OOPS

[PHXPhlyer]

Helicopter drops huge A/C unit onto Oakland street

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/

Helicopter drops huge A/C unit onto Oakland street
Published 7 hours agoOffbeat & UnusualAssociated Press

Helicopter drops huge A/C unit onto Oakland street

OAKLAND, Calif. - A huge industrial air conditioning unit crashed onto a downtown Oakland, California, street seconds after it was lifted by a helicopter.

Witnesses say that nobody was hurt when the cables snapped and the unit about the size of a truck fell onto the pavement and sent construction workers running for cover on Saturday.

Brothers Gabriel and Rudi Tcruz were walking by and stopped to record video of the Sikorsky Skycrane helicopter lifting the A/C unit.

"It picked up the air conditioning unit, and then the cables snapped," Rudi Tcruz said. "The helicopter is so loud that when it hit the ground you couldn’t even hear the impact."

The unit plummeted about 40 feet. The helicopter continued hovering overhead.

The street not far from City Hall was closed to traffic at the time of the accident. Oakland Police and city officials didn't immediately return calls seeking more details.

"You could definitely see the dismay," Tcruz said of the construction workers. "One of the guys, as it crashed, turned around and ripped off his helmet."

PP

[CharlieOneSix]

I couldn't find anything about this on the link given by PP but here's the video. It doesn't look like a cable snap to me, more like a hook malfunction. It's unlikely but it could also be a deliberate release if the S-64 Skycrane ran out of power....but unlikely as I say. If that had happened he would have just lowered it back to the ground.

I lifted a couple of much smaller air conditioning units onto the roof of the former IPC headquarters (Kings Reach Tower) in London back in the 70's. Flew them from Battersea Heliport along the Thames and then onto the building. It had to be done on a Sunday when nearby offices etc were unoccupied and a lot of nearby roads had to be closed for obvious reasons!

[FD2]

Yes - it looks like the release point was just underneath the aircraft. A wonder no one was underneath.

Reminds me of the incident when a chacon (a large box basically) was dropped into the sea - it contained lots of suitcases of aircrew disembarking from a carrier which had been away for months - the suitcases contained 'rabbits' (presents bought abroad) for family members as well as the usual personal items.

[probes]

Well, things happen, don't they ?

[FD2]

The crew wasn't very popular at first but it was found the chacon was overloaded and the attachments points rotten, so not their fault.

The Skycrane looked to be doing a good lift until the 'separation' - nice and steady with no swing.

[G~Man]

Anoher angle---the drop occures about minute 13.

[TheGreenGoblin]

Interesting to see the vortices induced in the street enclosed by the buildings. How big a problem is the problem of "self induced/recirculated" vortices in managing/controlling the aircraft in a load pickup like that in such an enclosed area?

Did he get into a vortex ring/settling with power situation and manually release the load?

Most reports say that the cable(s) snapped?

[G~Man]

How big a problem is the problem of "self induced/recirculated" vortices in managing/controlling the aircraft in a load pickup like that in such an enclosed area?

Did he get into a vortex ring/settling with power situation and manually release the load?

As longs as the vortices have somewhere to go it is not a big deal...having the LZclose to an intersection.

There does not appear to be any "vortex ring/settling with power" as he is climbing not descending---one needs a 300 fpm descent rate in oder for Vortex ring.

[llondel]

I wonder how big a dent it made in the road?

[TheGreenGoblin]

I wonder how big a dent it made in the road?

[llondel]

That looks like the road had a convincing win.

[Cpt_Pugwash]

Yes - it looks like the release point was just underneath the aircraft. A wonder no one was underneath.

Reminds me of the incident when a chacon (a large box basically) was dropped into the sea - it contained lots of suitcases of aircrew disembarking from a carrier which had been away for months - the suitcases contained 'rabbits' (presents bought abroad) for family members as well as the usual personal items.

Designed at Chatham Dockyard - " A regular feature of the cargo was the ‘Chacon’, (Chatham container). This was a large and strong wooden box structure, approximately 7 feet square by 8 feet high, fitted with lockable double doors on one side, a steel sheathed roof and four lifting lugs. Large numbers of these might be stowed in the holds or on deck having been pre-loaded with cartons of smaller or high value items of stores."

I recall an incident where some Chacons were returned to a Scottish base from trials at AUTEC, contents labeled as test equipment, which they indeed were, but as the random Customs inspection found, all test lead and documentation drawers and other empty spaces were full of packages containing rum and cigarettes etc. Wouldn't have been so bad, but all the packages were neatly labeled as to ownership. Lots of red faces all around.

[FD2]

Pugwash - many thanks - I never knew where the name came from.

"Is this rum yours, sir?" "No, someone else must have put my name on it."

Customs could be very 'thorough' when ships arrived back from the Far East especially. or or

[4mastacker]

Ah, memories of a load of man-carrying parachutes being returned through Fairford, after an air-drop in Germany, with "stuff" safely wrapped in the canopies and labelled with the owner's names. Then there was a trial by a Rockape sqn to see how much contraband could be packed into the Rapier's "dustbin". The most contraband I can remember came through the ISO containers being returned ex-GW1 via Marham. The stuff that people thought they could get through by mixing it with unit equipment was varied, to say the least. HM Customs job was made easy because of the "it"s mine" labels and people were invited to make a personal visit to collect their property with the caveat "bring your cheque book with you".

[llondel]

Sounds a bit like they should have used cloakroom tickets. Stick one on the bit of contraband and then present the other one when it safe to collect. No names...

[ian16th]

Sounds a bit like they should have used cloakroom tickets. Stick one on the bit of contraband and then present the other one when it safe to collect. No names...

The voice of experience?

[Rwy in Sight]

Do you expect an answer? I guess he knows from an acquittance!

[G-CPTN]

I guess he knows from an acquittance!

You mean they got away with it?

[Rwy in Sight]

I guess he knows from an acquittance!

You mean they got away with it?

Probably hence his experience

[llondel]

Sounds a bit like they should have used cloakroom tickets. Stick one on the bit of contraband and then present the other one when it safe to collect. No names...

The voice of experience?

Not at all, I was never in the forces. the closest I've come to that sort of excitement was walking through Luton Airport customs with my father and a huge pile of bags on a cart. We got snagged, presumably because the officer thought we shouldn't have that many, but seemed a bit surprised when we were then joined by my wife, our son and my sister's kids, who'd just enjoyed a weekend in Gibraltar and had been walking about 20ft behind us. Perfunctory search of one bag and we were on our way again.