlled flight. Just another reason to remember the flight ain't over till the plane s in the blocks; you might CFIT during rollout; but at least you I didn't groundloop . Makes you wonder if somebody didn't learn a new buzz word this quarter. I guess I can see the arguement for CFIT, but it is really pushing the envolope.

Mike

 

[Dave Calkins]

MIke, what's the new buzzword? 'chopped'? :lol:

 

[Alex Clark]

Have you seen this video of a rescue bird cutting off it's own refueling probe?

www.metacafe.com/watch/46386/military_helicopter_inflight_refueling/ - 75k

 

[hankster]

If a nose gear collapse is a CFIT, then chopping the tail while in flight must be an air to air collision. . .

Hank

 

[StewartB]

60 miles W of Port Alsworth sounds like Pebble related activity. If you've ever had the chance to watch a helo crew leap-frogging surveying equipment it's easy to imagine that a broken sling could cause a problem. The ops I've seen were fast and furious.

SB

 

[mvivion]

Yep, Stewart could well be right, and the Llama is the favored sling machine for those operations.

MTV

 

[GeorgeMandes]

The reason that I made the post is that I am aware of a Cub out of Homer that blew off a mountain in the Taylor Mountains, and was waiting to be recovered.

If you read the FAA prelim, it notes the helicopter left and was returning to Port Alsworth not Iliamna. Pebble is 15 west of Iliamna and they have been using a R44, several A Stars and a Hughes 500 for the last few years (Prism). The helo that crashed is based at Chickaloon between Palmer and Gulkana, and does a lot of recoveries.

George

 

[Brett Evans]

Where do you find the names and phone numbers for the companies across Alaska that do recovery? I talked with a guy some years back in McGrath who did this. He had an airvan and was based out of Anchorage. But I can't remember the name of his company. I don't want to have to use any of these guys, but it would be nice to have their phone numbers just in case.
Thanks

 

[Scooter7779h]

It was the sling load of a wrecked PA-18. Quite a story:


http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20060928X01424&key=1

 

[mvivion]

Which is why a lot of these helicopter outfits require the owner of the airplane being slung to sign over the registration to the helicopter company prior to a sling job.

If they drop it, it's theirs anyway, and you can't legally come after them.

This helicopter pilot did one HECK of a job getting on the ground safely after that. Amazing.

MTV