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Antarctica Chopper Crash

Posted: Mon Dec 2 2013, 03:15
by Rusky

Antarctica emergency landing

Posted: Mon Dec 2 2013, 11:00
by bladepitch

Re: Antarctica Chopper Crash

Posted: Mon Dec 2 2013, 21:23
by ROTOR WORK
Great News

Fly Safe
R W

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/environ ... 2ymoo.html

Three Australian Antarctic expeditioners injured in a helicopter crash have been evacuated from a remote ice shelf in a successful rescue mission.

The victims were conscious and stable, and undergoing medical assessment at Australia's Davis station far south-west of Perth, the director of the Antarctic Division, Tony Fleming, said on Tuesday.

"It's a great result," Dr Fleming said. "We took advantage of a small weather window and its succeeded."

The three were injured when their Eurocopter Squirrel crashed on the Amery Ice Shelf as they returned from surveying a penguin colony late on Sunday. A second helicopter flying with them landed, and rendered first aid while the rescue was mounted.

Crevassing prevented a fixed wing aircraft Twin Otter carrying a medical crew from landing on the ice shelf near the crash site, Dr Fleming said.

But a reconnaissance plane located a clear site on Sansom Island, about 90 kilometres away, and the second helicopter ferried the injured there before all returned to Davis, another 220km away, late on Monday night.

The names of the injured have not been released, and a decision is yet to be made on whether they will be evacuated from Antarctica.

The crashed helicopter is not recoverable, according to Dr Fleming.

"It's in a few pieces," he said.

Re: Antarctica Chopper Crash

Posted: Thu Dec 5 2013, 21:49
by ROTOR WORK
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-12-06/t ... ection=tas

Back In Hobart

Three Australians injured when their helicopter crashed in Antarctica last Sunday have been flown to Hobart overnight.

The helicopter crashed near Davis Station last Sunday when it was returning from a penguin surveying journey.

The Australian Antarctic Division has been waiting for favourable weather to fly the injured back.

The nature of the injuries has not been disclosed but are described as serious.

The helicopter broke into three pieces on impact.

The Australian Transport Bureau is investigating the crash.

Re: Antarctica Chopper Crash

Posted: Thu Dec 5 2013, 23:41
by Big Unit
The crashed helicopter is not recoverable, according to Dr Fleming.


I may have this wrong and I have been once or twice.. But please do not tell me they will leave a wrecked heli in a world heritage site...

I find it intolerable that it can be left there because of financial concerns. If the Australian Govt has the funds to do the research in the first place they should have factored in the possibility of retrieving a downed heli. If it cost a couple of million to clean up the site then the Australian tax payer just has to cop it.

There's my tree hugging for the week.

John

Re: Antarctica Chopper Crash

Posted: Fri Dec 6 2013, 00:33
by Capt Hollywood
I hope they would retrieve it if they can but you also have to consider the risk to any personnel going into the area to retrieve the aircraft. I haven't seen any pics of the accident site but if it's a crevasse ridden ice shelf I would imagine the further risk to recovery personnel could easily outweigh the possible environmental impact. Bear in mind it's one Squirrel, not an oil tanker too!

Re: Antarctica Chopper Crash

Posted: Fri Dec 6 2013, 00:49
by ROTOR WORK
http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/inv ... 3-216.aspx

Collision with terrain involving Aerospatiale Squirrel helicopter, AS350B, VH-HRQ, 260 km from Davis Base, Australian Antarctic Territory on 1 December 2013

Re: Antarctica Chopper Crash

Posted: Fri Dec 6 2013, 00:53
by Big Unit
I hope they would retrieve it if they can but you also have to consider the risk to any personnel going into the area to retrieve the aircraft. I haven't seen any pics of the accident site but if it's a crevasse ridden ice shelf I would imagine the further risk to recovery personnel could easily outweigh the possible environmental impact. Bear in mind it's one Squirrel, not an oil tanker too!



Then the decision to fly over an area you cannot retrieve the aircraft isn't an area you should be flying over. Considering the 2nd Squirrel landed next to the accident site and rendered aid to the survivors I don't think danger will be the key factor to recovery, $$$$$$ will be...

Re: Antarctica Chopper Crash

Posted: Fri Dec 6 2013, 01:45
by Firefish
So we shouldn't fly helicopters over terrain that would make it unsafe to recover an aircraft if we have a prang?
That's me out of a job.

Re: Antarctica Chopper Crash

Posted: Fri Dec 6 2013, 01:49
by Heli
Big Unit,

There are a number of places around Antarctica where it is not feasible to retrieve items, not just helicopters. I flew over a camp which had been buried for about 50 years, just coming out of the ice after all that time. The place is littered with abandoned equipment; it may not seem right if you have your tree-huggers hat on, but it has to be right in the long term.

As for not flying where you can't be recovered. You aren't a helicopter pilot, are you? :roll:

Re: Antarctica Chopper Crash

Posted: Fri Dec 6 2013, 01:51
by Mag seal
Big unit,

Helicopters tend to operate in very remote areas that's the nature of the job. If clients could get there any other way they will.
Antarctica is the most remote place on the planet, if it is safe to recover the helicopter I'm sure they will but since it's in a dangerous position why would you move personnel and machinery into this area to pick up a wreck? It's not worth the extra risk to people to go pick this up. Besides one AS350 will not really do any damage to this wilderness area despite what Greenpeace may say.
As for not flying where it can't be recovered, well there are a lot of places like that. Not every Helicopter is doing joy flights around Sydney.
I remember the RN leaving a couple of Wessex in South Georgia after they crashed in a storm. They are still there as far as I know.

Re: Antarctica Chopper Crash

Posted: Fri Dec 6 2013, 04:34
by Guilders
Anybody been to New Guinea lately? The place is littered with crashed aircraft.........Big Unit; are you worried that the penguins might get into it and drive off?

Re: Antarctica Chopper Crash

Posted: Fri Dec 6 2013, 04:49
by ROTOR WORK
Looks like the wreckage will be removed
Regards
R W
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-12-06/t ... rt/5139398

Three Australians injured when their helicopter crashed in Antarctica are expected to make a full recovery.

The three Australians are back in Hobart after an overnight flight and are in hospital in a stable condition.

The pilot and two Antarctic Division employees were injured when their helicopter crashed returning from a penguin survey last Sunday.

The helicopter broke up on impact in the heavily-crevassed area. It was one of two Squirrel helicopters transporting scientists involved in a penguin survey at the Amery ice shelf.

The second helicopter was able to land nearby and help the injured who endured temperatures of around minus 6 degrees Celsius for about 20 hours until they were able to be taken to the Davis research station.

While at the station they were sedated and assessed as being in a serious condition.

The division's medical officer Dr Jeff Ayton says their condition has improved; one expeditioner can walk, while the other two have upper body injuries.

They could be discharged within days.

Dr Jeff Ayton says doctors more than 5,000 kilometres away were able to help monitor and review the injured via the internet.

"We used some very innovative telemedicine techniques, it's a first for the Australian Antarctic program," he said.

"We were using real time patient monitoring back here at Kingston to allow adequate rest for the lone isolated doctor who was managing the patients at Davis."

AAD director Tony Fleming says the complex operation to bring them back to Hobart involved three aircraft and was only able to be completed during a break in the weather.

Dr Tony Fleming has seen an image of the crash site.

"The helicopter is beyond repair, it is in a few pieces," he said.

Program manager Rob Bryson says Australia might need help to recover the wreckage. "There's a variety of different ways including going out to other nations to assist us".

The Australian Transport Bureau is investigating the crash.

Re: Antarctica Chopper Crash

Posted: Fri Dec 6 2013, 09:05
by 45 South
I think that if you have a wee read of the antarctic treaty you will find mention that aircraft fuselage of downed aircraft are not considered rubbish snd therefore do not need to be removed. Fuels and engines however are to be removed if at all possible. Convienient perhaps but practical also in respect of trying not to make a big mess cleaning up a small one! Of course nothing wrong with a total tidy up if that's possible.

Re: Antarctica Chopper Crash

Posted: Fri Dec 6 2013, 10:40
by SuperF
Obviously it takes a Doctor to decide if a helicopter is beyond repair, just by looking at a few pictures.

Considering that every part on a helicopter is repairable/ replaceable, anything is repairable. beyond "economic" repair maybe, but then I would think that an engineer / operator / insurance company would be making that decision.

Re: Antarctica Chopper Crash

Posted: Fri Dec 6 2013, 21:55
by hand in pants
If it was greenpeace demanding that the helicopter wreckage be moved, I'd fly out there and crash another one just to spite the bastards.

Re: Antarctica Chopper Crash

Posted: Fri Dec 6 2013, 23:22
by Hello Pilots
hand in pants wrote:If it was greenpeace demanding that the helicopter wreckage be moved, I'd fly out there and crash another one just to spite the bastards.


Touche

Re: Antarctica Chopper Crash

Posted: Sat Dec 7 2013, 21:56
by Firefish
Super F, ANYTHING IS REPAIRABLE? Might wait till we see some photos before making statements like that.

Re: Antarctica Chopper Crash

Posted: Sat Dec 7 2013, 22:11
by Friendly Black Dog
If you've got the data plate......

Re: Antarctica Chopper Crash

Posted: Sun Dec 8 2013, 00:10
by KNOW NUFFEN
Why do some call a Squirrel a Eurocopter squirrel and others an Aerospatiale Squirrel ? what and why so ? KN