ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 89563
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| Date: | Wednesday 26 January 2011 |
| Time: | 13:30 |
| Type: |  Robinson Helicopter R-44 II |
| Owner/operator: | Heli-Reef |
| Registration: | VH-HFG |
| MSN: | 11794 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2007 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | 6.5 Km S of Knuckle Reef, QLD -
 Australia
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Knuckle Reef Helipad, Queensland |
| Knuckle Reef Helipad, Queensland | |
| Investigating agency: | ATSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On 26 January 2011, at about 13:15 Eastern Standard Time, a Robinson Company R44 Clipper II helicopter, registered VH-HFG, departed the Knuckle Reef Helipad, Queensland, for a 20 minute charter flight. On board the helicopter, were the pilot and three passengers. While returning to the Helipad 15 minutes later, at about 950 feet above mean sea level, the helicopter experienced mechanical problems, including a sudden loss of cylinder head temperature indication and variations in the engine manifold pressure.
The helicopter was unable to maintain altitude and began to descend at 200 feet a minute. The pilot elected to conduct a precautionary water landing, about 6.5 km south of Knuckle Reef and 0.9 km east of Line Reef. The pilot inflated the emergency floats, commenced an auto rotation at 500 feet and landed on the sea in a 1.5-metre swell.
The pilot secured the helicopter and radioed his GPS coordinates to another helicopter, who relayed these to Hamilton Island air traffic control. The other helicopter then liaised with the passenger transfer boat from Knuckle Reef, which picked up the pilot and passengers from VH-HFG.
The helicopter was unable to be recovered before rapidly drifting into the path of an oncoming cyclone. A subsequent search failed to locate the helicopter which is presumed to have sunk.
On 1 February 2012, VH-HFG was struck off the register by the DCA as "aircraft has been decommissioned and is scrap and parts" - which implies that the crashed wreckage was later recovered and scrapped.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
1. http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/four-people-rescued-after-a-helicopter-crash-at-knuckle-reef-near-hamilton-island-in-the-whitsundays/story-e6freon6-1225994995171
2. http://www.dailymercury.com.au/story/2011/01/27/helicopter-mackay-mechanical-problems/
3. http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2011/aair/ao-2011-008.aspx
4. https://www.dailymercury.com.au/news/helicopter-mackay-mechanical-problems/754110/
5. http://www.atsb.gov.au/media/3460925/ab2011077.pdf#page=57
6. http://www.news.com.au/national/four-people-rescued-after-a-helicopter-crash-at-knuckle-reef-near-hamilton-island-in-the-whitsundays/story-e6frfkp9-1225994995171?from=public_rss
7. http://www.amcarusa.com/aa8800/hh9kjjk/various/var057.htm
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 26-Jan-2011 02:54 | gerard57 | Added |
| 26-Jan-2011 18:59 | Black Typhoon | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Operator, Source, Narrative] |
| 30-Jan-2011 17:02 | bizjets101 | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Narrative] |
| 04-May-2014 02:33 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 09-Jun-2022 11:26 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location] |
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