On August 5, 2021, a de Havilland Beaver floatplane operated by commercial air tour operator, Southeast Aviation, crashed near Misty Fjords National Monument, along southern Alaska’s mountainous Pacific Coast/island region near Ketchikan. Reports are that the five passengers killed in the crash were passengers on a Holland America Line Alaska cruise that originated in Seattle. … Read More
What happens when a helicopter engine fails?
What happens when a helicopter engine fails, and why is a Robinson Helicopter different? Autorotation explained. One of my passengers asked me the other day, “What happens if the helicopter engine stops working?” A quick look at Google’s autocomplete shows she isn’t alone. There’s a short answer that I commonly give to passengers, and… Read More
2011 Reno Air Races Crash
On September 16, 2011, at the Reno Air Races, a World War II era P-51 Mustang—nicknamed “the Galloping Ghost”—crashed into spectators. The pilot and ten spectators were killed and at least sixty-nine spectators were injured. Air racing was a popular spectator sport in the 1920s and 1930s, but lost popularity as air travel became… Read More
Backcountry Heli-Skiing Accidents, Mountain Flying, and the AS350.
The law firm of Krutch Lindell has opened an investigation into the tragic March 27, 2021, accident involving guests and clients of the Tordrillo Mountain Lodge. The crash, which occurred near the Knik Glacier, involved an Airbus AS350 B3 helicopter, chartered from Soloy Helicopters, a Wasilla-based charter company. Five people were killed, and a sixth… Read More
Who is responsible for preventing midair collisions?
On Sunday afternoon, July, 6, 2020, a de Havilland Beaver and Cessna 206 crashed into each other above Lake Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. It is believed that eight people on board the aircraft have died. Witnesses described the two aircraft striking each other at a low altitude, approximately 200 feet, over the water. Both the National… Read More
Helicopters Have Reduced Safety Regulations When It Comes to Weather and Equipment
When I heard the terrible news that a Sikorsky S-76B carrying nine people, including Kobe Bryant and his daughter, crashed near Calabasas, California, I checked the weather. Heavy fog. I then reviewed the Air Traffic Control recordings. SVFR (Special Visual Flight Rules). I then learned that the helicopter was not equipped with TAWS (Terrain Awareness… Read More
Cold Water Survivability and Aviation Crashes: Trauma and Immersion
This is the final part of a three-part post on cold water survivability and aviation crashes. Please note that this post discusses the emergency situations and readers who have experienced traumatic accidents may prefer not read further. In in part two of the post, we discussed the mechanics, or physics, of the crash itself: We… Read More
Despite Special Federal Aviation Regulations, Commercial Air Tour Operators in Hawaii Still Have Fre
On the night of December 26, 2019, a Safari Helicopters ASTAR B2 helicopter carrying one pilot and six passengers went missing off the coast of Kauai. The wreckage was found on the morning of the 27th. Victims of the crash continued to be recovered. Unfortunately, air tour operations in Hawaii have a checkered history. In… Read More
Cold Water Survivability and Aviation Crashes: Introduction
The location of an airplane or helicopter crash has a large effect on post-impact survivability. For example, a crash at a remote mountain range has a lower survivability than a similar crash at a large airport with advanced ARFF (Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting). When a crash occurs in the water, especially cold water, a whole… Read More
Cold Water Survivability and Aviation Crashes: Initial Impact Survivability
In this post, we will continue our cold water survivability discussion and take a look at how the mechanics of a crash itself affect cold water survivability issues. A passenger’s chances of surviving an aircraft’s initial impact with the water are most dependent on the degree to which the aircraft in under control at the… Read More
