Helicopter collision near Brisbane

[Evan]

Trying to work out what happened here but it appears that it happened near to or on the ground when one aircraft was landing while the other was taking off. The destroyed helo (EC130 #1) looks to have suffered a tail strike with the mostly intact helo (EC130 #2). The separated fenestron is lying nearby the #2 aircraft while that one has extensive damage to its windscreen area. There were only minor injuries on the #2 aircraft, which seems remarkable given the damage. Even more remarkable, three of the occupants of the crashed #1 aircraft have also survived. Four did not. Sad start of the new year.



https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-64142696

[David Tweddle]

Awful

[Evan]

A video posted on Twitter shows what is alleged to be the moment before the crash. A backseat passenger taps the pilot urgently on the arm. But they are still at significant altitude (hundreds of feet) and the pilot is looking forward and to both sides without alarm. The report says the windscreen was then struck by the rotor blade of the ascending helicopter. If this was the moment of collision, I don't see how it would have been survivable for the ascending aircraft unless it had some degree of control going down. If accurate, it would also suggest that the descending helicopter pilot might have intentionally set down near the crashed one to render help.

https://twitter.com/7NewsSydney/stat...04-p5caex.html