French Puma Helo Crash (tail rotor)

[ChuckMK23]

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8843261912155900933&q=hellicopter+crash&hl=en

Interesting, if not tragic, video from Dec 2005 of French SA 330 Puma helo during troop insertion exercise. Amazing that no one was injured during this mishap.

What the video doen't show, because of frame/camera angle, is the failure of the tail rotor drive shaft where it meets the first gear box on the tail.

Now I'm wondering why the delay/lag in getting the power levers off after the first turn. I can clearly understand that after the second rotation, the centrfugal forces in the cockpit likely prevented the pilots from reaching the overhead power levers...

Any thoughts from other helo bubbas?

 

[gregsivers]

We were just shown that one here at 40, I don't think they mentioned that it was a T/R issue though.

The centrifugal force issue is talked about here when we first start learning about T/R issues. We brief that the the PAC will call for the PCLs off and the PNAC will pull them off, with the caveat that whoever can actually reach up and get them will probably have to be the one that pulls them off. I jsut hope to not have to deal with it, but you never know, got to be ready.

 

[HAL Pilot]

They have this one over on pprune.com (and on here somewhere too). What you can't see in the video is that he had a tail stike on the initial landing. The guy that was thrown clear survived. If fact you can see him getting up and running away in the video.

 

[Schnugg]

Now that was an impressive landing for the camera.

 

[hscs]

Should have just lowered the collective when they hit deck... no need to put it back in the air. My guess is that they would have known by sound/vibes that they had a problem back there.

 

[Cobra Commander]

Holy cow! You can see one of the passengers fall out, almost get crushed, and manage to run away befor the helicopter comes back down and crashes! Talk about a close call!