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Have you ever had anything go "Klunk!" in Flight?


Francis Meyrick

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  • 4 weeks later...

Two days ago, while supporting a wildland fire exercise with local and visiting assists, I was assigned to pretreat certain areas of vegetation and provide break-out protection with bucket operations. The outside temps were above the 95 degree mark so I elected to conduct this op with the doors removed, which in my case was the exception, not the norm……

 

While coming off the first dip in a right turn, I felt a distinct “klunk-klunk” in the floor and in my seat. Somewhat concerned, I manipulated the controls to attempt recreate the “klunk” with negative results. Assuming maybe it was the cargo hook swing system reaching its limits while coming off the pond, I elected to grab another bucket. Even though I pride myself in being a smooth operator, this time, I closely watched the swing system through mirrors. Off the dip, no problem. As I started the right turn, the “klunk-klunk” happened again. WTF? Because of the doors were removed, I now thought that maybe a piece of equipment was rolling around in the rear cabin area so, as best as I could, I did a quick visual and saw nothing. In my mind, I didn’t think it was a flight safety issue and if it was, I would have set down. However, what I needed to do was change an element of my tactics. The next bucket, I made a left turn off the dip. No “klunk”. The next dip, a left turn, no “klunk”. The next dip a right turn, “klunk-klunk”! WTF? These kinds of things are an indicator of a cargo door opened but I was absolutely positive the doors were secured. Well, the next bucket was going to be the last if I didn’t get this identified….

 

The next dip, in the right turn, out of the corner of my eye I saw the vertical reference window bi-fold cover blow open and slam against my seat and slam close…. “klunk-klunk”…..

 

Left turn Clyde….

Edited by Spike
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That last sentence, was it "G" rated ?

Aeroscout... buddy... you have a WARPED mind. Warped, I tell you. I'm so naive and innocent ( I was an altar boy when I was young) that I didn't even get it for a while.

 

"...get it for a while.." :wacko:

 

The joke, Aeroscout, the JOKE.

 

Jeez....

 

Banging tail.... boom

 

:huh:

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  • 2 weeks later...

No more klunkers...?

 

I could have been a librarian...

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  • 3 weeks later...

Flying along over the Alaskan tundra on a beautiful fall morning, heading out with clients for an amazing day of chasing monster rainbows. Fall colors everywhere, clear skies, nothing but optimism and the certainty of a perfect day when BANG..WHOOSH. Air flow that wasn't there a second ago and after I get a second to sort out my life expectancy I realize that my pilots side sliding window on my S-55 just departed the ship. I even have time to glance out the now open space next to me and see it windmilling slowly towards the earth, landing gently in some alders... This view and the realization that the tailrotor is on the opposite all came in to focus about the same instant.

 

A quick spiral down and landing, hopped out and grabbed the window and reinstalled it. Back in flight in a matter of moments but I flew with it all the way closed until I got back to base and made some track adjustments. Sure did get my attention though.

 

Maybe some day I'll talk about trying to change the portable CD player on a long bush flight while holding the cyclic between my knees and my test flight of retreating blade stall regime... God, I love helicopters.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Recently had an R44 Astro that would randomly make a loud "Clunk!" in flight. It got torn apart several times to try to find the issue. No dice. It was loud enough to wake you up and you could feel it. Still bother's me to this day that we never found out what was causing it. It recently timed out for 2200 hour overhaul.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I had a guy in the back of a unbuckle and move from the one side to the other, and in the process drop his radio on the floor, at night, in the mountains.

 

Me: Did you just do something in the back?

 

Him: Ya man.... I move to the other side, sorry I dropped my flashlight too."

 

He wasnt a small guy, I don't know how he managed or what possessed him to squeeze under and slide over in the back of a 500.

 

Fortunately up to now, my oh crap moments have been chip lights, torque needle dropping to zero, my RPM to the bottom of the green despite trying to beep it up. Landing in the parking lot of a golf course to check out an Engine Chip Det light. That was fun. I left with more bottles of water and Cokes than I knew what to do with.

Edited by Flying Pig
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It's especially fun when your mechanic turns up to where you landed and denies anything was wrong and basically calls you a liar that the chip light activated....

 

this one is even better than that, and NO i was neither the pilot nor mechanic, just a friend of the owner.

 

the mechanic/pilot just finished a 100 hr inspection/test flight of the owners hughes 300, and landed it on the opposite side of the field just as the owner showed up. The mechanic told the owner that the engine wasn't producing enuf power to make it back to the hangar. .. The owner hopped in, fired it up, and said "its fine to me" and proceeded to hover it back to the hangar, upon crossing a drainage ditch? the engine thru a rod and he fell in the ditch and the damage was substantial.

 

always believe your mechanic AND your pilot

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always believe your mechanic AND your pilot

Or, quoting from the Philosophical Works of some dunderhead named..... Mmmm....Foggy?

 

"When in doubt, Chicken Out"

 

based on the parabolic inverse hypothesis:

 

"Better a Live Chicken than a Dead Duck"

 

:)

 

(Quack! Quack!)

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Taking off from Lowe AHP. Passed through ETL, and then about 100 feet.. WHAP!

"I have the controls" "Tower, returning to the field". Maintenance finds nothing. Well, I'm not taking it back out. I didn't like the sound of it. You figure it out. I know it happened, and until you figure out what caused it, thanks but no thanks.

 

Turns out a few days later... (I don't remember how I found out) it was probably the little 3" round window on the student's side popped open, and he didn't know enough to tell me that it did (and I didn't know enough to suspect it). Oops.

 

Telling the story, it sounds like I was an idiot. But at the time, I was nervous enough to not want to take the A/C again, just for a little training.

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Or, quoting from the Philosophical Works of some dunderhead named..... Mmmm....Foggy?

 

"When in doubt, Chicken Out"

 

based on the parabolic inverse hypothesis:

 

"Better a Live Chicken than a Dead Duck"

 

:)

 

(Quack! Quack!)

"Dead Duck" you say ?

Do you know what happens when he is still alive and flies inverted ?

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then when he goes down in flames? he is a fire quakker :D

...I'll say it. Let me say it. Please. Lemme....

 

which is why elephants have flat feet, right? To stamp out flaming quakkers....??

 

(gawd... really)

 

:rolleyes:

 

 

PS: (scratching head) How did we get from "Klunk!" in flight, to "Fire Quakkers"....?? Hummmmm....... ;)

Edited by Francis Meyrick
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  • 8 months later...

This one didn't go "Klunk!", but it did go "Splash!" But I think it could really have gone really, really badly "KLUNK!". I think I was lucky.

 

:rolleyes:

 

Dropping a Missile

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  • 2 weeks later...

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