Navy Helicopter Crew Rescued After Crash Near Mt Hogue, CA

fholbert

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Navy Helicopter Crew Rescued After Crash Near Mt Hogue, CA

Cool story, good outcome.

The crash site is at 11,700 feet above sea level, in very rugged terrain. The crew were able to communicate following the impact, but a follow-on helicopter mission launched Friday evening from NAS Fallon was unable to retrieve them. An overnight kit was dropped to the survivors, who spent the night on mountain.

On Saturday morning, an additional MH-60, Longhorn 01, launched from NAS Fallon, and provided on-scene coordination, but could not affect a rescue. A CH-47 Chinook from Mather Air Force Base was called in for its superior high-altitude performance characteristics. . It dropped off a ground SAR team that met up with the survivors while the CH-47 returned to Mammoth Lakes for fuel. The Chinook returned to the scene, and at approximately 2 p.m., the crew of Longhorn 02 was safely recovered aboard the CH-47.

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Maybe they'd have better high altitude performance if they washed the 40lbs of soot off.

the soot on the exhaust is akin to doing an oil change in a diesel truck. The minute you drive again, the oil is black. The first flight you take after cleaning, the soot is black coating again :)

For the MH-60S they are using, same as an A+/L model, they are about at the edge of their hover performance in the hot/high conditions of the crash site, and that’s at light weight. With a nominal temp of 41C at NLC, looking at about 18C or so at 12,000. Power available at 20C/12K is 75% for 0.9 ATF motors. Power required for OGE is 75% for 0.9s, for a max gross weight of 15k lbs (needing all of that), leaving a 0% power margin…..ie- no room for error with any tailwind, no power to arrest any rapid settling, etc. Considering an empty weight of about 13k, that leaves 2000lbs for fuel, personnel, and equipment. With 500lbs min reserve recovery fuel, that leaves 1500 lbs for the above. For three personnel and equipment at 950 lbs average, that leaves about 550 fuel before reserve, or about 20-25 mins flying time available. At the approximately 15 minute point with fuel burn, conditions would probably improve to a 1-1.5% power margin, which still isn’t much and is still cutting things close, but that weight reduction would be negated with the weight added with each person they brought onboard from the site. Single engine hover is non existent, and IGE power is non-existent and/or cannot be relied upon with the pinnacle terrain.

So it’s no surprise they weren’t able to grab these guys during the daytime. They could maybe take one at a time, refuel and repeat. Or wait until night with cooler temps and get more power margin, and hence more room for extra weight taking on. All if the CH-47 Chinook from Mather AFB…..which hasn’t been an AFB since 1993, but is nice to hear that name again…..wasn’t available.

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the soot on the exhaust is akin to doing an oil change in a diesel truck. The minute you drive again, the oil is black. The first flight you take after cleaning, the soot is black coating again :)

For the MH-60S they are using, same as an A+/L model, they are about at the edge of their hover performance in the hot/high conditions of the crash site, and that’s at light weight. With a nominal temp of 41C at NLC, looking at about 18C or so at 12,000. Power available at 20C/12K is 75% for 0.9 ATF motors. Power required for OGE is 75% for 0.9s, for a max gross weight of 15k lbs (needing all of that), leaving a 0% power margin…..ie- no room for error with any tailwind, no power to arrest any rapid settling, etc. Considering an empty weight of about 13k, that leaves 2000lbs for fuel, personnel, and equipment. With 500lbs min reserve recovery fuel, that leaves 1500 lbs for the above. For three personnel and equipment at 950 lbs average, that leaves about 550 fuel before reserve, or about 20-25 mins flying time available. At the approximately 15 minute point with fuel burn, conditions would probably improve to a 1-1.5% power margin, which still isn’t much and is still cutting things close, but that weight reduction would be negated with the weight added with each person they brought onboard from the site. Single engine hover is non existent, and IGE power is non-existent and/or cannot be relied upon with the pinnacle terrain.

So it’s no surprise they weren’t able to grab these guys during the daytime. They could maybe take one at a time, refuel and repeat. Or wait until night with cooler temps and get more power margin, and hence more room for extra weight taking on. All if the CH-47 Chinook from Mather AFB…..which hasn’t been an AFB since 1993, but is nice to hear that name again…..wasn’t available.

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Smart ass. lol Seriously, always enjoy, anxious to read and grateful for the intimacy, knowledge and experience that you have with so many choppers and aircraft.
 
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