Bell 206 - Sept 24,2019 - CYBL

[goldeneagle]

https://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/one- ... -1.4608294

============
One person is dead after a helicopter crashed into a shed in Campbell River Tuesday morning.

Rescuers were called to the scene near Spit Road at approximately 11:25 a.m.

Campbell River resident Sandra Malone told CTV News from the scene that her uncle and two cousins were in a carving shed working on a totem pole when the helicopter slammed through the roof.

"My Uncle Billy had just left his seat right below where the helicopter crashed," Malone said. "He just got up to walk towards where my two cousins were, for whatever reason, and one of the blades came right through the roof.

"All you can smell is the fuel," she added.

Malone said a group of onlookers watched the aircraft in trouble as it apparently turned back towards a helicopter pad and started wobbling before dropping onto the shed.

"I don't know who the people were who got the pilot out of the helicopter but he didn't make it."

The Spit Road area, where several aircraft hangars are located, was temporarily closed while police investigated.

"A locally owned commercial helicopter met a tragic end in the area with one soul on board who did not survive," said RCMP Const. Maury Tyre.

"The cause of the crash is presently unknown and will be investigated by WorkSafeBC, the national Transporation Safety Board and the BC Coroners Service," Tyre said.

The BC Coroners Service confirmed it was en route to the scene around noon and the Transportation Safety Board said it is assessing its next steps.

Meanwhile, the Transportation Safety Board has deployed a team of investigators to examine the site and confirmed that the aircraft was a Bell 206 helicopter.

The RCMP expressed condolences to the family of the helicopter pilot and the owners of the helicopter company.

Police said they will not be releasing the name of the victim nor the name of the helicopter company due to privacy concerns.
=======

[Heliian]

Terrible.

This guy has been around the block a long time.

My condolences to the family.

[imcool]

I did not understand, how come a person with decades of experience die in a crash?

Helicopter crash in Campbell River

https://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/one- ... -1.4608294


Please advise, what could he possibly not know to avoid a crash or minimize the crash damage?

Thanks

[PilotDAR]

Please advise, what could he possibly not know to avoid a crash or minimize the crash damage

I have no knowledge of the details of this sad event, though the witness remark about seeing the rotor turning has me wondering about a low rotor RPM event, which could be pilot or mechanical in origin. In autorotation, and below a certain minimum rotor RPM, the helicopter will not be controllable nor recoverable. Bell 206's are pretty forgiving about rotor RPM, but every helicopter has minimums. A skilled pilot can "feel" the rotor RPM, and knows by instinct when it's slowing too much, but can the pilot correct that situation in the altitude available? I was on the spit in June, and if you're trying to make a spot in an emergency, there are fewer choices, it's a little crowded there....

[Heliian]

Please advise, what could he possibly not know to avoid a crash or minimize the crash damage

I have no knowledge of the details of this sad event, though the witness remark about seeing the rotor turning has me wondering about a low rotor RPM event, which could be pilot or mechanical in origin. In autorotation, and below a certain minimum rotor RPM, the helicopter will not be controllable nor recoverable. Bell 206's are pretty forgiving about rotor RPM, but every helicopter has minimums. A skilled pilot can "feel" the rotor RPM, and knows by instinct when it's slowing too much, but can the pilot correct that situation in the altitude available? I was on the spit in June, and if you're trying to make a spot in an emergency, there are fewer choices, it's a little crowded there....

I would take eyewitness statements with a grain of salt but it does look like it went down unpowered. Ed has been a mainstay in the industry for a long time, he would have flown it till the end. Like you say, with limited options and people in the area he may have been avoiding a worse catastrophe.

[Capt. Underpants]

A medical event should not be ruled out as a possibility.

[Heliian]

A medical event should not be ruled out as a possibility.

It is a possibility and I wouldn't discount it just yet but I would figure in that case, power would have been on still

[cncpc]

A medical event should not be ruled out as a possibility.

It is a possibility and I wouldn't discount it just yet but I would figure in that case, power would have been on still

I'm not sure there is any real evidence that power was off. One thing that seems more sure is that there were controllability problems. But I agree, a medical event can't be ruled out yet. One question out there is whether this was a post maintenance flight check.

[golden hawk]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british- ... -1.5295775