ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 749
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| Date: | Friday 9 July 1999 |
| Time: | 00:03 |
| Type: |  Robinson R22 Beta |
| Owner/operator: | Owston Nominees Pty Ltd |
| Registration: | VH-HRU |
| MSN: | 0941 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Ross River Homestead, 80 km E Alice Springs, NT -
 Australia
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Agricultural |
| Departure airport: | Ross River Homestead. NT |
| Investigating agency: | ATSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
The Robinson R22 helicopter registered VH-HRU had been engaged in cattle mustering operations on the day of the accident. Late in the afternoon, the pilot invited one of the stockmen to accompany him on a flight to a nearby tourist resort, to purchase bread for the stock camp.
They arrived at Ross River Homestead resort at about 17:00 CST, and some time later, decided to remain overnight at the resort. Witnesses reported that the pilot had consumed a quantity of alcohol during the course of the evening.
At about 23:45-24:00 CST, witnesses heard the helicopter engine start and run for a period of time, before the helicopter was seen to take-off, and depart in a north-easterly direction. It climbed steeply to about 600 feet above ground level, after which the engine noise appeared to change and the aircraft descended quickly until impact with the terrain.
Searchers found the wreckage soon after first light the next morning on a flat area of land between hills, approximately 800 metres from the resort.
Witnesses reported that at the time of the accident there was no wind. There was a high level cloud overcast and very dark conditions. Examination of the astronomical ephemeris (a table of the moon's position), confirmed that the moon did not rise until approximately 3 hours after the accident. The helicopter was not equipped for night flight under the instrument flight rules.
The evidence showed that the helicopter impacted the terrain banked to the right, in a nose-low attitude, and at high forward and vertical speeds. Impact forces destroyed the forward right and central cockpit area of the aircraft. The investigation could find no evidence of pre-existing damage to any of the helicopter's flight control systems.
The type of damage to the main and tail rotor blades indicated low power and low rotor RPM at impact. Examination of the engine indicated that it was either at idle or a very low power setting at impact. The investigation determined that sufficient clean fuel of the correct grade was on board the helicopter at the time to power the engine. No defect was identified that may have influenced the circumstances of the accident.
Due to the severity of the impact, the accident was not survivable, and both persons on board perished. The registration VH-HRU was cancelled by the DCA on 11 October 1999 as "destroyed"
Sources:
1. http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/1999/aair/aair199903335.aspx
2. http://www.griffin-helicopters.co.uk/accidentdetails.aspx?accidentkey=4236
3. http://www.planetrace.co.uk/r22_0501-1000_29.html
4. [LINK NOT WORKING ANYMORE:http://coptercrazy.brinkster.net/search/r22show.asp?start=901&count=50]
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 21-Jan-2008 10:00 | ASN archive | Added |
| 22-Dec-2011 15:34 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 04-May-2014 18:56 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Cn, Operator, Source, Narrative] |
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