Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Visual Flight Rules Encounter with Instrument Meteorological Conditions: Robinson R44 II, N744TW; fatal accident occurred May 17, 2019 in Alpine, Utah























Aviation Accident Final Report - National Transportation Safety Board
 
The National Transportation Safety Board traveled to the scene of this accident.

Additional Participating Entities:

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Salt Lake City, Utah
Robinson Helicopter Company; Torrance, California
Lycoming Engines; Williamsport, Pennsylvania

Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board:

https://registry.faa.gov/N744TW

Location: Alpine, Utah 
Accident Number: WPR19FA148
Date & Time: May 17, 2019, 10:34 Local 
Registration: N744TW
Aircraft: Robinson R44
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: VFR encounter with IMC
Injuries: 2 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal

Analysis

The noninstrument-rated pilot and passenger departed in the helicopter on a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country flight. A family member reported that it was raining at the time of the helicopter’s departure, and about an hour later, she received a video from the passenger depicting the helicopter flying above a cloud layer with no discernable horizon and some of the clouds extending above the helicopter’s altitude. Review of weather and flight track information revealed that the helicopter climbed to an altitude of about 13,000 ft mean sea level (msl); remaining about that altitude for over 25 minutes. About 3 minutes before the accident, the helicopter entered a descent that continued to an altitude of about 9,200 ft msl, during which the helicopter completed more than two 360° descending turns of decreasing radius. The last recorded location of the helicopter was about 1,650 ft from the accident site.

The wreckage was highly fragmented, consistent with a high-speed impact. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions. The helicopter was approved by the manufacturer for day and night VFR flight, and was not approved for instrument flight. The helicopter was not equipped with a supplemental oxygen system, nor was any supplemental oxygen equipment found in the wreckage.

AIRMET Sierra for mountain obscuration and moderate icing between the freezing level 18,000 ft was valid for the accident site at the accident time. There was no record of the pilot receiving any preflight weather information from an access-controlled source. The helicopter was likely operating in visual meteorological conditions above the clouds until its initial descent from about 13,000 ft, at which point the helicopter likely entered and remained in instrument meteorological conditions for the rest of the flight.

Although the altitude and duration of the flight did not meet regulatory requirements for supplemental oxygen use, it is likely that the pilot may have been experiencing some early effects of hypoxia, including euphoria, which may have exacerbated the effects from his use of multiple drugs. Toxicology testing revealed a blood level of amphetamine (around 300 ng/ml) and the presence of phenylpropanolamine, indicating that the pilot was most likely using a street preparation of the drug. Testing also identified phenylpropanolamine and oxycodone in blood and urine, and oxazepam in urine. Euphoria and over-confidence associated with the pilot’s amphetamine use would have likely been exacerbated by the early effects of hypoxia due to his decision to operate the helicopter at high altitude.

The pilot’s decision to operate the helicopter in reduced visibility conditions with no training in flight by reference to instruments in a helicopter that was not certified for instrument flight was conducive to the development of spatial disorientation. The helicopter’s turning descent before impact and the wreckage distribution that indicated a high-speed impact were both consistent with the known effects of spatial disorientation. Based on the available information, the pilot entered instrument meteorological conditions and shortly after, began experiencing spatial disorientation, which resulted in a loss of control and impact with terrain. It is likely that the psychoactive effects from the pilot’s use of amphetamine contributed to his preflight decision making, and the additional effects of early hypoxia contributed to his continued flight into adverse weather conditions.

Probable Cause and Findings

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The noninstrument-rated pilot’s continued visual flight rules flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in spatial disorientation and subsequent loss of control. Contributing to the accident was hypoxia due to the high altitude at which the pilot chose to conduct the flight combined with the impairing effects of amphetamine use.

Findings

Personnel issues Decision making/judgment - Pilot
Personnel issues Spatial disorientation - Pilot
Personnel issues Aircraft control - Pilot
Personnel issues Hypoxia/anoxia - Pilot
Personnel issues Illicit drug - Pilot
Aircraft (general) - Not attained/maintained
Environmental issues Low visibility - Contributed to outcome

Factual Information

History of Flight

Enroute-cruise VFR encounter with IMC (Defining event)
Enroute-change of cruise level Loss of control in flight
Uncontrolled descent Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT)

On May 17, 2019, about 1034 mountain daylight time, a Robinson R44 helicopter, N744TW, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Alpine, Utah. The pilot and passenger sustained fatal injuries. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

The pilot’s mother stated that the pilot kept the helicopter at his home in Myton, Utah, and that he and his wife had planned to fly to South Valley Regional Airport (U42), West Jordan, Utah, to pick up a second passenger before proceeding to Phoenix, Arizona. She saw the helicopter depart at 0930 and stated that it was raining lightly at that time. At 1022, she received a text message from the passenger stating that they were “17 minutes out.” At 1025, she received a text stating that “the flight was smooth.” At 1027, she received a short video showing the helicopter above a thick cloud layer with no discernable horizon. Some of the cloud tops appeared above the helicopter, as seen in Figure 1.


Radar data provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) revealed a target correlated to the accident helicopter first appear on radar at 0956 at an altitude of 10,400 ft mean sea level (msl), on a heading of 309° about 44 miles west of the pilot’s residence. The helicopter continued generally on a west-northwest course, as shown in Figure 2. The airspeed initially varied from 37 to 88 knots ground speed but stabilized to about 85 knots for most of the flight. The helicopter climbed to 13,000 ft msl at 1007 and remained between 12,700 and 13,000 ft ft msl until about 1030, when it descended below 12,500 ft msl. At 1031, the helicopter began a right descending right turn that continued until radar contact was lost at 1033 at an altitude of 9,200 ft msl and groundspeed of 108 knots, about 1,650 ft from the accident site. The data revealed that the helicopter completed about 2 1/2 360° turns before radar contact was lost. (see Figure 3.)




Pilot Information

Certificate: Private 
Age: 32,Male
Airplane Rating(s): None
Seat Occupied: Right
Other Aircraft Rating(s): Helicopter 
Restraint Used: 5-point
Instrument Rating(s): None
Second Pilot Present: No
Instructor Rating(s): None
Toxicology Performed: Yes
Medical Certification: Class 1 Without waivers/limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam: April 20, 2017
Occupational Pilot: No 
Last Flight Review or Equivalent:
Flight Time: (Estimated) 145.1 hours (Total, all aircraft), 31.7 hours (Total, this make and model), 30.7 hours (Last 90 days, all aircraft)

Passenger Information

Certificate: 
Age: 34, Female
Airplane Rating(s): 
Seat Occupied: Left
Other Aircraft Rating(s): 
Restraint Used:
Instrument Rating(s): 
Second Pilot Present: No
Instructor Rating(s): 
Toxicology Performed:
Medical Certification: 
Last FAA Medical Exam:
Occupational Pilot: 
Last Flight Review or Equivalent:
Flight Time:

Review of the pilot's logbook revealed about 145.1 total hours of flight experience: about 30.5 hours in the Robinson R44 helicopter, and about 113.4 hours in the Robinson R22 helicopter. The logbook contained no entries for instrument flight training.

The pilot’s flight instructor stated that he had last provided instruction to the pilot about one year before the accident. The instructor followed a private pilot training syllabus that did not include instrument training. The instructor stated that they had done some instrument flight rules (IFR) training, and less than 5 hours “hood work” (with a view limiting device) because the pilot wanted to try it. He stated that they had discussed visual flight rules (VFR) cloud clearance requirements. The instructor stated that they may have done some unusual attitude recoveries.

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: Robinson 
Registration: N744TW
Model/Series: R44 II 
Aircraft Category: Helicopter
Year of Manufacture: 2005 
Amateur Built:
Airworthiness Certificate: Normal
Serial Number: 10702
Landing Gear Type: N/A; Skid 
Seats: 4
Date/Type of Last Inspection: January 13, 2019 Annual 
Certified Max Gross Wt.: 2500 lbs
Time Since Last Inspection: 68.8 Hrs 
Engines: 1 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time: 3005.4 Hrs at time of accident
Engine Manufacturer: Lycoming
ELT: Not installed 
Engine Model/Series: IO-540 SER
Registered Owner: 
Rated Power:
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None

The Robinson R44 Raven II helicopter, serial number 10702, was manufactured in 2005, and was approved for VFR flights in day and night conditions. The helicopter was not equipped with a supplemental oxygen system, nor were any supplemental oxygen provisions found at the accident site. A review of the maintenance records revealed that the last annual inspection was completed on January 13, 2019, and the associated entry stated, “Inspected avionics for security and basic electrical operation.” There were no instrument discrepancies recorded.

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: Instrument (IMC)
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: KPVU,4497 ft msl 
Distance from Accident Site: 17 Nautical Miles
Observation Time: 16:14 Local 
Direction from Accident Site: 177°
Lowest Cloud Condition: 
Visibility: 10 miles
Lowest Ceiling: Broken / 3100 ft AGL Visibility (RVR):
Wind Speed/Gusts: 7 knots / Turbulence Type
Forecast/Actual:
Unknown / Unknown
Wind Direction: 170° Turbulence Severity
Forecast/Actual: Moderate / Unknown
Altimeter Setting: 29.82 inches Hg 
Temperature/Dew Point: 8°C / 3°C
Precipitation and Obscuration: No Obscuration; No Precipitation
Departure Point: Ballard, UT
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Destination: West Jordan, UT (U42) 
Type of Clearance: None
Departure Time: 09:24 Local 
Type of Airspace: Class G

According to Leidos, the pilot did not have any contact with them or any other third-party vendors on the day or the day prior of the accident.

Roosevelt Municipal Airport (74V), Roosevelt, Utah, located about 5 miles north of the pilot’s residence, about the time of departure reported wind from 080° at 3 knots, 10 statute miles visibility, broken clouds at 7,500 ft above ground level (agl), temperature 10°C, dew point temperature 3°C, altimeter setting of 29.77 inches of mercury.

Reported weather at U42 about the time of the accident included wind from 080° at 4 knots, visibility of 10 statute miles or greater, scattered clouds at 1,900 feet agl, ceiling broken at 4,300 feet agl, overcast at 5,000 feet agl, temperature 7°C, dew point temperature of 5°C, altimeter setting of 29.83 inches of mercury.

AIRMET Sierra was issued at 0845 for moderate icing between the freezing level and 18,000 ft msl and mountain obscuration by clouds, precipitation, or mist, and was active for the accident location at the accident time. Weather radar imagery above the accident location between about 8,600 ft and 14,200 ft msl identified reflectivity consistent with light rain in an area that included the accident site. (see Figure4.)





Satellite imagery identified cloudy conditions over the accident site, with analysis indicating cloud tops of about 13,000 ft msl along the route of flight and a cloud top height of about 19,500 ft msl during the final portions of the flight, as shown in Figure 5.




Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Fire: On-ground
Ground Injuries: 
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 2 Fatal
Latitude, Longitude: 40.502498,-111.74388(est)

The debris field was about 7,656 ft msl elevation, oriented on a magnetic heading of 127° and was about 125 ft in length. The first piece of wreckage in the debris path was a small portion of a tail rotor blade. The empennage separated from the tail cone, and the tail cone separated from the fuselage. The fuselage came to rest on its right side, with the cabin portion of the fuselage fractured and lying on its left side. Both landing skids separated from the fuselage. The main rotor blades remained attached to the hub and were bowed down. The main rotor hub remained attached to the driveshaft, and the pylon remained attached to the transmission.

Fuel remaining at the time of the accident was estimated to be about 13 gallons, based on a fuel consumption estimate of 15 gallons per hour, the last recorded fuel purchase of 39 gallons and a subsequent flight time of 2.25 hours.

Examination of the recovered airframe, flight control system components, and engine revealed no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

Additional Information

The Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, FAA-H-8083-25B, states in part:

Under normal flight conditions, when there is a visual reference to the horizon and ground, the sensory system in the inner ear helps to identify the pitch, roll, and yaw movements of the aircraft. When visual contact with the horizon is lost, the vestibular system becomes unreliable. Without visual references outside the aircraft, there are many situations in which normal motions and forces create convincing illusions that are difficult to overcome…Unless a pilot has many hours of training in instrument flight, flight should be avoided in reduced visibility or at night when the horizon is not visible. A pilot can reduce susceptibility to disorienting illusions through training and awareness and learning to rely totally on flight instruments.

Be physically tuned for flight into reduced visibility. Ensure proper rest, adequate diet, and, if flying at night, allow for night adaptation. Remember that illness, medication, alcohol, fatigue, sleep loss, and mild hypoxia are likely to increase susceptibility to spatial disorientation.

The Pilot’s Operating Handbook for the R44 contains a Safety Notice (SN-18) which states in part:

Flying a helicopter in obscured visibility due to fog, snow, low ceiling, or even dark night can be fatal. Helicopters have less inherent stability and much faster roll and pitch rates than airplanes. Loss of the pilot’s outside visual reference, even for a moment, can result in disorientation, wrong control inputs, and an uncontrolled crash. This type of situation is likely to occur when a pilot attempts to fly through a partially obscured area and realizes too late that he is losing visibility.

Medical and Pathological Information

Toxicology testing performed at two laboratories identified 300 ng/ml of amphetamine in blood obtained from the inferior vena cava; 346 ng/ml in heart blood and 4167 ng/ml in urine; phenylpropanolamine and oxycodone in heart blood and urine; oxymorphone, a metabolite of oxycodone in urine; and oxazepam in urine; phenylpropanolamine and oxycodone in heart blood and urine; oxymorphone, a metabolite of oxycodone in urine; and oxazepam in urine.

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Location: Alpine, UT
Accident Number: WPR19FA148
Date & Time: 05/17/2019, 1034 MDT
Registration: N744TW
Aircraft: Robinson R44
Injuries: 2 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under:  Part 91: General Aviation - Personal 

On May 17, 2019, about 1034 mountain daylight time, a Robinson Helicopter Company R44 II helicopter, N744TW, impacted mountainous terrain about 4 miles north of Alpine, Utah. The private pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The helicopter sustained substantial damage. The helicopter was registered to Tumbleweed Leasing CO INC. and operated by the pilot as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal cross-country flight. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed in the vicinity of the accident site about the time of the accident and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from the pilot's residence near Myton, Utah about 0924 and was destined for South Valley Regional Airport (U42), Salt Lake City, Utah.

A family member of the pilot reported that at 1027 she received a video from one of the helicopter occupants. A review of the 19 second video revealed that the helicopter was at 13,600 ft mean sea level (msl), just above a cloud layer. The time and place stamp on the video indicated that the video was taken at 1026 in the vicinity of accident site.

Preliminary radar data provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) showed the first radar target about 0956 about 52 miles east of the accident location. Further review revealed that the helicopter began a climb from 10,400 ft msl, 37 kts groundspeed, in a west-northwest direction. At 1009, the data showed the helicopter leveled off at 13,300 ft msl and varied in altitude between 12,700 ft and 13,300 ft msl for about 30 miles. At 1029, the helicopter began a descent from 12,700 ft to 11,000 ft. Two minutes later, the helicopter began a right descending turn from an altitude of about 11,500 ft. The data further depicted the helicopter completed two 360° right turns, before radar contact was lost. The last radar target was at 9,200 ft, on a heading of 166°, and a groundspeed of 99 kts, or about 1,160 ft east of the accident site.

The wreckage was located in mountainous terrain, about 7,656 ft msl, about 4 miles northeast of Alpine, Utah. The wreckage debris path orientated on a magnetic heading of 127°. A postimpact fire near the engine was noted. All major structural components of the helicopter were located throughout the debris path. The wreckage was transported to a secure facility for further investigation.

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: Robinson
Registration: N744TW
Model/Series: R44 II
Aircraft Category: Helicopter
Amateur Built: No
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: Instrument Conditions
Condition of Light:
Observation Facility, Elevation: KPVU, 4497 ft msl
Observation Time: 1614 UTC
Distance from Accident Site: 17 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 8°C / 3°C
Lowest Cloud Condition:
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 7 knots / , 170°
Lowest Ceiling: Broken / 3100 ft agl
Visibility:  10 Miles
Altimeter Setting: 29.83 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: Mayton, UT
Destination: Salt Lake City, UT (U42)

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Fire: On-Ground
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 2 Fatal
Latitude, Longitude: 40.502500, -111.743889 (est)


Benno Anthony Penna, 32, and his wife, Megan Michele Hawk Penna, also 32, were killed on impact when their helicopter crashed in the mountains north of Alpine sometime Friday, May 17th, 2019. This photo was posted on Facebook about 10 a.m. Friday by Megan Penna. The Uintah County couple leave behind a son, age 6, and a daughter, age 5.


ALPINE — A Uintah County couple were identified Sunday as the victims of a fatal helicopter crash.

The pilot, Benno Anthony Penna, 32, and his wife, Megan Michele Hawk Penna, also 32, were killed on impact in the Friday crash in the mountains north of Alpine, according to the Utah County Sheriff's Office.

They leave behind a son, age 6, and a daughter, age 5.

Just before 3 p.m. Friday, deputies with the Utah County Sheriff's Office were notified of an overdue helicopter that had left a private residence in Ballard, Uintah County. The helicopter was headed to the South Valley Regional Airport in West Jordan and was expected at 2 p.m.

The downed chopper was found in the area of Schoolhouse Springs in rugged mountainous terrain.

Authorities say the unsettled weather may have been a factor in the crash.

Megan Penna, who owns an art studio in Ballard, posted photos and a video on Facebook about 10 a.m. Friday of her and her husband flying "above the clouds."

Friends and relatives initially wrote enthusiastic comments about the Facebook post, then later began writing words of condolence.

"A wonderful way to remember them. Their memorial from the heavens. Rest in peace Megan and Benno. You will always be remembered in the fondest ways," one man wrote.

"Sending love, light and energy healing along with prayers to your family. Both truly are flying high above the clouds now. Godspeed my friends!" wrote another.

"See you Two in Paradise. Until then I'll be missing your beautiful faces," one woman posted.

Another wrote, "(The) clouds almost look like I'd picture heaven. My prayers are with your family and friends."

Late Sunday, the Penna, Zubiate and Hawk family released a statement.

"The Penna family is heartbroken at the loss of Benno and Megan Penna. Benno was a devoted husband and father who loved helping friends and family. Megan was a devoted wife, mother and business partner with Benno. Megan loved working with her husband and they both adored their kids."

In the statement, they added: "The family is so grateful for the outpouring of community love and support during this very difficult time. The family is asking for privacy at this time. Please hold your calls, messages and visits until we have enough time to grieve the loss of Benno and Megan."

Original article can be found here ➤ https://www.deseretnews.com


Benno and Megan Penna 



(KUTV) — Family of Benno and Megan Penna — killed in a helicopter crash — released a statment Sunday to the media.

The statment says the family is heartbroken and is asking for privacy to to grieve.


Benno Anthony Penna, 32, and his wife Megan Michele Hawk Penna, also 32, killed in a helicopter crash Friday, were found in the mountains north of Alpine, about a mile away from a trailhead near the Alpine Cove subdivision.


The helicopter, which was piloted by Benno, was heading to South Valley Regional Airport in West Jordan from Uinta County Airport until it went missing sometime before 2 p.m. on Friday.


The statement, issued from the Penna, Zubiate and Hawk families says:


The Penna family is heartbroken at the loss of Benno and Megan Penna.


Benno was a devoted husband and father who loved helping friends and family. Megan was a devoted wife, mother and business partner with Benno. Megan loved working with her husband and they both adored their kids.


The family is so grateful for the outpouring of community love and support during this very difficult time. The family is asking for privacy at this time. Please hold your calls, messages and visits until we have enough time to grieve the loss of Benno and Megan.


Search and rescue crews located the crash site at approximately 6:30 p.m. on Friday, but because of the terrain and because of safety and nightfall, they were recovered Saturday. A member of the search and rescue crew stayed in the area to make sure the wreckage and bodies were not disturbed.


The cause of the crash is under investigation.


"We don’t know anything about cause," Utah County Sheriff's Office's Sgt. Spencer Cannon said Saturday. "We know that there was some heavy weather yesterday afternoon. Whether that played a role in this or not, we don’t know. The FAA and the NTSB are on scene, they’ll be the ones to make that determination officially if they can."


Cannon said Saturday that the helicopter seemed to be on the right path given its start and endpoint.


The Pennas are survived by two children, 6-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter.


Original article can be found here ➤ https://kutv.com







ALPINE — After she and her husband lifted off in their helicopter Friday morning, Megan Penna posted a photo to Facebook of the happy couple smiling as they soared through the clouds above Utah's scenic mountainscape.

Then, tragedy struck.

Utah County Sheriff's Sgt. Spencer Cannon on Sunday identified Megan Michele Penna, 32, and her husband, Benno Anthony Penna, also 32, as the victims of the crashed helicopter found Friday night in an area north of Alpine in Utah County.

Cannon said the couple lived in Ballard, a small town in Uintah County. Their Facebook profiles show Megan Penna was originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, while her husband was a graduate of Union High School in nearby Roosevelt.

"They leave behind two children, a 6-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl," Cannon said.

The Penna family released a statement on Sunday evening that said they are "heartbroken at the loss" of Benno and Megan:

"Benno was a devoted husband and father who loved helping friends and family. Megan was a devoted wife, mother and business partner with Benno. Megan loved working with her husband and they both adored their kids.

The family is so grateful for the outpouring of community love and support during this very difficult time. The family is asking for privacy at this time. Please hold your calls, messages and visits until we have enough time to grieve the loss of Benno and Megan."

The statement was sent on behalf of the Penna, Zubiate and Hawk family.

The helicopter was reported overdue by family members Friday afternoon after taking off from Vernal Regional Airport en route to South Valley Regional Airport in the Salt Lake Valley just before 2 p.m., according to the Federal Aviation Administration, which issued an entry-level alert notification for local authorities and search crews.

The Pennas were the only known occupants of the four-seat Robinson R-44 helicopter, authorities said.

A cause for the crash was still under investigation Sunday.

13 comments:

  1. Tragic loss...
    FAA database shows he got his licence only one year ago.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dates on FAA database are not indicative of date of issuance of first license. Only indicative of latest issue date.

      Delete
  2. Sad: "They leave behind two children, a 6-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl,"

    ReplyDelete
  3. My personal experience flying the R22 and R44 with collected 125 hours in both is that they are not stable platforms in IFR conditions. I’ve accumulated 18,000 hours plus in helicopters, from both military and civilian flying. I’ve logged over 3200 hours while IFR, so my input is well balanced by experience. What concerns me about this crash is the altitudes and weather. They were flying at the service ceiling of the R22 while in high terrain, and into clouds.
    The 360s while descending are typical of spacial disorientation coupled with a helicopter that is very unforgiving.

    ReplyDelete
  4. So many CFIT accidents... sadly, almost every single CFIT accident is preventable.

    At the same time, it's interesting how little time is spent discussing it. Taking my PPL now and while there's some mention of it and mountain flying, it seems like this is an area which needs more attention. I'm certainly requesting more training on it with my instructor and will be getting additional mountain flying training next year with a CFI in a very mountainous region.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Do a mountain checkout. You'll learn a lot. Especially about when not to go and what the hazards are.

      Delete
    2. This was not controlled flight into terrain.

      Delete
    3. Oh yes, it was controlled flight into terrain. Unless you want to count spatial disorientation in instrument conditions as "uncontrolled" and not "controlled" in which case it was uncontrolled flight into terrain. It also helps if you don't smoke meth and take vicodin before you go flying in the mountains in weather with 145 total hours of time in your log book. Fool around flying and find out fast.

      Delete
  5. Hypoxia? Did they have oxygen "in use" Looks like they were 12,500' to 13,300' for about 30 minuets. I know the reg's say oxygen required 12,500' to 14,000' for flights over 30 minuets but... it looks like they were at the max time limit for that altitude. Just wondering??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Most healthy people can operate at 12-14,000 feet without oxygen help indefinitely if they do not exert themselves and are prepared for it. Many can do strenuous activities at those altitudes for short periods before resting, like around snow skiing recreation (I've done it in T-bar access peaks in Breckenridge CO which drops you top off at 12,840'). You just have to get used to the altitude for a few days so you don't get mountain sickness. Never once when I was up there did I feel light headed and not on my A-game while carving through the snow. And I live near sea level conditions unlike those in CO and UT who are already conditioned to living thousands of feet above sea level (this couple lived near Myton UT which is 5,085' MSL).

      One key to not having issues in higher altitudes above 10K feet no matter what you are used to is to be well hydrated to help your red blood cells carry the fewer oxygen molecules throughout the organs more efficiently. I highly doubt this was hypoxia related. One thing pilots learn over time is to never press your limits as a pilot nor press the limits of the capabilities of your aircraft. This inexperienced pilot may very well have done both. But ultimately, we'll have to wait for the preliminary and then final reports to know for sure. Sad loss of life leaving kids behind who lost their parents.

      Delete
    2. It was illegal drug use and hypoxia final reports are out

      Delete
  6. 'Patrick McCourt of Huntington, New York writes: “On fixed-wing aircraft, the pilot in command sits in the left seat, but on helicopters, the PIC seems to sit in the right seat. Is this always the case, and if so, why?”

    For the answer, we turned to Roger Connor, curator of vertical flight in the aeronautics division of National Air and Space Museum. “The pilot in command often does sit on the right on a helicopter, but by no means is it all of the time,” Connor writes in an email.


    “The reason is mostly historical, though there can be some operational advantage. Since most helicopters are more inherently unstable than most airplanes, a helicopter pilot rarely likes to let go of the cyclic stick with his or her right hand, even with trim, and particularly in hover operations where near-continuous control inputs are required. [The cyclic controls the helicopter’s attitude and direction of movement, almost like a combined elevator and aileron for an airplane.]

    “In steady flight, the left hand that normally moves the collective lever [which changes all the blades’ pitch angles simultaneously] is sometimes free to push buttons or twiddle instrument knobs that are usually on a center console in a cabin with a side-by-side crew arrangement. Rotor brakes and clutches are also usually centrally located for the same reason.”

    The cyclic is usually positioned between the pilot’s knees, so it can’t be shared. A left-handed pilot in the right side seat, presumably, would have to get used to using the right hand for it in much the same way that a lefty copes with a stick shift in a manual-drive car. Most helicopters with side-by-side seating have always had two cyclics.

    Connor goes on to explain that when Igor Sikorsky built the world’s first mass-produced helicopter, the R-4 (“and no, Flettner Fl 282 prototypes were not in mass production beforehand,” he adds), weight was a serious issue. “The R-4 was intended as a trainer, but was so underpowered that Sikorsky was looking for any potential savings, so Igor and his engineers decided to let the instructor and student share a single collective. The only place to put it then was in the middle between the two seats. Given the coordination and strength required to manipulate an R-4 cyclic for any length of time, the student always flew from the right.'

    @https://www.airspacemag.com/need-to-know/why-do-helicopter-pilots-sit-in-the-right-seat-243212/

    ReplyDelete