Electricity pole fell 200ft from helicopter - AAIB Bulletin

[CharlieOneSix]

AAIB Bulletin 07-20

A similar incident happened to me many years ago when I was building a new 11kv power line on the side of Porlock Hill near Minehead. However in my case the release was deliberate as I ran out of power and ideas short of the hole into which the pole had to be dropped.

When I left that job my boss presented me with a photo taken that day ......

[G-CPTN]

I am surprised that the pole 'broke' - whether wooden or metal.

[CharlieOneSix]

The one I dropped hit a rock end on and split over much of its length. I did have an external load inadvertently fall off when the following year a 3000lb load of concrete disappeared from beneath my Bell 212 into the Irish Sea. We were in the cruise whilst helping to build the Tuskar Rock lighthouse helipad.

Edit: just scanned the press cutting from my logbook.....the cable didn't snap, the hook malfunctioned

tuskar1.jpg (64.36 KiB) Viewed 565 times

Another incident with the Bell 212, funny at the time for a few seconds but it could have been disastrous. We were in the Wicklow Mountains near Dublin, this time putting in loads of concrete into each of the four corners of tower bases for a new metal electricity line. We hovered over the footings at one corner and one of the Irish labourers reached over to pull the cord of the bucket release mechanism to release the concrete. Unfortunately as he pulled the release he fell into the hole along with the readymix. They had a hell of a job getting him out.

[Boac]

Unfortunately as he pulled the release he fell into the hole along with the readymix. They had a hell of a job getting him out.

Dat's de Oirish Mafia, to be sure.

[G~Man]

A similar incident happened to me many years ago when I was building a new 11kv power line on the side of Porlock Hill near Minehead. However in my case the release was deliberate as I ran out of power and ideas short of the hole into which the pole had to be dropped.

How do you see with such a short line? We typically use a 60 ft line for pole sets....and occasionally 200 ft depending upon surrounding terrain.

[CharlieOneSix]

....How do you see with such a short line? We typically use a 60 ft line for pole sets....and occasionally 200 ft depending upon surrounding terrain.

I suppose the short answer is I couldn't see! That particular job was in 1970 so 50 years ago I'm not sure we had heard of longlining in the UK. On that job I depended on an excellent ex-RN marshaller giving hand signals and a couple of guys manhandling the pole into a split funnel in the hole.

In our Electricity Board Helicopter Unit we rarely did any lifting work - that one was because it was on the side of a fairly steep hill. In the civil world we were only just coming out of the era of small piston engine helicopters such as the Bell 47, Hiller 12 and Brantly so lifting anything heavier than the skin off a rice pudding was not the norm. We had only had that Jetranger about 18 months - it was the 6th in the UK - and was an A model with an Allison C18 engine so although a step up from the Bell 47 it still wasn't quite there in power and reliability. In those days we called the C18 the "Allison hand grenade" - a reference to it propensity for failure.

Photo below - March 1970 - when there was disruption in Kent due to snow and many power lines were down and roads were blocked. I was still using a short line! This time taking drums of replacement 11kv line to cut off areas.

kent3-70.jpg (56.33 KiB) Viewed 520 times

[G~Man]

Oh how things have changed....

[TheGreenGoblin]

A similar incident happened to me many years ago when I was building a new 11kv power line on the side of Porlock Hill near Minehead. However in my case the release was deliberate as I ran out of power and ideas short of the hole into which the pole had to be dropped.

When I left that job my boss presented me with a photo taken that day ......

Your rather famous boss appears to have been a good gaffer as well and clearly approved of you and your modus operandi C16...

Sox Hosegood

[TheGreenGoblin]

Oh how things have changed....

Bugger me... well not literally but, hell, I tip my hat to you folks who can fly like that....

[TheGreenGoblin]

Talking of helis, I was noticing that this gentlemen flies in sandals...




I was told today to dance, not stomp...





Lord why didn't you point me in the heli (not necessarily Hellenic) way in my youth?

It is not too late...