Helicopter

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    Two not Fatalities of Nigerian Helicopter Crash

    A Nigerian Navy Agusta A109E on Ogbia Creek, Bayelsa Nigeria on Dec 15, 2012, 1500 hrs. The Nigerian Navy helicopter crashed in Bayelsa Nigeria that crashed Saturday killed a six including Patrick Yakowa, General Andrew Azazi, governor’s aide, Dauda Tsoho and Warrant Officer Mohammed Kamal who is Azazi’s aide as well as the pilots, Commander Murtala Mohammed Daba and Lt. Adeyemi O. Sowole.

    Two entertainers, Ramsey Nouah and Timi Dakolo who were presumed dead were not aboard a helicopter. They missed the charter flight to Oronto Douglas’s father’s funeral.

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    Snowboarder Rescued by Search and Rescue team

    On December 18, 2012, the crew aboard a RCAF Cormorant search and rescue found and rescued a snowboarder stranded in a steep ravine between Horseshoe Bay and Lions Bay, British Columbia.

    In poor visibility and blowing snow, the 442 Transport and Rescue Squad hoisted Search and Rescue Teams 300 feet through trees to the waiting snowboarder who was retrieved, then flown to Vancouver International Airport and handed over to B.C. Ambulance.

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    Russian Helicopter Shot Down

    December 21, 2012 a Kogalymavia Mil Mi-8AMT cargo flight for UN forces was struck by friendly fire and all 5 aboard died in the crash near Likuangole in the Sudan.

    According to Ria Novosti, Russian law enforcement said the helicopter was a “Nizhnevartovskavia” Russian Mi-8 helicopter.

    The BBC said this was a peacekeeping mission and a clearly marked helicopter. The incident was reported as a case of “friendly fire.”

    The four crew members were Russian, and there was a non-Russian passenger. Everyone aboard perished in the crash and subsequent fire.

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    Four Survive Bell Crash in Ruthi Switzerland


    Dec 20, 2012, at 16:30 a Bell UH-1D Huey en route from Balzers to St. Gallen, Switzerland developed engine problems.

    The pilot touched down with skids, bounced, and crashed into a cottage in Rüthi in the Rhine valley about 200 meters from the highway. The gearbox and rotor were ten meters from the body of the helicopter.

    The four people aboard the helicopter were hospitalized with minor injuries. Rescue services considered the damage to the helicopter and said that it was lucky there were no fatalities.

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    Sao Paulo Chopper Training Flight Crash


    Dec 16 2012-An instructor and student of Rangel Escola de Avião Civil were injured during a training flight in a Robinson R-22 when it crashed at 19:30 near the Guarapiranga Dam in Sao Paulo Brazil.

    The hard landing was close to 15796 M’Boi Mirim road in the Garden Angela, in jungle terrain and destroyed the helicopter. Passengers were conscious when the rescue team arrived. Three fire vehicles responded.

    The instructor and the student pilot were admitted to Hospital das Clinicas and Hospital São Luís. The student’s head injuries are supposed to be not serious.

    The Fire Department and “Team Eagle” helicopter and Military Police responded to the scene.

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    Guardia di Finanza Helicopter Crashes, Injuring Three

    A Guardia di Finanza Helicopter crashed at 12:30 near Pizza Tambo, Sondrio Province, Italy.

    The crash occurred on Madesimo Piz Tambo mountain.

    Three people aboard the helicopter were injured. They were med-evacuated to the Chiavenna emergency room.

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    Nigerian Officials Die in Helicopter Crash


    What: Nigerian Navy Agusta A109E
    Where: Ogbia Creek, Bayelsa Nigeria
    When: Dec 15, 2012, 1500 hrs
    Who: 6 aboard, 6 fatalities
    Why: A Nigerian Navy helicopter crashed in Bayelsa Nigeria. Among the fatalities is the governor of Kaduna, Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa.

    Several politicians had traveled to Bayelsa for the funeral of the father of Mr. Oronto Douglas, the President’s Special Adviser on Research and Documentation.

    Also aboard was former national security adviser Gen Owoye Azazi. The rest of the casualties are governor’s aide, Dauda Tsoho and Warrant Officer Mohammed Kamal who is Azazi’s aide as well as the pilots, Commander Murtala Mohammed Daba and Lt. Adeyemi O. Sowole.

    The helicopter crashed five minutes after it took off, between 3:30 and 4 pm around Nembe-Okoroba area. Witnesses say the helicopter nosedived, then was a crash, and the chipper burst into flames. There was a big burst of black smoke.

    Search and rescue operation was performed by a combined team of personnel from Joint Task Force (OPS PULO SHIELD), Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Air Force, NEMA and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps. The remains have been taken to Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital.

    Another chopper with registration number 5NBOR carried other aides and security details to Port Harcourt without incident.

    The crash is under investigation.

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    Medical Helicopter Crash outside of Chicago

    What: Rockford Memorial Hospital MBB BK 117 A-3 en route from Rockford to Mendota
    Where: Rochelle, Illinois
    When: Dec 10, 2012 8:30 p.m.
    Who: 3 aboard, 3 fatalities
    Why: A Rockford Memorial Hospital’s REACT helicopter crashed in a field at about 8:30 p.m. in Rochelle midway between Rockford and Mendota. Pilot Andy Olson, flight nurse Jim Dillow, R.N. and flight nurse Karen Hollis, R.N. died on the scene.

    The medical helicopter was en route to Mendota to pick up a patient. No patients were aboard at the time of the accident.

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    Three Survive Helicopter Ditched in AZ Lake

    What: Sky Blue Helicopters Robinson R44 Helicopter
    Where: Theodore Roosevelt Lake in Gila County
    When: Dec 7 2012
    Who: 3 aboard
    Why: Two men and one woman were aboard a helicopter on a sightseeing tour when it crashed in Theodore Roosevelt Lake in Gila County. The water where the helicopter crashed was 60 feet deep. Boaters pulled the passengers from the water.

    The two men and one woman were hospitalized in Phoenix. Julie Barba, 49, remains in the hospital, but Fred Cleeves, the 62-year-old pilot, and George Riedel, 64, were released from Scottsdale Healthcare Osborne Medical Center.

    Gila County Sheriff’s Office Divers attached a buoy to the helicopter to mark its location before removal.

    Sky Blue Helicopters leases the helicopter.

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    CHC Heli Returns Safely from North Sea Flight to Aberdeen over Warning Light

    What: L2 CHC Scotia Super Puma en route from to the Awilco-owned WilHunter rig in the North Sea
    Where: Aberdeen Airport
    When: Dec 7 2012
    Who: 16 passengers 2 crew
    Why: The pilot was flying to the Wilhunter platform when a warning light came on in the plane.

    The flight made an emergency return to Aberdeen, with the Scottish Ambulance Service on standby.

    The helicopter is being examined for the nature of the problem that caused the warning. No injuries were reported.

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    Robinson Crashed in Mudgee Australia

    What: Robinson 44 helicopter
    Where: Mudgee Australia
    When: Dec 9, 2012
    Who: 1 fatality
    Why: A 48 year old man on an agricultural flight was flying a Robinson helicopter and crashed in steep and rugged bushland at Grattai in New South Wales. Emergency services responded to the scene at 11:00 a.m.

    The pilot is thought to have been spraying for weeds.

    The pilot was pronounced dead at the scene. The Australian ATSB is investigating.

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    Helicopter lost in Baltic Sea, 2 aboard

    What: Helitrans Eurocopter AS 350 Ecureuil en route from Lübeck, Germany to Halmstad Sweden
    Where: Baltic Sea
    When: Dec 5, 2012
    Who: 2 aboard
    Why: The Helitrans Eurocopter has been missing since December fifth over the Baltic Sea. The emergency beacon located by a German Navy vessel off the coast of Fehmarn island appears to have been a false alarm. Danish air ATC lost radar contact with the helicopter at 13:56 Swedish time, about 10 minutes after takeoff into what should have been a 2 hour flight.

    The pilot is a Norwegian employee of Heli Trans. The other has foreign citizenship and is not employed by Heli Trans.

    The search operation for the missing Norwegian helicopter was suspended overnight from 10 o’clock p.m. on Dec 5 but rescue centers in Denmark, Norway and Sweden have been involved. Nine search vessels are in the area east of Neustadt in Holstein. See German Link here:No traces of fuel or oil in the water have been found, and the beacon that was located by the German ship appears to have been a lost cell phone. It was not in the expected flight path.

    The air search has resumed, with a German Sea King helicopter now searching. Recent snowfall is impeding search more difficult.

    The passenger’s name has not been released but the next of kin have been informed.

  • Slave Lake Chopper Crash

    What: Private helicopter
    Where: Slave Lake, Canada
    When: Dec 5, 2012
    Who: 1 aboard, 1 fatality
    Why: A helicopter flying out of Peace River en route to Calgary crashed in windy weather with blwing snow in the vicinity of Slave Lake Canada.

    The helicopter was owned by an energy company. It’s beacon activated at 12:30 p.m and a search by two helicopters was initiated by Cold Lake RCMP and Canadian Forces. They located the wreckage in a heavily forested area 12 kilometres southwest of Slave Lake. Three of the search team parachuted into the area of rough terrain, cut out a landing pad, and found the 38 year old pilot deceased at the scene.

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    Pilot Lost off Florida Coast

    What: Tampa Bay Aviation Robinson R22 Helicopter
    Where: Bright Bay Court near Beer Can Island. Apollo Beach Florida
    When: Nov 29, 2012
    Who: 1 fatality
    Why: 400 yards offshore, a helicopter crashed just off of Apollo Beach. The off-duty Tampa police officer who witnessed the crash said that the rotors looked like they came off the top of the chopper. Another witness reported an explosion.

    Divers recovered the body of 60 year-old John Lawrence Ward of Tampa.

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    American Killed in Bahama Helicopter Crash

    What: Pioneer Caribbean Logistics Limited Twin Star helicopter en route from Marsh Harbour to Baker’s Bay
    Where: Great Guana Cay, North Abaco, Bahamas
    When: Nov 22, 2012, 1 p.m.
    Who: 4 injured, 1 fatality
    Why: The party aboard the helicopter was landing at a luxury resort community, Baker’s Bay Golf & Ocean Club on Great Guana Cay, when gusty winds blew the chopper into a spin and out of control. The helicopter’s rotor blades struck the ground near the Baker’s Bay townhomes, and the tail broke off. The pilot was injured, and hospitalized. One passenger, Lance Valdez, died on impact.

    Valdez founded Pioneer Capital and lived in New York before he and his family moved to the Bahamas.

    Jeffrey Soffer was also aboard the plane. Soffer was injured along with Dan and Paula Riordan. Soffer owns the Fountainebleau Miami Beach, condos in Las Vegas, the Bahamas and Washington D.C and is an investor in Turnberry Associates. Dan Riordan is also with Turnberry. The injured were taken by boat to Marsh Harbour.

    From Marsh Harbour, the crash victims were flown by racing-team owner Roger Penske’s private jet to Miami where Soffer and the Riordans were hospitalized at Miami’s Ryder Trauma Center. One of the injured was taken to Nassau.

    Civil Aviation Department investigators traveled to Abaco to begin examining the crash. The wreckage has been moved to a secure location. The Bahamas Ministry of Transportation and Aviation has completed its preliminary report on the Abaco helicopter crash. The report indicates that the airframe, engine and propeller manufacturers and designers have been notified of the accident.

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    Texas Utility Helicopter Crashes with 1 Fatality


    Flight Aware

    What: Brim Equipment Leasing Inc Hughes 369D
    Where: Childress, TX
    When: Nov 27, 2012, 4:05 p.m.
    Who: 2 aboard, 1 fatality
    Why: While hovering above ground, the aircraft was holding a passenger suspended fifty feet below. THe passenger was working on a power line a hundred feet above ground.

    The helicopter lost power and fell. Pilot Keith Hard was sustained back injuries in the crash and was hospitalized at Childress Regional Medical Canter. Jonathan David Suhr was working on the power line and impacted the ground when the helicopter fell. Suhr was taken to Childress Regional Medical Center where he died.

    The NTSB is investigating.

    IDENTIFICATION
    Regis#: 28MP Make/Model: H369 Description: HUGHES 369D
    Date: 11/27/2012 Time: 2158

    Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: Fatal Mid Air: N Missing: N
    Damage: Destroyed

    LOCATION
    City: CHILDRESS State: TX Country: US

    DESCRIPTION
    N28MP HUGHES 369D ROTORCRAFT STRUCK TREES DURING POWERLINE OPERATION AND
    CRASHED, 1 PERSON WAS FATALLY INJURED, 1 SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES, NEAR
    CHILDRESS, TX

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    Chopper Crashes in Trichiana Field

    What: Smart Elicotteri Srl Aérospatiale AS 350 BA Ecureuil
    Where: Trichiana Italy
    When: Nov 20, 2012
    Who: 2 aboard, 2 fatalities
    Why: A helicopter distributing anti rabies bait for wild animal vaccination took off and struck an electrical line before it fell into a field.

    The victims worked for Smart Helicopters Srl of Italy.

    A dog aboard the chopper was also killed.

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    Bell Chopper Collision in Pasadena


    What: (2) Pasadena Police Department Bell OH-58A Kiowa
    Where: Pasadena Police helipad
    When: Nov 17, 2012, 4:00 pm
    Who: 6 injured: a pilot and observer in both helicopters; two officers on the ground
    Why: As one police helicopter tookoff and another one was landing, the rotors of both helicopters touched, causing a collision and crash.

    Both helicopters were damaged. Six people were hospitalized.

    One helicopter crew was on regular patrol.

    One helicopter was monitoring UCLA-Southern California football game traffic.

    The weather conditions at the time were cloudy with a drizzle of rain. The NTSB is investigating.
    Video

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    Turkish Chopper Crashes in Storm on Herekol mountain

    What: Turkish Sikorsky S-70
    Where: Herekol mountain, Turkey
    When: Nov 10, 2012
    Who: 17 aboard 17 fatalities
    Why: Three crew members and 14 police special forces were aboard the Turkish Sikorsky S-70 when it crashed in poor weather conditions.

    The weather was described as heavy fog and rain.

    The official statement by Siirt province governor Ahmet Aydin was that the “… helicopter hit a hill due to unfavourable weather conditions caused by a thick fog and heavy rains.”

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    €10,000 Awarded for Child Trauma


    Two year old Emma Reddan witnessed a Sikorsky S76 piloted by Bill Curry crashing in the Neptune Hotel car lot. The chopper’s rotor blade struck a lamp post, resulting in the crash.

    Emma Reddan suffered from separation anxiety disorder.

    In Civil court, Judge Matthew Deery approved a €10,000 settlement for Emma Reddan from Curry and GP Helicopter Services Ltd, of Woodstown Dale, Knocklyon, Dublin, and Barrack Construction Limited, Thomastown, Caragh, Naas, Co Kildare.

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    Atlanta Officers Killed Chopper Search/Crash

    What: OH-6A helicopter
    Where: Atlanta
    When: Nov 4, 2012
    Who: 2 fatalities
    Why: Pilot Richard J. Halford, 48, and tactical flight officer Shawn A. Smiley, 40 were killed when the low-flying police helicopter they were in hit a power line, fell to a city street and exploded. The officers were searching for a nine year old boy who was later found. The chopper did not hurt anyone on the ground.

    Witnesses heard the helicopter and saw a flash of light when the chopper hit the pole. The chopper’s landing gear was caught in the support cables. The power company assisted authorities in getting it down.

    See Video
    The helicopter has been moved to a secure location as investigators work to piece together what happened.

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    Laser Pointer Forces Emergency Landing

    Two miles off shore of Waikiki, a US Coast Guard MH65 Dolphin was hit by a laser pointer. The pilot had to make an emergency landing at Barbers Point Air Station in Hawaii. A flight mechanic and rescue swimmer were aboard the helicopter when it had to divert back to the base.

    The crew was sent to have their eyes checked and are temporarily off-duty.

    It is a federal crime to aim a laser pointer at an aircraft.

    News Video

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    CHC North Sea Crash Inquiry In Progress


    What: CHC (for Total) Helicopter Eurocopter EC225 Super Puma en route from Aberdeen to West Phoenix drilling rig
    Where: 32 miles south of Shetland, off Fair Isle
    When: October 22, 2012
    Who: 19 aboard, 0 fatalities
    Why: The helicopter that was ditched in the North Sea has been retrieved and taken to Peterhead, Aberdeenshire.

    The UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) is investigating the incident in which seventeen passengers and two crew were on the way to the drilling rig when the crew had to ditch the helicopter (controlled ditching) in the North sea.

    Report name:
    S5/2012 – EC225 LP Super Puma, G-REDW
    Registration:
    G-REDW
    Type:
    EC225 LP Super Puma
    Location:
    20 nm east of Aberdeen
    Date of occurrence:
    10 May 2012
    Category:
    Commercial Air Transport – Rotorcraft
    Summary:

    This Special Bulletin contains information about the helicopter’s main gearbox (MGB) lubrication system and the results of an investigation into the indication of a failure of the emergency lubrication system, after it was activated by the crew. It follows publication of two earlier Special Bulletins on this accident, AAIB Special Bulletins S2/2012 and S3/2012.

    This was the first occasion that the EC225 LP MGB emergency lubrication system had been operated in-service. One Safety Recommendation is made.

    The investigation into the failure of the bevel gear vertical shaft in the MGB continues.

    Read More

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    CHC Suspending Super Puma Flights

    After yesterday’s Super Puma ditching in the North Sea, CHC helicopters suspended Puma flights due to suspicions of possible flaws in the design of the main gearbox lubrication system.

    The concern is a hangover from a 2009 Bond Aviation crash that led to recommendations to look into the Super Puma’s gearbox lube system design.

    Bond Aviation is also suspending Puma flights for the same issue. Their flight schedule is posted here: http://www.bondflights.com/index.php?day=1350946800

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    Drilling rig Flight Ditches in North Sea

    What: CHC (for Total) Helicopter Eurocopter EC225 Super Puma en route from Aberdeen to West Phoenix drilling rig
    Where: 32 miles south of Shetland, off Fair Isle
    When: October 22, 2012
    Who: 19 aboard, 0 fatalities
    Why: Seventeen passengers and two crew were on the way to the drilling rig when the crew had to ditch the helicopter (controlled ditching) in the North sea.

    All 19 aboard were picked up by the Nord Nightingale.

    The first official Maritime & Coastguard Agency press release said:

    Shetland Coastguard has been coordinating a major search and rescue operation after a helicopter ditched off the coast 15 miles west of Fair Isle this afternoon.There were 19 people on board, all of which have now been accounted for. Three RNLI lifeboats (Kirkwall, Aith and Lerwick) went to the scene, along with the Coastguard Search and Rescue Helicopter from Stornoway, RAF Lossiemouth, and the Bond rescue helicopter from Sumburgh. A vessel in the area at the time – the Nord Nightingale – launched its fast rescue craft. This rescued the 19 people from their life raft and brought them back to the tanker. From here they were flown by the RAF helicopter and Bond helicopter back to Kirkwall.It is believed the helicopter was on its way from Aberdeen to West Phoenix drilling rig.