Helicopter rotor Catches Cable
- Thread starter 1600vw
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1600vw
Pattern Altitude
Dude on the ground grabs the cable.
1600vw
Pattern Altitude
Yes I did. He almost comes out of the side.
German guy
Cleared for Takeoff
I was surprised to see that the tail immediately snapped off, even though he apparently caught the rope with the main rotor!?
I think the rotor catch rotated the tail into the cable.
German guy
Cleared for Takeoff
Ahh, right - this sounds plausible.
I feel sorry for this guy. What he might have told his boss? 'There are some scratches on the door - the helicopter is lying on it'!?
ClimbnSink
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Greg
Tail boom is relatively weak, the motor and transmission were ripped off their mounts and moved backwards. If the blades hit on the other side that stuff would have gone forward towards where the pilot ended up.
kyleb
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Drake the Outlaw
Does anyone want to speculate exactly what they were doing, why that cable was where it was, and why the guy was yanking on the cable?
Anymouse
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Total Stud Bush Pilot
100% speculation...
It's possible that the pilot was unable to release the cable after placing whatever he placed. The guy grabbing the cable may have been trying to yank it loose.
Again, pure speculation on my part.
Erecting an antenna? Lifting the next segment?
darrell
Pre-takeoff checklist
Tail booms com off fairly often during catastrophic sudden stoppages. It's due to the torque from the drive system.
RV10flyer
Pattern Altitude
I think their kevlar cable was a little short, lightweight and he was working way to close. The rigger that jumped up to grab the cable nearly made his last jump. He had climbing gear on and was going to climb the seven story tower to unhook the cable, but did not follow the plan. They should have stopped him before letting him get that close. Due to the kevlar being lightweight, the hook would not release. I think I would have ascended, put a little tension on the cable, then hit my hook release button. Or follow the plan...secure the tower, climb tower and disconnect, then helicopter flies safely away. The sudden stoppage and out of balance condition just about ripped the seat completely out. The pilot was in the full reclined position.
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Erecting a fake christmas tree.
Because it was part of the operation, necessary to hoist the next component.
Because he is an idiot.
(probably not an idiot, but a rigger not properly trained or if properly trained subject to momentary brain-lock)
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Velocity173
Tail booms can also break from violent vibration (ground resonance).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FeXjhUEXlc
I would say that most booms are pretty strong though. The monoque design of the OH-58/206 can take a beating. Once saw a 58 in flight school slam it's tail during the flare of an auto. Bent the boom up a few inches and the pilot flew the rest of the day like that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FeXjhUEXlc
I would say that most booms are pretty strong though. The monoque design of the OH-58/206 can take a beating. Once saw a 58 in flight school slam it's tail during the flare of an auto. Bent the boom up a few inches and the pilot flew the rest of the day like that.
rbridges
En-Route
wow, that was freakin' sudden. I wasn't expecting it to happen so fast. 
cirrusmx
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campoalavista
it seems that the guy on the ground jumped to grab the cable and pulled it towards the rotor. Mixed feelings to see a several mil worth of equipment trashed...for a Christmas tree?
ClimbnSink
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Greg
Wasn't trashed for a Christmas tree, was trashed for work. Helicopters do stupid dangerous things to earn their keep. Just the way it is.
Nope, it's insured, it is fully compliant with what makes our society work on a whole. This is what we formed to operate econefficiently. Breaking old ones is what buys new ones and insurance companies invest in helicopter companies. It's part of the Life Cycle of Money under Capitalism.
Yep, sometimes jobs are tight and you have to operate at close margins, Pilots are human and make errors, mechanical failures happen... As an operator it's understood that you will damage equipment getting jobs done, there is an entire financial industry that understands that as well selling us insurance against those risks. As an operator, it's not my primary job to safeguard equipment. My primary job is to safeguard people. If I know I'm going to do some damage, I make sure that everyone is clear. It is next my duty to get the job done for the client. Only then is my responsibility to safeguard the equipment. Normally I know well ahead of time if I am going to cause damage and I'll call the office and tell them what's up and what the risks are and let them determine whether to go ahead or not, a lot of times they say go.