ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 199786
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| Date: | Wednesday 31 October 2012 |
| Time: | 15:20 |
| Type: |  Robinson R22 Beta II |
| Owner/operator: | Cobb & Co Helicopters Pty Ltd |
| Registration: | VH-HOA |
| MSN: | 4099 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2007 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Lake Marradibbadibba, 89 km NNW of Innamincka, SA -
 Australia
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Agricultural |
| Departure airport: | Innamincka Station, South Australia. |
| Innamincka Station, South Australia. | |
| Investigating agency: | ATSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On 31 October 2012, a Robinson R22 helicopter, registered VH-HOA (HOA) was being used to conduct mustering operations at Innamincka Station, South Australia. The pilot was the only person on board.
The helicopter commenced operations at about 0730 CDT, with the pilot returning to base camp for fuel and refreshment breaks throughout the day. The pilot reported that, due to operating at low-level over the sandy and swampy terrain, the windscreen was dirty, leading to poor visibility.
During one break, water was poured over the windscreen to clean it, however the pilot reported that the visibility did not improve. The pilot reported that the weather was 380 C, with no cloud and minimal wind.
At 14:15 CDT, VH-HOA departed base camp for its final mustering run of the day. The helicopter and ground personnel were moving cattle in a northerly direction. As the cattle moved slowly along a narrow neck of land, east of Lake Marradibbadibba, the pilot looked for stray cattle by flying an east-west grid pattern, well behind the main herd.
At about 15:20 CDT, VH-HOA was travelling west at 60-70 kts between 120-150 ft above the ground. With about 19 inches of manifold pressure, the pilot conducted a turn to the east, over the edge of the lake. A few seconds later, the helicopter collided with the water and sank rapidly into 8-10 feet of water, at approximate co ordinates Latitude: 27° 01.13'S Longitude: 140°15.52'E. The pilot exited the helicopter without injury and swam to shore. However the helicopter was seriously damaged.
Due to his location, well behind the ground personnel moving the main herd of cattle, there were no witnesses to the accident. The pilot stated that even though he was wearing sunglasses, during the turn there was significant sun-glare from a reflection off the water. He reported becoming disoriented, due to the combination of the sun-glare and the dirty windscreen, and consequently did not detect the rate of descent.
Due to previous damage to the pilot’s helmet, he was not wearing a helmet on the day. The majority of the pilot’s 3000 hours flying experience had been mustering operations in the R22.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
1. ATSB: https://www.atsb.gov.au/media/4082067/ao-2012-146_final.pdf
2. http://www.antonakis.co.uk/registers/australia/20120528.txt
3. http://helihub.com/2012/10/31/31-oct-12-vh-hoa-robinson-r22-innamincka-australia/
4. https://ceb.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Marradibbadibba
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 19-Sep-2017 06:32 | rotorspot | Added |
| 26-Aug-2018 23:03 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 09-Jun-2022 10:45 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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