ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 196311
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| Date: | Friday 10 April 1998 |
| Time: | 05:15 LT |
| Type: |  Bell 206B-3 JetRanger III |
| Owner/operator: | Helicopters Australia |
| Registration: | VH-WCQ |
| MSN: | 2781 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1979 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | MV China Steel Realist, 22km N of Dampier, WA -
 Australia
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Passenger - Non-Scheduled/charter/Air Taxi |
| Departure airport: | MV China Steel Realist |
| East Intercourse Island, WA | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The helicopter was being used to transport marine pilots to ships waiting to enter port. The helicopter had just taken two pilots to the MV China Steel Realist but, after take-off to return to Dampier, as the helicopter climbed through about 500ft. at a speed of 55kt., the pilot experienced 'a strange feeling in the tail rotor pedals', which he described as 'sponginess', although there did not seem to be any directional control problems. The pilot began to investigate what he thought might be a problem but then can apparently remember nothing more until he found himself in the water. Meanwhile the helicopter had been seen to crash into the sea by the watch on the China Steel Realist and rescue operations begun. The pilot was rescued about an hour later. The accident happened in darkness (0515L) with a high overcast, flat sea and few visible lights. The investigation found that the pilot had been distracted by a possible mechanical problem with the tail rotor pedals and that he had not monitored the helicopter's flight path. He was unaware that the helicopter was descending until it hit the water.
Sources:
https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/1998/aair/199801298/
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Jun-2017 14:00 | Aerossurance | Added |
| 24-Jun-2017 14:05 | Aerossurance | Updated [Narrative] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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