Broward County Helicopter Crash

[CoffeeIcePapers]

Damn

 

[Wardogg]

 

[Richman]

Eeek.

 

[Murdoughnut]

Looks like it was at least generating some lift at the end that may have made it survivable.

 

[schloopy]

Video online shows at least 2 flight crew seemingly uninjured after the crash.

 

[Roger Roger]

When you spend your whole budget on MRAPs and recruiting bonuses and forget about helicopter maintenance

 

[NovemberEcho]

2 crew minor injuries, 1 civilian injury and one reportedly died at the hospital

 

[NovemberEcho]

When you spend your whole budget on MRAPs and recruiting bonuses and forget about helicopter maintenance

This was fire/rescue not police

 

[Roger Roger]

This was fire/rescue not police

Meh same municipal budget

 

[inigo88]

Did that fire burn through the tail boom? Holy crap!

 

[FlyingAccountant]

That's wild and absolutely amazing the crew survived.

 

[guywhoflies]

Meh same municipal budget

Meh pretty • to say that when two people were just doing their jobs as fire/rescue personnel and nearly lost their lives.

 

[Pilot Fighter]

Impossible turn, helicopter style. If you’re on fire, put her down.

 

[Roger Roger]

Meh pretty • to say that when two people were just doing their jobs as fire/rescue personnel and nearly lost their lives.

Yo, when I posted that the latest I’d heard was everyone walked out.

 

[fholbert]

Date: Monday 28 August 2023
Time: c. 08:45
Type: Silhouette image of generic EC35 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
Eurocopter EC 135T1
Owner/operator: Broward County Sheriffs Office (BSO Fire Rescue)
Registration: N109BC
MSN: 0139
Year of manufacture: 1999
Fatalities: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 3
Aircraft damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Category: Accident
Location: Pompano Beach, FL - United States of America
Phase: En route
Nature: Ambulance
Departure airport: Pompano Beach Airport, FL (PPM/KPMP)
Destination airport: Pompano Beach Airport, FL (PPM/KPMP)
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources
Narrative:
A Eurocopter EC 135T1 rescue helicopter, N109BC, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident in Pompano Beach, Florida.
One occupant onboard and one person on the ground sustained fatal injuries. The two remaining helicopter occupants and four persons on the ground were taken to hospital with unspecified injuries.

Online photos and videos show that the helicopter experienced an inflight fire shortly after take-off from Pompano Beach Airpark (PPM/KPMP), Florida, followed by failure of the tailboom. The helicopter spun out of control and crashed through a buildings roof in Pompano Beach.


Video of accident: https://edition.cnn.com/2023/08/28/us/helicopter-crash-pompano-beach-florida/index.html

 

[FlyingAccountant]

That's wild and absolutely amazing the crew survived.

I take that back, looks like a paramedic onboard died. It’s still amazing anyone walked away considering the crash site is a giant crater in the roof of an apartment building.

 

[MikeD]

Did that fire burn through the tail boom? Holy crap!

Not sure if the tail boom was an initiating event, or the tail rotor drive shaft was. The tail boom appears to fail just after a loss of tail rotor effectiveness begins; hence the hard left-turning rotation. As Airbus helos are Euro, their clockwise spinning main rotors make the torque direction nose- left; as opposed to US helos whose counter-clockwise spinning main rotors make the torque direction nose-right, during a tail rotor drive or thrust loss.

Like many videos of events, at least with what has been made public thus far, there is little video showing some extended lead-up to the accident sequence. Some questions to find answers to; which with the pilot crew surviving, should be easier than with them not, as well as the wreckage being available for analysis.

1. Was there any ATC communication?

2. How long was there a fire? Was there any cockpit indication/warning?

3. Was there any flight path change to indicate that the flight crew was attempting to find a PL location (video to confirm any crew statements)?

4. Was there a Vision-1000 Cockpit video camera and data recorder installed (standard equipment on 2016-onward Airbus products; can be retrofitted to earlier model Airbus/Eurocopter products such as this one). Was there a tail fin camera installed (optional installation), that may have seen what the crew could not see?

Be interesting to find out the answers.

 

[Murdoughnut]

Not sure if the tail boom was an initiating event, or the tail rotor drive shaft was. The tail boom appears to fail just after a loss of tail rotor effectiveness begins; hence the hard left-turning rotation. As Airbus helos are Euro, their clockwise spinning main rotors make the torque direction nose- left; as opposed to US helos whose counter-clockwise spinning main rotors make the torque direction nose-right, during a tail rotor drive or thrust loss.

Like many videos of events, at least with what has been made public thus far, there is little video showing some extended lead-up to the accident sequence. Some questions to find answers to; which with the pilot crew surviving, should be easier than with them not, as well as the wreckage being available for analysis.

1. Was there any ATC communication?

2. How long was there a fire? Was there any cockpit indication/warning?

3. Was there any flight path change to indicate that the flight crew was attempting to find a PL location (video to confirm any crew statements)?

4. Was there a Vision-1000 Cockpit video camera and data recorder installed (standard equipment on 2016-onward Airbus products; can be retrofitted to earlier model Airbus/Eurocopter products such as this one). Was there a tail fin camera installed (optional installation), that may have seen what the crew could not see?

Be interesting to find out the answers.

Listened to the LiveATC tape and the called tower to report an engine failure with need to return.

 

[MikeD]

Listened to the LiveATC tape and the called tower to report an engine failure with need to return.

Makes me wonder, then, what indications or awareness of a fire that they had.

An engine failure in that bird, if remaining at or below single engine airspeed and assuming they had single engine performance at the time, an attempted air return to the airport would make sense.

If there was knowledge of the actual fire, then attempting to stretch to an airfield/airport in a burning aircraft, where there is all the option available to sinply set down onto the ground…..parking lot, street, ball field, whatever…..is highly risky. Unlike fixed wing, helicopters have the option of quickly turning a critical air emergency into a ground emergency, which is much more manageable. There is no need to have to “make an airport”.

Be interesting to hear what their knowledge of a fire vs a failure was.

 

[Pilot Fighter]

Makes me wonder, then, what indications or awareness of a fire that they had.

An engine failure in that bird, if remaining at or below single engine airspeed and assuming they had single engine performance at the time, an attempted air return to the airport would make sense.

If there was knowledge of the actual fire, then attempting to stretch to an airfield/airport in a burning aircraft, where there is all the option available to sinply set down onto the ground…..parking lot, street, ball field, whatever…..is highly risky. Unlike fixed wing, helicopters have the option of quickly turning a critical air emergency into a ground emergency, which is much more manageable. There is no need to have to “make an airport”.

Be interesting to hear what their knowledge of a fire vs a failure was.

Are there mirrors on a 135 that provide a rearward view? Seems most helicopter mirrors I’ve seen provide a downward view for landing or sling ops.