Gold Coast Helicopter Collision

[TheGreenAnger]

Four people have been killed and three are fighting for life after two helicopters collided near a Sea World theme park.

One of the vehicles appeared to have been taking off and the other landing when they collided on Main Beach, on Australia’s Gold Coast.

[TheGreenAnger]

The aircraft that managed to land.

[TheGreenAnger]

Chief pilot killed in the accident.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... Coast.html

[TheGreenAnger]

Sad start to the New Year. The footage in the Mail article shows clearly what happened! I wonder if the pilot in the climbing helicopter was totally unsighted?

[Boac]

At a first glance a totally avoidable tragic accident cause by poor lookout. The arriving helo was almost certainly 'unsighted' and had 'right of way'. Arrival/departure route plans/control also appeared to be non-existent.

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Arrival/departure route plans/control also appeared to be non-existent.

One would have though that such plans, in the absence of formal regulations, were the responsibility of the Chief Pilot.
And the lack of them a cause for discussion among everyone with a commercial pilots licence in the company.

Where I worked in Arizona, there were several situations in uncontrolled airspace where more than one company aircraft might be operating. We had procedures, often just something basic like height blocks, arrival and departure sectors, and circulation directions, written by our Chief Pilot, and co-ordinated with other companies likely to be operating in the same place.

[G~Man]

Where I worked in Arizona, there were several situations in uncontrolled airspace where more than one company aircraft might be operating. We had procedures, often just something basic like height blocks, arrival and departure sectors, and circulation directions, written by our Chief Pilot, and co-ordinated with other companies likely to be operating in the same place.

We do it every day on fires, I have worked in a daisy chain of 11 helicopters before all dipping out of the same pond. We set up an inbound and outbound "gate" and all go clockwise.... it is not that difficult, it takes literally 30 seconds to set up and announce to all.

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Precisely.

[Boac]

Pretty standard practice for any movement of things mechanical, especially aircraft. I am sadly amazed at this accident.

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

I'm sad, but not amazed.
It happens everywhere.
We had several near accidents in one of my schools due to a lack of circulation arrangements in front of the school. It had partly been ignored because the standard government solutions were unworkable because (of course) of other government restrictions - the buildings were old and planning restrictions forbad changing walls and entrance points.
I spent 3 days for 3 hours sitting on a 3rd floor window sill recording all arrivals and departures.
The plan took account of what rules were bound to be ignored, especially by working mums dropping off, and after a couple of signs, 20 minutes with a road paintbrush, and a letter home, all the near accidents stopped.

[EA01]

Happened very near to me, their (SW) last fatal was in March of 1991, I remember that one too.

It is of course all in the Mandatory broadcast zone there, and a LOT of traffic transiting coastal as well as some other Helo operations nearby. It certainly appears landing traffic not sighted, as in post #5.

[Boac]

Do we know which helo the CP was flying?

[EA01]

Several of those sand banks only 'surface' on the low tide......countless times I've drifted a boat slowly along trawling for fish in the area, right at the that sandbar, and other like it......

[EA01]

CP was flying the departing Helo...

[Boac]

Oh dear! Looking at the damage to the 'surviving' helo I would surmise that was his. Talk about a narrow escape!

[FD2]

How Michael James managed to land that aircraft is amazing. Perhaps the fuel and engine controls were in the inter-seat panel and not destroyed by the other aircraft's rotor blades. It's also amazing he wasn't totally incapacitated by flying chunks of debris. The passengers and pilot should buy Lottery tickets pronto. The investigators will be checking on what SOPs they had in place for the busy tourist flight season.

From our elementary flying training, LOOKOUT! LOOKOUT! LOOKOUT! usually accompanied by whacks on the helmet in a Chipmunk!

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/gold-c ... VF4KYF4TY/

[EA01]

Make of this what you will, footage from inside the survivors Helicopter as a passenger tries to alert the PIC of the impending danger....



I don't know if the Pax had headphones tuned to local frequency., and if they did understood what they were hearing. (Possibly though!), I'm sure their vision was not as great as that of the PIC.

[Boac]

Amazing footage. I shudder to think how badly injured the RHS lady was.

[EA01]

Departing traffic can briefly be seen in video, pax extremely poor view, but still saw it enough to try and alert PIC,....

[Pontius Navigator]

One of the dead fitted my cousins window blinds. Quite a shock for her.