Co-Pilot Expected Helo To 'Bounce' After Impacting Carrier
Deck
The co-pilot and only surviving crew member of a December 2006
Black Hawk helicopter accident told an Australian military inquiry
board not only did he believe a Global Positioning System error
cause the accident, but he also thought the aircraft would 'bounce'
back from a firm landing.
The Army pilot, who is only identified as Captain No. 7, said he
assumed the helicopter would keep flying after impacting the deck
of the HMAS Kanimbla during what he said was a routine landing. The
aircraft then went over the side of the carrier and sank in the sea
off Fiji.
"It did feel a very firm landing, but I did think we would keep
flying," he said.
The HMAS Newcastle, HMAS Kanimbla and HMAS Success had been on
stand-by in the area to evacuate Australians if an early-December
coup in Fiji had sparked violence. Once the Australian Defense
Force and the Federal Government determined the threat of violence
had abated, the deployment was terminated, as ANN reported.
Black Hawk A25-221 was located by an unmanned aerial vehicle 19
days after the accident, then recovered.
Captain No.7 told the inquiry board Blackhawk emergency training
does not take into account a Black Hawk sinking rapidly. He said he
ignored procedures by grabbing his breathing device and got out
while the aircraft was still moving then swimming to the surface,
according to The Australian.
"It was at a depth that required a considerable amount of
swimming to get to the surface," he said.
An investigator, identified as Major 5, agreed with Captain 7
that a faulty GPS reading may have been the primary cause of the
accident, according to The Age.
"Some indicators were made aware to us that the ship had
actually drifted (from its initial location)," Major 5 said. "We
looked at the ship's log which suggested the ship had drifted one
to 1.2 knots or 400 or 500 meters."
Because the helo was actually
closer to the carrier than the instruments indicated, Major 5 said
the pilot was forced to pull up more quickly than expected,
resulting it into "transient rotor droop."
Major 5 explained to the board a rotor droop occurs when an
"aircraft is maneuvered in a fairly demanding way to the edge of
its capability causing a loss of power" and is considered
unacceptable among army pilots.
Captain 7 denied speed or wind as being factors in the accident
and said the landing looked normal. But, he was not able to recall
what the airspeed or altitude readings were on the final approach
despite the fact it was his job to monitor such things.
"I recall it was a normal approach," he said, "I didn't have to
say anything out of the ordinary."