Tour helicopter with 7 onboard missing - Hawaii

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TheGreenGoblin
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Re: Tour helicopter with 7 onboard missing - Hawaii

#21 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Sun Dec 29, 2019 10:47 am

CFIT?

The weather had deteriorated in the general area of the accident later in the afternoon.
Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the crash and said no emergency signals were sent out from the Eurocopter AS350. Ladd Sanger, a Texas-based aviation attorney and helicopter pilot who has handled several crash cases involving similar helicopters in Hawaii, said tour operators on Kauai face unique challenges because of weather and topography. Fog and rain can move in rapidly and flat areas for an emergency landing are few and far between. Mr Sanger added: ‘Kauai is incredibly unforgiving terrain. ‘If you lose the engine there’s just really no place to land on the tour route that they were flying.’

Read more: https://metro.co.uk/2019/12/28/children ... to=cbshare

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Re: Tour helicopter with 7 onboard missing - Hawaii

#22 Post by Boac » Sun Dec 29, 2019 10:54 am

‘If you lose the engine there’s just really no place to land on the tour route that they were flying.’
= don't do it in my book!

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Re: Tour helicopter with 7 onboard missing - Hawaii

#23 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Sun Dec 29, 2019 5:24 pm

Boac wrote:
Sun Dec 29, 2019 10:54 am
‘If you lose the engine there’s just really no place to land on the tour route that they were flying.’
= don't do it in my book!
Risking growing numbers of tourists lives in such flight regimes, even in twn engined helicopters, does seem a tad careless to me. Once again the tourists are not really aware of the enhanced risks of flights over such inhospitable terrain!

I am also surprised that a single pilot operation is allowed for the carriage of paying passengers by such a relatively old pilot. I am not au fait with the FAR's with respect to this! Perhaps somebody can enlighten me.
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Re: Tour helicopter with 7 onboard missing - Hawaii

#24 Post by PHXPhlyer » Sun Dec 29, 2019 7:11 pm

Age 65 rule only applies to Part 121 ops. Scheduled ops with 9 or less pax - no age limit. Same with "on demand".
I know because I had the "Magic Birthday" last month! :(

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Re: Tour helicopter with 7 onboard missing - Hawaii

#25 Post by ian16th » Sun Dec 29, 2019 8:13 pm

PHXPhlyer wrote:
Sun Dec 29, 2019 7:11 pm
Age 65 rule only applies to Part 121 ops. Scheduled ops with 9 or less pax - no age limit. Same with "on demand".
I know because I had the "Magic Birthday" last month! :(

PP
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Re: Tour helicopter with 7 onboard missing - Hawaii

#26 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Mon Dec 30, 2019 9:48 am

PHXPhlyer wrote:
Sun Dec 29, 2019 7:11 pm
Age 65 rule only applies to Part 121 ops. Scheduled ops with 9 or less pax - no age limit. Same with "on demand".
I know because I had the "Magic Birthday" last month! :(

PP
Many thanks for the insight PP.
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