Thread: Four dead after two helicopters collide in mid-air in Australia

Originally Posted by misskit

Come to think of it, I know of no one personally who perished in a plane crash. I do know two people who died in separate helicopter crashes.

My old boss from London had saved up his frequent flyer points from numerous business trips to take his family to Boston to spend Christmas with his brother.

They were all on Pan Am 103.

Originally Posted by misskit

My dad worked for the Air Force investigating aircraft crashes. He would not fly in a helicopter. He thought they were too precarious.

I'm with your dad on this, although I have flown in the left seat of a Gazelle, many moons ago. It was my first and last flight in a chopper. Too many moving parts and every control input requires to be countered by another. Heaven knows how they manage to fly.

I don't know anyone killed in an air accident, plane or helicopter. I do know a few groundstaff that were killed by aircraft though, walking into props or being sucked into the intake. Horrible mess.

Military pilots at war excluded...

Originally Posted by Mendip

There were a few oil workers on that flight and at least one from the company I worked for at the time.

My friend was also a former colleague, he was a Brazilian Oilfield worker on his way back from break to the job he was on in Egypt.

Originally Posted by Mendip

Things like that make you think.

Yeah it certainly does, there's no fucking way in a million years would I get in some of the planes and Choppers I've been on before if I had to do it again. Flying domestically in places like Bangladesh, Tupolov flights in Iran, boarding a vintage Alouette helicopter in Syria that was leaking oil, and so on. Madness.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

I doubt most of then never even knew about it.

It took them three and a half minutes to fall to earth (or ocean to be precise) in a stalled and uncontrollable aircraft, it was not a controlled descent. I doubt anyone slept through that, reports at the time of what the passengers may have experienced were truly horrifying.

^ One of my friends had to help pick up the pieces of that flight. It is difficult to express in words the horrors he encountered.

Video emerges from inside one of the helicopters involved in Monday’s Gold Coast crash. Inside the cockpit: Moment tourist raises alarm seconds before fatal GC helicopter crash | 7NEWS


https://twitter.com/i/status/1610568562564894723

film from inside the cockpit of one of the helicopters.

Originally Posted by Troy

^ One of my friends had to help pick up the pieces of that flight. It is difficult to express in words the horrors he encountered.

The same with the Gulf Air crash off Bahrain.

Originally Posted by Backspin

The days of helicopters taking off and landing at the same time in uncontrolled air space like this will be over. The NTSB will nix it

That’s good, I didn’t realise they had control of Australian airspace…

Originally Posted by DrWilly

That’s good, I didn’t realise they had control of Australian airspace…

Now you've made him look up what NTSB stands for and what jurisdiction it has

Originally Posted by panama hat

Now you've made him look up what NTSB stands for and what jurisdiction it has

And he still won't understand how stupid he sounds.

Video footage of the crash in the link

Hours of video footage to be reviewed as part of fatal Gold Coast helicopter crash investigation - ABC News

ETA - I dont understand why teak door hates ABC.

www.abc. net . au /news/2023-01-05/qld-gold-coast-helicopter-crash-camera-footage/101827424

remove spaces for link to work

^Looks like the same footage already posted where one of the passengers in the rear seat taps the Pilot's shoulder and points out they're about to be in a collision? There must be phone footage taken from tourists on the ground of the impact, not trying to be macabre but that's what we really need to see to understand exactly how this tragedy occurred.

Originally Posted by Backspin

The days of helicopters taking off and landing at the same time in uncontrolled air space like this will be over. The ATSB will nix it

What makes you think the airspace wasn't controlled?

Originally Posted by Headworx

^Looks like the same footage already posted where one of the passengers in the rear seat taps the Pilot's shoulder and points out they're about to be in a collision? There must be phone footage taken from tourists on the ground of the impact, not trying to be macabre but that's what we really need to see to understand exactly how this tragedy occurred.

both available.

Originally Posted by Troy

What makes you think the airspace wasn't controlled?

It was mentioned in this clip at around 1:35. It was uncontrolled airspace.

Good analysis. The company just acquired these euro copters in November. And its a factor in the accident

These helicopters were selling 5 minute rides for $85. That's dumb. Landing and taking off every 5 minutes.

Originally Posted by Backspin

It was mentioned in this clip at around 1:35. It was uncontrolled airspace.

Well, if 1:35 says so . . . Backspin will gobble it up

Originally Posted by Backspin

These helicopters were selling 5 minute rides for $85. That's dumb. Landing and taking off every 5 minutes.

What's dumb is your 'rationale'.

Is ten minutes better?