Thanks a lot David.  These would be really funny dumb aviator stories except
that I have to ride in one of those damn things next week!  I'll personally
check for cables!

Chuck

In a message dated 3/1/2002 10:07:20 AM Central Standard Time,
LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM writes:

> Date:    Fri, 1 Mar 2002 11:02:01 -0500
> From:    David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
> 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"
>