ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 211836
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| Date: | Monday 7 November 2011 |
| Time: | 06:30 |
| Type: |  Robinson R22 Beta |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | VH-CME |
| MSN: | 1865 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1991 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Millungera Station, 93 km N of Julia Creek, QLD -
 Australia
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Agricultural |
| Departure airport: | Millungera Station, Julia Creek, Queensland |
| Millungera Station, Julia Creek, Queensland | |
| Investigating agency: | ATSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities |
On 7/11/2011, during cattle mustering operations, the main rotor blade struck the ground resulting in the helicopter coming to rest on its side, at Millungera Station, 93 km North of Julia Creek, Queensland. (At approximate co ordinates: 19°51′27.72″S, 141°33′ 24.5″ E). According to the following excerpt from the official ATSB report into the accident:
"On 7 November 2011, at 05:30 EST (Eastern Standard Time), a Robinson Helicopter Company, R22 Beta, registered VH-CME, was being used for a cattle mustering operation on a station property about 93 km north of Julia Creek, Queensland. The pilot was the sole occupant of the helicopter.
The helicopter was being operated over flat and sparsely-timbered terrain. The pilot’s task was to locate and muster cattle within a paddock through a gate into the adjacent paddock.
At about 06:30 EST the pilot called the ground crew on the radio and said that he had found a small herd of cattle in the paddock. The ground personnel at this time were located about 15 kms away and were occupied with other tasks.
The pilot elected to move the cattle without any assistance from the ground personnel. The pilot performed about six or eight turns up and down the fence line mustering the cattle through the gate. The pilot reported these cattle as being particularly difficult to move. Once the cattle had moved through the gate, the pilot reported feeling a sense of urgency “to get the gate closed” before the cattle had an opportunity to come back through it.
In manoeuvring the helicopter to land near the gate, the pilot performed “an aggressive left hand turn” at approximately 4 or 5 feet above ground level (AGL). The pilot estimated that he entered the turn at about 30 to 40 knots, rolling the aircraft through to about 40 degrees angle of bank. During the turn, as the pilot was looking through the turn towards his intended landing point, the helicopter’s main rotor blades struck the ground and the helicopter came to rest on its side.
The pilot was not injured, however the helicopter sustained serious damage."
Robinson R22 Beta VH-CME was the second aircraft to wear these registration markings. Ex-JA7864 (Japanese registration) and ZK-HRD (New Zealand registration), it was first registered in Australia as VH-CME on 8/8/1997
Sources:
1. ATSB: https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2011/aair/ao-2011-145/
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millungera_Station
3. http://helihub.com/2011/11/07/07-nov-11-vh-cme-robinson-r22-julia-creek-australia/
4. http://www.austairdata.com.au/component/rsdirectory/entry/view/13981-vh-cme-2
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 03-Jun-2018 04:25 | Pineapple | Added |
| 12-Sep-2018 16:13 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 12-Sep-2018 16:14 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 08-Jun-2022 08:51 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location] |
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