Trucker ticketed after wedging helicopter beneath I-12 overpass in Denham Springs

ElPaso Pilot

ElPaso Pilot

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ElPaso Pilot
Well, that had to be an awful crunch.


The Denham Springs Police Department said the driver, 56-year-old Miguel Rodriguez, worked for Texas-based trucking company International Machine Transport. He was ticketed for careless operation.​
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Police added that the cargo was being transported from Georgia to Lafayette. ​
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While officials have not released details on the aircraft involved, it appeared to resemble a Sikorsky S-92. Fresh from the production line, the helicopter goes for nearly $30 million. ​
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www.wbrz.com

Trucker ticketed after wedging helicopter beneath I-12 overpass in Denham Springs

DENHAM SPRINGS - A vehicle towing a $30 million helicopter got stuck on Range Avenue after the top of the aircraft inadvertently rammed an I-12 overpass Friday morning.
www.wbrz.com www.wbrz.com
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Well, you can probably pick it up for a bargain now.
 
I have to admit to being confused as to how this happens. It is an interstate, so the bridges should meet normal clearance standards. I would presume this is not the first time Sikorsky has shipped one of these helicopters from the factory, so they should know how to load it. As an oversized load, it would be on a permit which should verify sizes. I'm curious which link in the chain broke.
 
It made it from Georgia to Texas....then this.

Interesting.
 
midwestpa24 said:
It is an interstate, so the bridges should meet normal clearance standards
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FYI: the truck had exited the interstate and was on a state hwy. Whether that exit was on their approved route is unknown plus he had a pilot vehicle with him.
Kelvin said:
It made it from Georgia to Texas
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Its my understanding it was travelling from GA to Lafayette, LA for 3rd party work. Dehnim Springs is on the way. Looks like the shop will have more to do now.:rolleyes:
 
^^^^ The driver probably exited to refuel/refood. That exit has a truck stop and Bass Pro. Petroleum Helicopters Inc (PHI in our neck of the woods) has their main base on the airfield at KLFT... about 1000yds from where I sit typing this. The fly many S-92's for crew change service to the many offshore platforms/drilling rigs located in deep water. That may have been its final destination but I have heard no chatter yet about PHI losing on of their new born birds yet. No excuses for the pilot vehicle not to foresee this and stop the driver from that path of travel. Lucy....you got some splainin' to do!
 
midwestpa24 said:
I have to admit to being confused as to how this happens. It is an interstate, so the bridges should meet normal clearance standards. I would presume this is not the first time Sikorsky has shipped one of these helicopters from the factory, so they should know how to load it. As an oversized load, it would be on a permit which should verify sizes. I'm curious which link in the chain broke.
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Sikorsky sits right on the Merritt Parkway in Connecticuty, which has low bridges. Despite all the "LOW BRIDGES - NO TRUCKS" signs, morons manage to get stuck under the bridges with depressing regularity.

Never saw a chopper on a truck, though, I would think they'd fly them out.
 
I love that he got a ticket. Like the love letter from the snake is the worst of his problems, or even in his top ten right now.

Just kicking him while he's already down with that. Jerk cop.
 
Bell206 said:
FYI: the truck had exited the interstate and was on a state hwy. Whether that exit was on their approved route is unknown plus he had a pilot vehicle with him.

Its my understanding it was travelling from GA to Lafayette, LA for 3rd party work. Dehnim Springs is on the way. Looks like the shop will have more to do now.:rolleyes:
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Ah I missed this part. All I read is that it was on I-12.
 
“In
robin ardoin said:
^^^^ The driver probably exited to refuel/refood.
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Or other things.

I lost a major piece of wide load / tall load industrial equipment critical to a new automotive model launch.

Received a picture one morning of my project wiped clean off the back of a flatbed and lying in a ditch next to an overpass.

Driver took a little side excursion for an overnight meet up with his honey, and was making up time on rural roads trying to catch back up with the main route. He was cruising so fast he made it clean through without his load before he could stop.

That was a very bad day for him, me, and a lot of other people.
 
robin ardoin said:
That may have been its final destination but I have heard no chatter yet about PHI losing on of their new born birds yet
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Its not one of theirs. My understanding is its a customer aircraft in for some 3rd party work at the LFT hangar.
Dana said:
Never saw a chopper on a truck, though, I would think they'd fly them out.
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Not when they cant fly. Its pretty common in some ops.
texasclouds said:
Driver probably is going to have to move to Hong Kong to find work driving the rubber dog poop to the airport…
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Unless the driver was drunk doubtfull he'll lose his job. Sheet happens and heavy hauler drivers especially with drop deck and aircraft experience rare commodity. Will be interesting where the escort driver fits into this.
 
Bell206 said:
Unless the driver was drunk doubtfull he'll lose his job. Sheet happens and heavy hauler drivers especially with drop deck and aircraft experience rare commodity. Will be interesting where the escort driver fits into this.
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Depends on what his excuse was for deviating from the planned route, or if it was planned properly. See my post above yours.

Some sheet is avoidable.
 
see? it's not a good idea trying to under bridges...
 
There should be a salvage S-92 popping up on Trade-A-Plane soon.

Too expensive to fix...
 
IK04 said:
Too expensive to fix...
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Given the S-92B model has been shelved and the main 92A production line closed last year my guess is it will be repaired.
 
Wonder if the driver may not have pre planned his route. Most likely unfamiliar with the road.
 
Bell206 said:
FYI: the truck had exited the interstate and was on a state hwy. Whether that exit was on their approved route is unknown plus he had a pilot vehicle with him.

Its my understanding it was travelling from GA to Lafayette, LA for 3rd party work. Dehnim Springs is on the way. Looks like the shop will have more to do now.:rolleyes:
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Whereas the driver, the shipper, and the insurance co. are very bummed, the shop is probably dancing with joy. One man’s loss really is another man’s gain.
 
Being that it was going to be upfitted, was it certificated yet? When or if repaired, after upfitting , can it be said the a/c has NDH? :rolleyes:
 
DMD3. said:
Whereas the driver, the shipper, and the insurance co. are very bummed
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You forgot to mention the owner. Now they'll be without their aircraft way beyond the initial plan. Which at this level can be a deal breaker. And with the current support issues with this model we maybe talking in "years" and not months before they get the aircraft back.
C-1 PILOT said:
Being that it was going to be upfitted, was it certificated yet?
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Its my understanding it was on its way for some upgrades and a repair and not a new aircraft. And while it will have a repair history that issue is normally not a defining point in this part of industry as some hold for in the private GA world.
 
In my youth, I was riding shotgun hauling a 40-foot lowboy loaded with 3-wire hay bales to a diary. Somewhere around Corvalis, OR, John the driver, took us under a railroad bridge. Godawful racket. When we stopped and looked, the bridge had neatly scraped off the top two tiers of bales and bent the forward uprights. We restacked the bales that survived, delivered the hay, and when we got back to the farm, cut off the bent parts of the uprights.
 
frfly172 said:
Wonder if the driver may not have pre planned his route. Most likely unfamiliar with the road.
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Anything oversize that requires permits the state sets your route. If he was on that route and was within the dimensions of his permit someone in the permit office will have a problem. The grey area is you don't buy the permits directly from the state you have to use a permit agency. Sooooo when something like this happens everyone can point in the other direction for blame and the cargo insurance takes the hit.
 
Here on the edge of town on a very back road there is a tunnel under the interstate that is marked 13'6".

Every now and then an 18 wheeler finds their way onto that road. By the time they get to the tunnel it is too late to turn around. So far no one has gotten stuck since I have lived here, but I have watched a couple work their way under with about a 1/2 inch clearance.

I like to accelerate heavily while entering the tunnel then let off the throttle and listen to the turbo whistle, like the teenagers here in town do...
 
Kitch said:
Anything oversize that requires permits the state sets your route. If he was on that route and was within the dimensions of his permit someone in the permit office will have a problem. The grey area is you don't buy the permits directly from the state you have to use a permit agency. Sooooo when something like this happens everyone can point in the other direction for blame and the cargo insurance takes the hit.
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From re-reading the article, the driver had left the interstate route and taken an exit for a break, food, bathroom, etc. He got stuck under the bridge for the interstate, not on the interstate (I misread that too).

The one time I had to get a permit was in Iowa, and you did get the permit directly from them.
 
From the PPrune thread.

www.pprune.org

S92 vs bridge, bridge wins - PPRuNe Forums

Rotorheads - S92 vs bridge, bridge wins - Originally Posted by 60FltMech Very bad day for the truck driver.. That driver will probably never see a truck again from the inside. Rather be clearing toilets in future I guess. And his company will have some nasty dicsussions with the insurance. If...
www.pprune.org

Older Google Maps view with 15' clearance sign
helo_eating_bridge_c380dbdc6d4c543c156fbeef5e1c96f0091a60ee.png


Accident photo with mismatched paint where sign used to be. May have been missing since 2015.
cm4r3wtj3revlnot65nilpltx4_902bd08aa5783a4246495f6eae24f1f2f0204e47.jpg
 
Domenick said:
In my youth, I was riding shotgun hauling a 40-foot lowboy loaded with 3-wire hay bales to a diary.
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“Dear Diary,

today I enticed a young, shotgun-toting guy with a 40-ft lowboy to my house by ordering a load of hay. I was rather disappointed when he showed up, as his lowboy wasn’t fully-loaded.”

:biggrin:
 
ElPaso Pilot said:
From the PPrune thread.

www.pprune.org

S92 vs bridge, bridge wins - PPRuNe Forums

Rotorheads - S92 vs bridge, bridge wins - Originally Posted by 60FltMech Very bad day for the truck driver.. That driver will probably never see a truck again from the inside. Rather be clearing toilets in future I guess. And his company will have some nasty dicsussions with the insurance. If...
www.pprune.org

Older Google Maps view with 15' clearance sign
helo_eating_bridge_c380dbdc6d4c543c156fbeef5e1c96f0091a60ee.png


Accident photo with mismatched paint where sign used to be. May have been missing since 2015.
cm4r3wtj3revlnot65nilpltx4_902bd08aa5783a4246495f6eae24f1f2f0204e47.jpg
Click to expand...


Not to be pedantic but the first photo is of that underpass but traveling in the opposite direction of the accident vehicle. That photo is heading north into Denham. The accident vehicle was heading south toward the truck stops. The clearance is not always the same in the opposing lane, however, I think this overpass is symmetrical about the median and probably had 15' on either side....maybe. Qualifier- I have travelled that intersection often.
 
robin ardoin said:
Not to be pedantic but the first photo is of that underpass but traveling in the opposite direction of the accident vehicle. That photo is heading north into Denham. The accident vehicle was heading south toward the truck stops. The clearance is not always the same in the opposing lane, however, I think this overpass is symmetrical about the median and probably had 15' on either side....maybe. Qualifier- I have travelled that intersection often.
Click to expand...

This seems to be the correct direction, and shows the same situation, where it appears the sign was removed at some point. This image is dated June 2023, so very recent. The 2011 photo is the most recent with the sign in place, as of 2015 (as @ElPaso Pilot mentions) the sign is missing.

1695838958620.png
 
RussR said:
This seems to be the correct direction, and shows the same situation, where it appears the sign was removed at some point. This image is dated June 2023, so very recent. The 2011 photo is the most recent with the sign in place, as of 2015 (as @ElPaso Pilot mentions) the sign is missing.

View attachment 120917
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Yes...that is the correct location...heading south toward the truck stops. I would guess the clearance was also the same on this side. I have filled up my bus, with a 13' tall race hauler in tow, at the truck stop just beyond the underpass in your photo. My roof remained intact...so it had 13'+ as of 2011 :D
 
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