So David, since it's Fry-day, maybe it's time for a visit to
www.darwinawards.com  :)  I try to be humble before my westy at all times,
though, and your point is well taken.....
bmc  :)
"Faith will move mountains, but you'd better bring a shovel...."

> From: David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
> Reply-To: David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
> Date: Fri, 1 Mar 2002 11:02:01 -0500
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: PopTop Alarm ..... Conclusion ????
>
> At 10:50 AM 3/1/2002, Stan Wilder wrote:
>> If I were truly worried about making this awesome mistake I'd store my
>> car keys on a hook or magnet on the Pop-top locking devise. That way I'd
>> have to drop the top to get the keys. That in itself should be a good
>> reminder that the top needed to be secured.
>
> tsk tsk tsk...pride goeth before a fall. <g>  Remember all the people who
> landed their airplanes with the gear up even though they had a checklist
> *and* a mechanical voice in the cockpit yelling at them.  Or the
> twin-engine pilot who took off with a garment bag draped over the
> stabilator -- plane didn't fly for beans.  Or these helo accidents:
>
>> The following examples illustrate this type of external load accident and
>> the resulting consequences:
>>
>> * A Soloy 47G helicopter assisted in the installation of electrical
>> transmission lines during a Part 133 operation.
>>
>> The helicopter departed with a 150-foot long-line attached and no external
>> load on the hook. According to the NTSB, there was no reason for the
>> long-line to be attached since the operator was transporting passengers in
>> conjunction with their construction and inspection duties. After liftoff,
>> the helicopter moved forward approximately 200 feet toward a tree line. As
>> the helicopter began a left turn away from a man-made obstacle, the
>> long-line tangled in the trees, causing the ship to crash. The helicopter
>> was destroyed on impact, fatally injuring one of the three occupants and
>> seriously injuring the other two.
>>
>> * An Aerospatiale 316B was moving equipment in mountainous terrain. A
>> 100-foot cable was attached to the helicopter for the purpose of carrying
>> the equipment. Later, the operator needed to transport several workers to
>> a hilltop site, and the helicopter was pressed into temporary passenger
>> service.
>>
>> According to eyewitnesses, the helicopter took on several passengers, then
>> the pilot initiated a normal takeoff rather than the vertical takeoff that
>> workers are accustomed to seeing when a slingload is attached.
>>
>> As the helicopter departed, the cargo hook snagged on an equipment trailer
>> adjacent to the takeoff area. As tension on the line increased, the hook
>> broke free of the trailer and the cable recoiled into the main rotor
>> blades, rendering the helicopter uncontrollable. The helicopter suffered
>> substantial damage on impact; all five of the occupants sustained serious
>> or fatal injuries.
>>
>> * A Bell 206B-3 was transporting seismic equipment in an aluminum
>> basket attached to the end of a 100-foot long-line. After flying for
>> approximately two hours, the helicopter completed its planned activities.
>> The operator repositioned the 206 to an adjacent landing zone for routine
>> maintenance and inspections.
>>
>> During the flight to reposition the helicopter, the 206 reached an
>> altitude of approximately 50 to 60 feet AGL when the aluminum mesh basket
>> caught on a nearby fence. The helicopter was substantially damaged;
>> however, the helmeted pilot received only minor injuries.
>>
>> According to the NTSB report, the pilot started the takeoff without
>> determining whether the 100-foot long-line was still attached to the cargo
>> hook. The pilot stated he forgot that the long-line and basket were still
>> attached to the helicopter.
>>
>> Not unique
>>
>> All of these mishaps involved Part 133 operators and properly certified
>> pilots. The accidents were not unique to any one region of the United
>> States, and involved a range of helicopter types to carry out various
>> missions. In all of these and other related accident reports, the NTSB
>> cited the pilot-in-command as performing an "inadequate or incomplete
>> preflight" as well as the "pilot's failure to maintain adequate ground
>> clearance with the aircraft's attached cable/long-line."
>>
>> More importantly, several pilots and their passengers lost their lives or
>> suffered serious injuries in accidents that, had the pilots been more
>> vigilant, would never have happened.
>>
>> Back to Rotor & Wing News and Highlights
>
>
> david
>
>
> --
> David Beierl - Providence, RI
> http://pws.prserv.net/synergy/Vanagon/
> '84 Westy "Dutiful Passage"
> '85 GL "Poor Relation"
>