What: Swanson Aviation Group Helicopter hired by Southern California Edison to string electrical line Where: Santa Clarita area north of Los Angeles behind Lombardi Ranch on Bouquet Canyon Road. Who: 1 fatality. The pilot sustained minor injuries.It is unclear if Curtis Cauthen of Ashfork, CA.–the mechanic on the ground– worked for the helicopter company or the electrical company.) Curtis was caught by the rotor blades and sustained fatal injuries. Why: The helicopter was hoving above-ground when a gust of wind wind caused the helicopter to spiral.
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A dozen Augusta Westland helicopters Ontario purchased for $144 million have problems with tail rotors falling off.
EASA issued an air worthiness directive for the AW139. A directive from the European agency last Aug. 19 ordered helicopter owners to replace the tail rotors after 600 hours of flight following a fatal accident “possibly caused by cracks in a TR (tail rotor) blade.” A Feb. 17 directive called for inspections and maintenance of the tail rotors every 25 hours in the air.
In Ontario, Augusta Westland helicopters are in use as air ambulance helicopters. Ornge Founder Dr. Chris Mazza was fired, and an investigation is underway.
ORNGE helicopters are forbidden from entering U.S. airspace and must land at the border and use land ambulances. Issues relate to ORNGE’s new AgustaWestland helicopters, not the old fleet. A ground protocol exists for transporting burn unit or neurology bed patients. Former deputy minister of government services Ron McKerlie is now interim CEO of ORNGE, now non-profit.
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What: Heliflite Inc/Aris Helicopter Sikorsky S-58ET Where: El Segundo When: March 13, 2011. 9:30 am Who: pilot Why: Earlier in March we talked about the Sikorsky that crashed while lifting an ac unit from atop the Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems warehouse in El Segundo. The injured pilot survived though he had to be extracted from the helicopter. Anthony Savedra, an employee of Excel Mechanical, pulled the pilot to safety. The helicopter capacity is 5000 pounds, and the unit that was being removed from the building was under 4500 lbs, but the helicopter apparently suffered an engine failure (the pilot said the engine when “offline”) while the operation was in progress. A witness in the video below said the helicopter made a popping noise on impact, and there was white smoke; then a few moments later, there was an explosion, and black smoke. The pilot escaped burn injuries.
The crash started a fire on two floors of the warehouse but no one was injured in the fire, because the accident occurred on a Sunday. Seventy firefighters put out the blaze within forty minutes.
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What: Cougar Sikorsky S-92 helicopter Where: Halifax airport When: Sept 23 Who: 17 people on board Why: Chopper experienced engine failure in one of its engines while returning from an offshore rig. The helicopter landed safely and no one was injured.
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What: Nyaman Air Mil Mi-8MTV Where: Tembagapura, Mimika, Papua Indonesia When: Oct 9, 2012 Who: 27 aboard Why: The chopper made a hard landing near mile 66. Twenty four or five passengers (18 Indonesians and seven citizens of other countries) and three crew survived the landing, though the helicopter sustained damage.
There were no fatalities, but the number of those aboard has been reported from 27 to 29 with either 2 or 3 crew, and 24 or 25 passengers.
US PT Freeport Indonesia evacuated the passengers who were hospitalized briefly with minor injuries.
A Russian news report said that two of the pilots were Russians.
Right after takeoff, the flight lost altitude and struck a tree.
What: Conviasa Aerospatiale ATR-42-300 en route from Puerto Ordaz to Porlamor Venezuela Where: Puerto Ordaz When: Sep 13 2010 Who: 51 aboard, 15 fatalities, 36 passengers and crew survived Why: After takeoff while 10 miles from Manuel Piar International Airport, the crew experienced “control problems” requiring a return to the airport. Between the Caribbean island of Margarita and Puerto Ordaz, the plane crashed. 36 survivors were recovered from the wreckage and taken to hospitals and the remains of 2 were recovered.
As of Sept 18, the number of dead has risen to 17. Conviasa is suspending flights for two weeks for safety assessments.
The pilot was Conviasa Ramiro Cardenas.
The plane crashed in the Sidor Steel Mill junkyard/storage area amid heaps and barrels of unused steel.
While attempting an emergency landing, the plane became entangled with electrical wires and crashed.
Current reports indicate 23 survivors. We will be updating as we hear news.
Bolivar State Governor Francisco Rangel Gomez gas opened the following number for family members:
0800-BOLIVAR / 0800-2654827 for more information on passengers
What: 250 lb single-engine true Ultralight aircraft Where: Desoto County soybean field near the intersection of Stateline and Center Hill Roads. When: 10/2/09 Who: 52 year-old Louis Bassie of Byhalia Mississippi Why: As he was coming in for a landing, Bassie’s plane took a nose-dive, spiraled out-of-control and crashed. Bassie had a pilot’s license, worked as a crop-duster, and had served in the military, but it does not take a license to fly a home built kit plane.
Federal authorities will not be investigating the crash of an unlicensed plane.
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