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| Date: | Monday 2 November 2015 |
| Time: | 16:42 LT |
| Type: |  Aérospatiale AS 350BA |
| Owner/operator: | GBR Helicopters Pty Ltd |
| Registration: | VH-SFX |
| MSN: | 1529 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1981 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Whyanbeel near Port Douglas, 70km NW of Cairns, QLD -
 Australia
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Agricultural |
| Departure airport: | Cairns, QLD |
| Port Douglas, QLD | |
| Investigating agency: | ATSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities |
The helicopter crashed into a creek bed while conducting an aerial weed survey. The pilot was moderately injured and the other occupants sustained minor injuries.
Analysis of the engine identified that the aircraft lost power due to a front bearing failure in the turbine module. The failure was due to an accumulation of coke particles in an oil jet. The ATSB was unable to conclude specifically why the coke particles had formed.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-02/helicopter-crash-at-whyanbeel/6906474
http://www.cairnspost.com.au/news/cairns/pilot-treated-for-injuries-after-chopper-crash-near-mossman-in-far-north-queensland/story-fnkxmkf4-1227591305161
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/helicopter-with-five-aboard-crashes-in-far-north-queensland-20151102-gkp1ye.html
http://www.news.com.au/national/queensland/helicopter-crashes-near-mossman-in-far-north-queensland/story-fnii5v6w-1227591334514
http://aerossurance.com/helicopters/coking-causes-power-loss/
http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2015/aair/ao-2015-124.aspx
Location
Media:
Coking in an oil jet resulted in a turbine shaft failure during a low level survey. The emergency landing was handled in a "competent and proficient manner" say ATSB. https://t.co/LD8wiVblQp #helicopter #airrorthiness #accident #flightsafety #aviationsafety pic.twitter.com/BNimWRXmVu
— Aerossurance (@Aerossurance) November 14, 2021
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 02-Nov-2015 10:25 | gerard57 | Added |
| 02-Nov-2015 16:10 | Geno | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Location, Source, ] |
| 02-Nov-2015 18:23 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Embed code, ] |
| 04-Nov-2015 08:51 | Pineapple | Updated [Time, Registration, Cn, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Damage, ] |
| 04-Nov-2015 10:22 | HR | Updated [Aircraft type, ] |
| 04-Nov-2015 11:29 | Aerossurance | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Phase, Nature, Narrative, ] |
| 08-Apr-2016 12:53 | Kardz | Updated [Operator, ] |
| 12-Nov-2017 19:29 | Aerossurance | Updated [Narrative, ] |
| 19-Nov-2017 19:21 | Aerossurance | Updated [Source, ] |
| 14-Nov-2021 11:05 | Aerossurance | Updated [Embed code, ] |
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