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Posted
HELI_SAFETY.COM_DOC_141.pdf

 

The Kansas Highway Patrol has made the crash report for the Topeka Police Department's Robinson R-44 Helicopter public.

 

SEE ATTACHMENT

 

 

richard

 

http://www.heli-safety.com

 

http://www.heli-wear.com

Wow...I see that the lights in the parking lot were not illuminated, so there would be no way to see that light pole in the middle of the lot when it's not lit.

Posted
Wow...I see that the lights in the parking lot were not illuminated, so there would be no way to see that light pole in the middle of the lot when it's not lit.

 

According to the Highway Patrol review of a videotape made at the time of the crash, the lights were in fact illuminated. However, dark sky compliant lighting requires that modern light fixture do not send any light to the sides or up...making them difficult to see...especially when doing an auto with other stuff happening..

 

The NTSB pre lim report is also out..

 

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=2...00433&key=1

 

Kinda conflicting info...was it an auto, or a precautionary landing ??

 

Goldy

Posted

Direct quote from the police report: "After Officer Wempe slowed the rotor blades he lost power. Officer Wempe and Officer Campbell immediately turned on the landing light and started searching for a landing site."

 

I dunno, that sounds exactly like an engine failure in my book. I wonder if the governor issue had something to do with it? Could a massive RPM spike potentially cause an engine failure?

Posted

Standard R44s don't have turbine engines, at least that I know of. Turboprop means a turbine engine turning a propeller, used extensively in fixed-wing aircraft, never in helicopters.

Posted
Where is the "turbo" and the "Prop"?

 

 

I brought this to the attention of the FAA when I registered my Raven II a few years back. They corrected it to "Reciprocating" and for some reason changed it back to "Turbo-Prop" a few weeks later. All the Raven I's show Reciprocating, the fuel injection on the Raven II has somehow got them confused.

 

Mike

Posted

Wow- if they landed 10 feet away it would have been a non event.

Posted
Wow- if they landed 10 feet away it would have been a non event.

 

Didn't seem like they flared at all at the bottom, eh? Just a tad to the right, and would have been an incident. Glad to see that everyone is OK though! Auto's can be tricky, and especially at night.

Posted

I am glad that everyone walked away from this one.

 

Is anyone else wondering why they continued to fly for "an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes" with a malfunctioning governor? :unsure:

 

I understand that SFAR-73 requires training in governor-off operations, but an operational governor is still required equipment for flight in accordance with the POH (Section 2 page 6).

 

People have commented above, that 10 feet to the right and it wouldn't have been an issue. Topeka isn't that big, if they had returned to base when the governor started to malfunction, Topeka PD might still have an airworthy aircraft.

Posted (edited)
Is anyone else wondering why they continued to fly for "an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes" with a malfunctioning governor? :unsure:

 

I understand that SFAR-73 requires training in governor-off operations, but an operational governor is still required equipment for flight in accordance with the POH (Section 2 page 6).

I had been taught that if the governor fails in flight you can still complete it normally. The POH (for the R22 at least) says to switch the governor off and complete the flight using manual throttle control. No mention of land as soon as practical. Now being a low time private pilot, I'd probably turn around, but I don't think any commercial operation would when the POH says you can continue flying.

Edited by me shakes fist

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