Go Back  PPRuNe Forums > Aircrew Forums > Rotorheads
Reload this Page >

French Lighthouse Ops incident, 6 July 2022

Rotorheads A haven for helicopter professionals to discuss the things that affect them

French Lighthouse Ops incident, 6 July 2022

Old 8th Jul 2022, 11:06
  #1 (permalink)  
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Berlin, Germany
Posts: 13
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Check out this skillfull recovery

Good day everyone.

Since I did not find an entry regarding this incident in the forum, I had do post it.

And since I am too low on posts I can’t publish links.

So if you please google

Phare de la Vieille helicopter

you will find the video documenting an amazingly skillfull manoeuver.

(I have an image but the system doesn’t allow that either)

Last edited by Heinrich Dubel; 8th Jul 2022 at 11:27.
Heinrich Dubel is offline  
Old 8th Jul 2022, 11:40
  #2 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Texas, like a whole other country
Posts: 444
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes on 1 Post
Here is the subject video:

A number of the comments appear to offer explanations for what happened, which seems to have involved a sling load.

Mods may consider moving this to Rotorheads (I checked there earlier to see if there was any discussion of this video, but I did not see any).
Carbon Bootprint is offline  
Old 8th Jul 2022, 12:26
  #3 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Sep 2021
Location: Dodo Island
Posts: 103
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
What is the smoke by the skids after the recovery? Did they activate some pyro to deploy floats?
zambonidriver is offline  
Old 8th Jul 2022, 13:10
  #4 (permalink)  
Gnome de PPRuNe
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Too close to Croydon for comfort
Age: 60
Posts: 12,537
Received 219 Likes on 133 Posts
treadigraph is online now  
Old 8th Jul 2022, 15:36
  #5 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Reading, UK
Posts: 15,786
Received 196 Likes on 90 Posts
Originally Posted by zambonidriver
What is the smoke by the skids after the recovery? Did they activate some pyro to deploy floats?

DaveReidUK is online now  
Old 8th Jul 2022, 15:37
  #6 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Lost again...
Posts: 895
Received 120 Likes on 55 Posts
Looks to me as if that smoke is coming out of the engine exhaust - possibly because the pilot has pulled the hell out of it trying to recover.

The floats are activated by a small pyrotechnic squib but it would not produce smoke like that. Sometimes the floats are packed with chalk powder to protect against chafing and that can make a cloud of dust when you pop the floats but it does not look like that either.

I think that the engine has been massively over-torqued / over-temped and the smoke is the result of that.

Lucky / skilful recovery.

Looks as though perhaps the underslung load or the longline became snagged?
OvertHawk is offline  
Old 8th Jul 2022, 15:43
  #7 (permalink)  
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Berlin, Germany
Posts: 13
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Smoke

Originally Posted by zambonidriver
What is the smoke by the skids after the recovery? Did they activate some pyro to deploy floats?
My non-expert guess is that engine and/or transmission experience sudden – uhm – stress surge, maybe oil is burning up?
Heinrich Dubel is offline  
Old 8th Jul 2022, 16:00
  #8 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Great White North
Posts: 210
Received 2 Likes on 1 Post
1. Must have taken a crowbar to get the seat cushion out of the ass of that pilot.

2. At least one, if not two changes of underwear. required.

3. Nice save.

Mostly Harmless is offline  
Old 8th Jul 2022, 16:21
  #9 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: england
Posts: 66
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
AS350 close call - France

A very close call for this pilot: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ighthouse.html

The helicopter was flying towards the Vielle Lighthouse, which is undergoing renovations, half a mile off France's most westerly point of Pointe du Raz in the region of Finistère.

it suddenly lurches wildly into a heart stopping ninety degree angle before diving.

It loses altitude catastrophically as the rocks close in but the pilot manages to bring it back level and avert an immediate crash.
Apologies for the source and VERY over-the-top journalism; smoke from the engine, but hardly bursts into flames. However looks a very close call none the less, and would certainly have got the pilots attention!

h14
heli14 is offline  
Old 8th Jul 2022, 16:35
  #10 (permalink)  

Avoid imitations
 
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Wandering the FIR and cyberspace often at highly unsociable times
Posts: 14,561
Received 402 Likes on 210 Posts
That “wine shear” can be very tricky, as can having your “rear capable” break.

ShyTorque is online now  
Old 8th Jul 2022, 16:55
  #11 (permalink)  
Moderator
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Ontario, Canada
Age: 63
Posts: 5,609
Received 57 Likes on 41 Posts
Awesome save! I would not be surprised if there was a main rotor blade(s) strike on the tailboom during that pull up!
Pilot DAR is offline  
Old 8th Jul 2022, 16:56
  #12 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: California
Posts: 736
Likes: 0
Received 29 Likes on 25 Posts
Saw the video on reddit. There's a pop, the nose dives, he pops the floats, then recovers.

Definitely a trouser soiling moment!
Robbiee is offline  
Old 8th Jul 2022, 17:27
  #13 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: SW England
Age: 69
Posts: 1,491
Received 61 Likes on 33 Posts
Don't know the layout of the cyclic on the Ecureil, but I suspect the load-pickle and float-deploy switches are pretty close together. Unexpected pitch-down? Push every button within reach, pronto...
Thud_and_Blunder is online now  
Old 8th Jul 2022, 17:59
  #14 (permalink)  
"Just a pilot"
 
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Jefferson GA USA
Age: 74
Posts: 632
Received 7 Likes on 4 Posts
Floats are packed with powder lubricant. Could be the puff of 'smoke'.
Devil 49 is offline  
Old 8th Jul 2022, 18:22
  #15 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Central UK
Posts: 1,576
Received 123 Likes on 60 Posts
There is a noticeable emission of somethibng (dark smoke/dust?) from the skid area immediately as the excursion occurs.
The helo then enters a violent pitch-down spiral from which it (just) recovers until the floats inflate and a large amout of white vapour comes from the engine exhaust.

I can't see that white vapour as anything but engine related, it seems clear where it's coming from.

To my view the float inflation is not connected with the white vapour, I think they are two seperate issues.

The white smoke? How about a flameout (the dark puff - FOD?) initiating a desperate pilot induced pitchdown for survival, blowing the floats commendably fast, and the relight system relighting an engine full of fuel and vapour with governor wide open as a result of a panicked "up to the armpit" pull on the lever?

Skilful recovery, or sphincter-based? I'd call it a reflex action supported by an astonishingly forgiving airframe.

There. That's my speculation for the week.

Last edited by meleagertoo; 8th Jul 2022 at 18:45.
meleagertoo is offline  
Old 8th Jul 2022, 19:49
  #16 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Denver, Colorado, USA
Posts: 196
Received 10 Likes on 2 Posts
In treadigraph's post #4 above, it appears something falls of the top of the light house just before the rapid drop??? At about the 4 second mark of the video
And as noted, it might have been during a sling operation?
mnttech is offline  
Old 8th Jul 2022, 20:02
  #17 (permalink)  
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Berlin, Germany
Posts: 13
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Originally Posted by mnttech
In post #4 above, it appears something falls of the top of the light house just before the rapid drop??? At about the 4 second mark of the video
And as noted, it might have been during a sling operation?
It is a person standing in an elevated position. After the initial mishap the person jumps in two steps down to the platform. This was already described in the original French article, before the close-up video appeared online. In the close-up there is also some activity at the lower left corner of the outer structure of the lighthouse platform, faintly visible, but if one looks closely it appears to be the line, or part of it.
Heinrich Dubel is offline  
Old 8th Jul 2022, 23:24
  #18 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Great South East, tired and retired
Posts: 4,349
Likes: 0
Received 193 Likes on 89 Posts
You can see a loop of something flop around the pillar thing on the top corner of the lighthouse - and later see a cable of some sort from the loop? Maybe it tripped the helo around the skids to cause the nose down?
Ascend Charlie is offline  
Old 9th Jul 2022, 09:20
  #19 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: UK
Posts: 1,673
Likes: 0
Received 94 Likes on 62 Posts
Originally Posted by zambonidriver
What is the smoke by the skids after the recovery? Did they activate some pyro to deploy floats?
The source is the exhaust, so a 'lever round your ears' manoeuvre together with a 'half-crown/sixpence' moment, a rugged powerplant and an airframe/rotor system of 'brick-built outhouse' standard. "Have the new moleskin trews ready for arrival, Jeeves !"
Cornish Jack is offline  
Old 9th Jul 2022, 12:09
  #20 (permalink)  
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Berlin, Germany
Posts: 13
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
half-crown/sixpence

Originally Posted by Cornish Jack
'half-crown/sixpence' moment
Never heard that phrase. I guess I get the meaning in this context, but where does it come from? You care to elaborate?
Heinrich Dubel is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.