Helicopter rotor wash causes Cirrus crash | FerrariChat

Helicopter rotor wash causes Cirrus crash

Discussion in 'Aviation Chat' started by GuyIncognito, Feb 9, 2015.

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  1. GuyIncognito

    GuyIncognito Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    Jun 30, 2007
    91,702
    at least, that's what this video claims....

    posted on Facebook by a pilot (and Embry Riddle grad) friend of mine.

    thoughts from the braintrust?

    [ame]www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8EwvDTJeNs[/ame]
     
  2. teak360

    teak360 F1 World Champ

    Nov 3, 2003
    10,065
    Boulder, CO
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    Scott
    I don't know if it caused it, but I'm sure it was a factor. The piloted may have reacted quickly and appropriately and there was nothing he could do. What he did do wrong for sure is not be at least one minute behind the disturbance.
     
  3. LouB747

    LouB747 Formula 3

    Apr 8, 2009
    2,123
    Huntington Beach, CA
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    Lou Boyer
    Looks like he was landing downwind. At first I thought the helicopter was crossing the runway. Now it looks to me like he was flying down the runway. So the wake would follow the wind, right down the runway. Based on the fact there's about 30 secs between the two, the Cirrus pilot obviously was on final and saw the helicopter. Guessing the PIC will get the full blame for it, with the helicopter being a contributing cause. Haven't ever flown through helicopter wake. I'd think it would be intense, but short lived. Hope everyone is alright.
     
  4. TimN88

    TimN88 F1 Veteran

    Jun 12, 2001
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    Tim
    I guess that's why you want 3 minutes for wake turbulence behind a helicopter. Hope the people in the plane survived that one.
     
  5. GuyIncognito

    GuyIncognito Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    Jun 30, 2007
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  6. RWP137

    RWP137 Formula 3

    Apr 29, 2013
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    AZ
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    Rick
    Definitely could have contributed. The Cirrus was about 22 seconds behind the Blackhawk, and the way he departed looked like it would throw heavy wash. Those are large helicopters.
     
  7. kylec

    kylec F1 Rookie
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    Jun 9, 2005
    3,572
    Orlando
    Image if he would have had a successful go around. Wouldn't he have been right on top of the blackhawk?
     
  8. FERRARI-TECH

    FERRARI-TECH Formula 3

    Nov 9, 2006
    1,674
    Los Angeles
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    Ferrari-tech
    On one of my first lessons at Van Nuys, I got caught out buy Rotor wash.

    I was on short final for 16L and there was a large whirly bird hovering over Taxiway B waiting for me to come in.

    It was a hot day and the wash as I past it blew me all over, My instructor caught us (obviously he was expecting it) and then proceeded to thank the tower, telling them that's the sort of thing that kills students, as we went around. Defiantly a surprising and bumpy ride.

    Tower apologized, but the heli guy didn't seem to acknowledge he had done anything wrong, which in all fairness if he was cleared then he didn't.

    Lesson learned, I now go around, or wait to take off until I'm well clear of those bloody things...
     
  9. donv

    donv Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Jan 5, 2002
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    A good friend of mine was instructing in a 152 and was flipped over on short final. He and the student both survived... he told me he remembers when they went inverted, and trying to roll upright (I believe they did, but landed very, very hard)... and then the next thing he remembers was waking up in a helicopter.

    Yep, it was a LifeFlight helicopter which rolled them. He never got a bill for that transport, incidentally.
     
  10. FERRARI-TECH

    FERRARI-TECH Formula 3

    Nov 9, 2006
    1,674
    Los Angeles
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    Ferrari-tech
    They really are a pain in the butt at VNY, tower routinely warns of wake turbulence as the jets come in and out but rarely have I been warned of helicopter activity.

    When the huge water drop/fire fighting birds are near the ground you can see the dust being blown around at the other end of the 8000ft runway..extreme caution required.

    At push time when all the news helo's are going up its like being in a sand storm..

    Still don't know why tower warns so infrequently, they must assume that as they are lifting of from taxiways and parking pads that it wont effect traffic on the runways....bad assumption.
     
  11. HobbsTC

    HobbsTC Formula 3
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    Jun 14, 2004
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    Lakeland, FL
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    Thomas
    Wow, that's crazy. I never realized how bad our wake could be on takeoffs. That was a standard takeoff, at least the way I do them. Now the Chinooks, on the other hand, those things have insane rotor wash. I stood under one once for a sling load, hooking up a HMMWV and got blown all over the place.
     
  12. Tcar

    Tcar F1 Rookie

    Watched a Skycrane removing/installing HVAC units on a large shopping center here over an Easter weekend (mall closed).

    Rotor wash actually bounced some cars around on their suspension that were parked about 50 yards away.
     
  13. andrewecd

    andrewecd Formula Junior

    Dec 17, 2006
    539
    Sydney
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    Andrew
    Isnt the chopper taking off on the other (runway?) in the foreground?
    Plane lands on runway behind
     
  14. phrogs

    phrogs F1 Veteran
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    Apr 13, 2004
    7,113
    Michigan
    That was not caused by rotor wash! I have been around some of the largest helicopters in the world. The marine corps CH-53s will throw you around I have seen one landing and blow a car over on its roof. The V22 tilt rotor has a serious rotor wash. But after the time between them the rotor wash was gone. At the point of lift off sure but it was gone by the time that little plane showed up and crashed.

    Ridiculous, at best it was a cross wind. Not that puny Blackhawks rotor wash.
     

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