ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 70867
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| Date: | Wednesday 9 February 2000 |
| Time: | 11:30 LT |
| Type: |  Sikorsky HH-3E (S-61R) |
| Owner/operator: | Helipro |
| Registration: | N650DC |
| MSN: | 61558 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Wairoa Gorge, Nelson -
 New Zealand
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | External load operation |
| Departure airport: | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities |
The helicopter was slinging logs from an inaccessible forestry block to a nearby road head, around 24km SSW of Nelson. On the thirteenth lift of the third cycle, the helicopter had just picked up a log and had just achieved translational lift, when a “bang” was felt through the airframe. The captain likened it to the jolt felt when a “choker” slips during a log lift. The helicopter developed a severe vertical oscillation, during which neither pilot was able to read the
instruments. The crew immediately jettisoned the log and commenced descent into the adjacent riverbed. During touchdown, the main rotor struck a small tree, causing the helicopter to roll on to its left side. Both pilots vacated the aircraft without injury, although both later discovered that they had sustained bruising from the front edge of their seats during the vertical oscillation. The cause of the oscillation was not discovered.
Sources:
NTSB
https://www.aviation.govt.nz/assets/publications/vector/Vector_2002_Issue-2_Mar-Apr.pdf
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 31-Dec-2009 07:51 | TB | Added |
| 01-Jan-2010 10:38 | TB | Updated [Aircraft type] |
| 14-Jun-2010 13:12 | TB | Updated [Time, Location] |
| 11-Oct-2021 18:59 | harro | Updated [Time, Source, Narrative] |
| 11-Oct-2021 19:00 | harro | Updated [Nature] |
| 18-Feb-2022 10:17 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location, Narrative] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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