Carlsbad Helo Crash...RIP Two Dead

This happened literally minutes after we departed yesterday. we were trying to replay the events as things seemed mostly normal on radios except there was a helicopter talking about something not being anchored down properly, but they didn't request help. Then on our climb out the field was closed. Apparently Parts flew in every which direction and into our company aircraft as well. People were scrambling to get out of the way.

RIP
 
CloudNine said:
This happened literally minutes after we departed yesterday. we were trying to replay the events as things seemed mostly normal on radios except there was a helicopter talking about something not being anchored down properly, but they didn't request help. Then on our climb out the field was closed. Apparently Parts flew in every which direction and into our company aircraft as well. People were scrambling to get out of the way.

RIP
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Be interesting to see if this isn't the key to the entire accident. RIP
 
Maybe This?
image.jpeg
 
dustoff17 said:
Be interesting to see if this isn't the key to the entire accident. RIP
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I listened to the live atc feed and at one point prior to the accident the ground controller says in a joking tone of voice "like a hoverboard" in response. Not sure if that was the helicopter in question but seems like it might be given all the other helicopters either had female pilots communicating or were still in the air from what I could make out .
 
CloudNine said:
I listened to the live atc feed and at one point prior to the accident the ground controller says in a joking tone of voice "like a hoverboard" in response. Not sure if that was the helicopter in question but seems like it might be given all the other helicopters either had female pilots communicating or were still in the air from what I could make out .
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In response to what? I haven't listened.

AAPalmTree said:
Maybe This?View attachment 33489
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Land on these a lot. Unless he dropped it off the back edge......
 
The live atc feed for crq ground at 0000z - 0030z on the 19th. Only the controller's transmissions were coming in clear, but you can hear various helicopters calling up, it's just difficult to make out .
 
CloudNine said:
The live atc feed for crq ground at 0000z - 0030z on the 19th. Only the controller's transmissions were coming in clear, but you can hear various helicopters calling up, it's just difficult to make out .
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They would be on tower Freq. anyway. The audio file of them landing isn't available. Only them arriving from the North.
 
Retired in SAN said:
They would be on tower Freq. anyway. The audio file of them landing isn't available. Only them arriving from the North.
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Well here's what I've found:

Crq twr #2 feed : @ 14:25 into the tape :711BE "they didn't chock my cart , like a skateboard out here "

Crq grnd/clrnc feed @ 16:40 into the tape : 711BE says something unreadable , ground responds "like a hoverboard right !"

Seems like he's not fully settled for a good while until @ 21:51 on grnd freq when controller says "oh my god".
 
CloudNine said:
Well here's what I've found:

Crq twr #2 feed : @ 14:25 into the tape :711BE "they didn't chock my cart , like a skateboard out here "

.
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For us, if the cart isnt chocked, you don't land if you happen to notice it before, or if after and it's an issue, pick back up and land somewhere else. Trying to ride it out, especially in a squirrley landing helo like an AStar, will most likely have grave consequences.
 
711BE is registered to Bruce Erickson.

Not trying to Monday morning quarterback here but news reports say it was a tail strike. Could it be he landed on a cart that wasn't chocked and drove the tail into the ground because it was an unstable surface ?
 
CloudNine said:
711BE is registered to Bruce Erickson.

Not trying to Monday morning quarterback here but news reports say it was a tail strike. Could it be he landed on a cart that wasn't chocked and drove the tail into the ground because it was an unstable surface ?
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It's a possibility. Any number of things with a potential cart that's unchocked. Although the carts are heavy and you can land on them unchocked without an accident, there are too many variables in doing that that are now a hazard. Is the surface they're on flat, or a slight slope? Was the touchdown made on a corner or aft part of the cart, or somewhere that could "push" the cart other than in the center of the cart? In the AStar, on a normal landing, you'll touch down right aft skid first, then right front, then left skid, due to translating tendency (opposite of US helos). If potentially the aft skid touchdown was near the back end of the cart, and the cart rolled forward and that movement wasn't checked by going right back into a hover, and the helo tipped backwards unchecked, its a possibility.

The ATC comms definately narrows some things down, and opens up a good few possibilities. Be interesting to see.

Like I mentioned, we're not allowed to land on an unchocked cart. Whether noticed early or late.
 
CloudNine said:
Well here's what I've found:

Crq twr #2 feed : @ 14:25 into the tape :711BE "they didn't chock my cart , like a skateboard out here "

Crq grnd/clrnc feed @ 16:40 into the tape : 711BE says something unreadable , ground responds "like a hoverboard right !"

Seems like he's not fully settled for a good while until @ 21:51 on grnd freq when controller says "oh my god".
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Good find. Sad...
 
MikeD said:
For us, if the cart isnt chocked, you don't land if you happen to notice it before, or if after and it's an issue, pick back up and land somewhere else. Trying to ride it out, especially in a squirrley landing helo like an AStar, will most likely have grave consequences.
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Even a chocked cart can go bad in a hurry. I once landed on one and rolled the throttle down a little quick. Knocked the chocks loose and sent me spinning. Nothing I could do but hold on.
 
@MikeD IF they were able to drop the collective right away that probably would have been the end of it right? Just rolled over and come apart, or at least stopped the ridiculous spinning right?
 
sweeps said:
@MikeD IF they were able to drop the collective right away that probably would have been the end of it right? Just rolled over and come apart, or at least stopped the ridiculous spinning right?
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Flat pitch the blades is a must, but once that tail rotor struck and got damaged/destroyed, then power needed to be shut off via the fuel control or throttle in order to stop the torque of the main rotor system....with now nothing to counter it, due to no tail rotor (and no main rotors) and shortly thereafter, no tailboom..
 
MikeD said:
Flat pitch the blades is a must, but once that tail rotor struck and got damaged/destroyed, then power needed to be shut off via the fuel control or throttle in order to stop the torque of the main rotor system....with now nothing to counter it, due to no tail rotor (and no main rotors) and shortly thereafter, no tailboom..
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Gotcha, would it have at least slowed down the rotation with flat pitch then? I guess what I'm trying to figure out is would it have been easier to close the throttle or shut off the fuel or in your opinion, would the forces have been too strong for them to reach the controls?
 
Wow. Sad. The extended spinning afterwards is something I've never seen before. Just goes to show how tough those engines are. I was afraid it was going to spin into the fuel truck.
 
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