ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 203185
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| Date: | Thursday 21 December 2017 |
| Time: | 11:00 UTC |
| Type: |  Bell UH-1D Huey |
| Owner/operator: | Kishugu Aviation |
| Registration: | ZS-HLI |
| MSN: | 5272 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Bredasdorp, Western Cape -
 South Africa
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | - |
| Departure airport: | Bredasdorp Fire Station (BFS) |
| Bredasdorp Fire Station (BFS) | |
| Investigating agency: | CAA S.A. |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The helicopter with registration marks ZS-HLI took off on a demonstration flight from Bredasdorp Fire Station (BFS) with the intention to land back at BFS, in Bredasdorp. Following the demonstration flight, the helicopter landed at BFS at approximately 1030Z. After landing, it was noted that the helicopter’s right-hand skid was resting on the strop of the Bambi bucket used for fire-fighting. To free the strop, the helicopter had to be repositioned slightly to the right. The pilot requested the marshal to stand in front of the helicopter and direct him using hand signals to ensure that the helicopter was repositioned correctly off the strop.
The pilot reported that once the helicopter was hovering in-ground effect, it began to oscillate. The oscillation progressed uncontrollably and the helicopter began to yaw to the right before the pilot lost control. The helicopter rotated along its vertical axis approximately 270 degrees to the right; the tail and main rotor blades impacted a fence before the helicopter impacted the ground hard on its skids. The skids broke off and the helicopter came to rest on its belly.
The helicopter’s engine failed to shut down in spite of the pilot switching off the fuel supply and pulling all the circuit breakers. The pilot requested the fire departmant to spray water into the engine intake to force an engine shut down. The fire department building and vehicles in the vicinity sustained minor damages caused by flying debris.
The marshal was seriously injured while the pilot was unharmed.
Probable Cause:
The pilot’s loss of control was likely caused by the pilot’s induced vertical oscillation due to incorrect tightening of the collective friction which was less than the required 7 pounds (hand tight), subsequently leading to the crash.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2017-12-21-helicopter-crashes-during-training-exercise/
https://www.netairspace.com/photos/ZS-HLI/Working_on_Fire_FFA_Assets/Bell_UH-1D_Iroquois/NLP_FANS_Nelspruit/photo_124862/
Media:
Western Cape - Helicopter Crash: Fire chopper down at Bredasdorp, pilot and crew moderate injuries pic.twitter.com/JkAwugPg7d
— Rob Beezy (@TrafficSA) 21 décembre 2017
Breaking News:
— Southern Staying 🏡⛱ (@SouthernStaying) 21 décembre 2017
Helicopter Crash Today. Fire chopper down at Bredasdorp, Overberg, Western Cape, South Africa. pilot and crew moderate injuries. pic.twitter.com/GKzHEsHnpN
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 21-Dec-2017 18:20 | gerard57 | Added |
| 21-Dec-2017 19:29 | Anon. | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Source] |
| 21-Dec-2017 19:56 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Source, Embed code] |
| 21-Dec-2017 20:07 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Embed code] |
| 21-Dec-2017 20:42 | TB | Updated [Aircraft type, Embed code] |
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