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Tag: helicopter

NTSB to hold public meeting about fatal helicopter crash on Iron Complex fire

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , , , 3 Comments on NTSB to hold public meeting about fatal helicopter crash on Iron Complex fire

The National Transportation Safety Board is going to hold a public board meeting with only one thing on the agenda, the August 5, 2008 crash of the helicopter on the Iron Complex fire in northern California that killed nine firefighters. Their announcement about the meeting is HERE.

The meeting will be Tuesday, December 7, at 9:30 a.m., in the NTSB Board Room and Conference Center, 429 L’Enfant Plaza, S.W., Washington, D.C. A live and archived webcast of the proceedings will be available on the Board’s website at www.ntsb.gov.

The NTSB has already issued a “factual report” on the crash. We covered that HERE. The Sikorsky S-61N crashed on takeoff from a remote helispot in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest near Weaverville, California. The NTSB suggested in the factual report that Carson Helicopters understated the weight of its aircraft and kept spotty maintenance records; the company’s contract with the USFS was terminated following the accident.

The NTSB estimated that the actual empty weight of the helicopter was 13,845 pounds, while Carson Helicopters stated in their contract proposal that the weight was 12,013 pounds. For the purpose of load calculations on the day of the crash, the pilot assumed the weight to be 12,408 pounds, which was 1,437 pounds less than the actual weight estimated by the NTSB.

Killed in the crash were pilot Roark Schwanenberg, 54; pilot Jim Ramage, 63; Shawn Blazer, 30; Scott Charlson, 25; Matthew Hammer, 23; Edrik Gomez, 19; Bryan Rich, 29; David Steele, 19; and Steven “Caleb” Renno, 21. The Wildland Firefighter Foundation has a tribute page online [HERE].

Australia to standardize air operations

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , ,
Aussie helicopter
A helicopter works on a fire in Australia. Photo: Queensland Fire and Rescue Service

As a result of recent accidents involving aircraft working on wildfires, authorities in Australia are developing standardized procedures across the country in order to reduce the chances of additional mid-air collisions and other accidents involving firefighting aircraft.

Here is an excerpt from an article at Flightglobal:

Australia’s fire authorities are reviewing a draft firefighting operations manual designed to standardise aerial firefighting procedures across the country.

The development of the manual follows a firefighting review conducted in 2009 by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority after a number of accidents involving firefighting aircraft in the 2009 fire season.

The issue of a lack of standardised procedures was highlighted in the investigation by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau of a midair collision between a Eurocopter AS350B and a Eurocopter/Kawasaki BK117 performing aerial firebombing operations 20km (11nm) south-east of Orange aerodrome, New South Wales in December 2009.

The final report into the accident was released in late November. During one of the water drop sequences, while in the vicinity of the drop point, the BK117’s main rotor blade tip contacted the trailing edge of the AS350B’s vertical fin above the tail rotor arc, resulting in slight damage to the latter.

Although there were no injuries, “the outcome could have been more serious”, the ATSB points out. One of the accidents involving firefighting aircraft in New South Wales during the 2009 fire season resulted in the loss of a life.

In its investigation of the BK117 and AS350B collision, the ATSB found that there were no published procedures for pilots to follow to ensure separation from other aircraft when there was no air attack supervisor present.

Rather, the system relied on the airmanship and experience of pilots to mutually arrange separation. The ATSB determined that neither pilot in that incident was aware of the position of the other helicopter as they approached the drop point.

Thanks Shane

Helicopter shot while working on prescribed fire

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags 1 Comment on Helicopter shot while working on prescribed fire

A Bell Jet Ranger was shot twice with a high powered rifle while it was flying under contract to do aerial ignition using a heli-torch on a prescribed fire in Idaho. The pilot was 69-year old Vietnam War veteran Earl Palmer, operating the ship for Hillcrest Aircraft Company out of Lewiston, Idaho.

Mr. Palmer says there were four shots, two of which struck the helicopter. The pilot was quoted as saying that a control tube was struck and cracked by a bullet. He said the helicopter was “within minutes of coming apart at which point the helicopter would have wrecked.”

The last time he was shot down was in Vietnam when the gunship he was flying sustained a bullet through the engine, and he ended up in  a rice paddy.

Several people heard the shots and a suspect was identified within 24 hours. The FBI is working with local authorities to determine what charges will be filed.

The prescribed fire was on land owned by Potlatch Corporation near Clarkia, Idaho. Check out the video below.

USFS modifies night flying requirements

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , 2 Comments on USFS modifies night flying requirements
A Los Angeles County fire helicopter does a drop over a hotspot in Rancho Palos Verdes on Aug. 28, 2009. (Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press)
A Los Angeles County fire helicopter does a drop over a hotspot in Rancho Palos Verdes on Aug. 28, 2009. (Mark J. Terrill)

The U. S. Forest Service (USFS) has modified their internal regulations for operating helicopters at night. Effective October 13, 2010, multi-engine helicopters are no longer required for night flights. Single-engine helicopters may now be used if they are powered by a turbine engine.

This was the standard that had been in effect since April 19, 2009 (From FSM 5700, 5716.2):

5716.2 – Night Flying
Use only multi-engine aircraft for night flights.

The new regulation:

5716.2 – Night Flying
Use only multi-engine or turbine powered single-engine aircraft for night flights that meet the applicable requirements in FAR Part 91 and Part 61as referenced in FSH 5709.16 or applicable contracts.

[…]

Low-level helicopter flight operations will only be conducted using NVG [Night Vision Goggles]. Helicopters will be approved for such an operation.

This will make a much larger pool of helicopters available to be considered for night flying. However it is our understanding that modifications may have to be made to some helicopters in order for them to be compatible with night vision goggles, including the ability to turn the instrument lights down to a very low level so that they do not overwhelm the goggles.

This change may indicate that the USFS actually IS beginning to take a look at restoring the night-flying helicopter program. After the USFS was criticized by the Los Angeles County Fire Department and some politicians for not using helicopters during the first night of the Station Fire in August, 2009, their Fire and Aviation Management Director Tom Harbor was quoted as saying:

We are in the process . . . of one more time taking a look at night-flying operations. But we will have to make sure that those operations, before we change our policy, are worth the benefits.

The USFS had a night flying program in the mid-1970’s until two helicopters collided 1977, one operated by the USFS and the other by the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The helicopters were preparing to land at a water reloading point. Both pilots were wearing night-vision goggles. One of the pilots was killed, and the other sustained serious injuries.

In July of 2008 Wildfire Today conducted a poll, asking:

“Should helicopters fight fire at night?”

At the close of the poll 231 people had voted. The results were:

Yes: 39.8%
No: 51.9%
Don’t Know: 8.2%

Poll helicopters night flying July 2008

Firefighting helicopter crashes in B.C, 2 pilots hospitalized

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags
A 214-B, from Tranwest's web site

A firefighting helicopter with a two-person crew went down on Thursday while working on a fire in British Columbia, about 340 kilometers (211 miles) northeast of Vancouver. Here is a report from CTV:

A helicopter bucketing water to a wildfire blazing in B.C.’s southern Interior crashed Thursday afternoon, sending its occupants to hospital.

Two people were on board when the Bell 214-B, carrying a full load of water, hit the side of a large hill while fighting the Jade Wildfire burning northwest of Lillooet, about two hours west of Kamloops.

The pilot was taken to Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops with pain in his legs, while the co-pilot is being held for observation in Lillooet.

The helicopter was on contract to the B.C. Fire Service by TransWest Helicopters, based in Chilliwack.

It is still not known what caused the crash.

We are glad the pilots are not too seriously hurt, and hope they get well soon. It could have been a lot worse.

UPDATE @ 11:00 p.m. MT, July 29:

News1130 reports:

Transwest Helicopters confirms one of its choppers has crashed while fighting a wildfire near Lillooet Thursday afternoon.

The helicopter went down as the crew was bucketing the fire from above near the active edge of the blaze. Another chopper was in the area and was able to call for help immediately.

The pilot, a 61-year-old man from Vernon, and his 27-year old co-pilot from Abbotsford, survived the accident and have been taken to hospital with minor injuries. The pilot suffered a concussion and a leg injury, while the co-pilot ended up with bumps and bruises.

The cause of the accident is not known. Transwest is expecting to be able to remove the wreckage by Friday.

The pilots walked away from the crash.

“Extraction crews worked very quickly in getting to the two men and moving them out of further harm’s way, given the danger that the crash location posed,” said RCMP Cpl Dan Moskaluk in a press release. “It was essentially at the fire’s edge in a very highly active fire area.

From the Toronto Sun:

VANCOUVER – Two pilots involved in a wildfire helicopter crash Thursday are expected to recover, according to Transwest Helicopters.

The Bell 214B helicopter lost power while carrying a bucket of fire retardant up a hill towards an active forest fire in the Porcupine Creek area of Lillooet, B.C.

The 61-year-old pilot was forced to make an emergency crash landing on a logging road.

“The helicopter was damaged pretty extensively,” said Alison Maas, co-owner of the Chilliwack-based helicopter company. “I can’t say what happened, only what appears to have happened. [The cause of the loss of power] will be up to the Transportation Safety Board people.”

From Aviation.ca:

“They dropped the water bucket and flew downhill trying to make a clearing but had a hard landing and the aircraft bowled over, ” said the owner of Transwest Helicopters. “Our pilot has been working for us for over 10 years,” he said. “He’s also a personal friend of mine and our concern was strictly for the crew. The helicopter can always be repaired.”