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Started By
Message
re: Aircraft down in GOM (Dec 29, 2022)
Posted on 12/30/22 at 9:36 am to LittleJerrySeinfield
Posted on 12/30/22 at 9:36 am to LittleJerrySeinfield
A 30 min flight is a 4-hour boat ride. Also, swing rope is one of the most dangerous things we do. I've personally swung across in 6-foot seas, and it's not for the faint of heart.
2
Posted on 12/30/22 at 9:37 am to lsuguy84
quote:
“Fly and die with PHI” was the saying back then
Yep, seems you hurt some PHI fanboy feelings by the downvotes.
Posted on 12/30/22 at 9:40 am to Pauvetibete
Worst I did was about the same in West Africa…about six foot seas up a shitty aluminum ladder on the front of the surfer boat and they were timing the waves and helping throw us up to the ladder.
Posted on 12/30/22 at 9:46 am to Pauvetibete
Yeah frick that rope swing. Did it once to go fix a broken aircraft on a toadstool. The seas weren't even that rough but that boat was pitching up and down and left and right like you wouldn't believe probably one of the most dangerous things I've ever done and this is coming from someone who has thousands of hours flying in helicopters, including the engine failure to Auto rotational landing
Posted on 12/30/22 at 9:48 am to choppadocta
I didn’t know you were such a baw 
Posted on 12/30/22 at 9:53 am to S
Just a renaissance man I guess. Done a lot of stuff in 33 years in aviation.
Boat rides suck, especially if you have to go far out. As mentioned before I'll ride the donut or man basket 1000 times before I'll ever do the rope swing again
Boat rides suck, especially if you have to go far out. As mentioned before I'll ride the donut or man basket 1000 times before I'll ever do the rope swing again
Posted on 12/30/22 at 9:57 am to S
I've spent 12 years in the Gulf before giving it up last year. If you aren't lucky and end up with a contractor company, you'll do and see some crazy stuff that most people wouldn't believe. I've worked 2 miles off of Grand Isle but I've also been in the Keathley Canyon 980 block on a 2 1/2 hour S92 flight with an internal fuel tank. It was fun watching the straps on the fuel tank flex on take off when I was sitting right behind it.
Posted on 12/30/22 at 10:16 am to lsuguy84
quote:air logistics was pretty "unlucky in the 80s"
“Fly and die with PHI” was the saying back then
Posted on 12/30/22 at 10:25 am to choupiquesushi
The coast guard released a picture of the "debris" it appears the helicopter departed from the skids since the floats were deployed and you can see the skids.
coast guard link
coast guard link
Posted on 12/30/22 at 11:16 am to jpainter6174
Damn, happened at 8am and looks like perfect conditions and seas. 
Posted on 12/30/22 at 11:22 am to jpainter6174
I am not a helicopter crash expert but knowing the floats are on the skid I would say the aircraft parting from the skids definitely isn't normal. Would like to hear how that happened.
Posted on 12/30/22 at 11:56 am to GREENHEAD22
Floats and skid gear are upside down in that picture. If an aircraft goes in the water with (which is why HUET is so important) floats deployed they usually go upside down with the body of the aircraft under water. Might be a main rotor blade there too (black and white striped object. Also you can see 2 deployed semi inflated life rafts with their red sea anchors deployed.
Skid gear on a 407 are held on with 2 forward bolted on saddles and one aft pivot bolt. (allows fuselage to rock back and forth) kinda like a see saw.
While the attachments seem less than robust, it would take a good deal to rip them off the aircraft totally.
Skid gear on a 407 are held on with 2 forward bolted on saddles and one aft pivot bolt. (allows fuselage to rock back and forth) kinda like a see saw.
While the attachments seem less than robust, it would take a good deal to rip them off the aircraft totally.
This post was edited on 12/30/22 at 12:01 pm
Posted on 12/30/22 at 12:05 pm to choppadocta
Exactly, I have seen two birds upside-down in the gulf, neither departed from the skids. Those fellas had no chance since the body parted from the skids. Good chance some or all of them could have gotten out had it not parted.
Posted on 12/30/22 at 12:29 pm to GREENHEAD22
I’m hearing a salvage boat with sat divers is on its way out there to try and recover the chopper. Probably with the bodies still inside
Posted on 12/30/22 at 12:32 pm to Captain Crackysack
Sawyer is their young son's name that was lost earlier this year. The wife, Lacy Scarborough, has a FB profile that isn't totally private. Her last post from yesterday is pretty heart wrenching.
This post was edited on 12/30/22 at 12:34 pm
Posted on 12/30/22 at 12:44 pm to choppadocta
Agree 100%. Back in the day had to swing with parts, batteries, tools, etc to go fix a broke bird on a toadstool. Crazy in the old days.
Posted on 12/30/22 at 12:47 pm to choppadocta
quote:
Yeah frick that rope swing.
Fuuuuck that rope. I only had to do it once. Abandoning an ERT (everything rusted together) platform in the middle of the night after the wellhead cracked below our BOPs.
Posted on 12/30/22 at 1:06 pm to choppadocta
quote:
choppadocta
What's your opinion of the Bell 407? I know some independent medevac companies use them.
Posted on 12/30/22 at 1:12 pm to ColoradoAg03
quote:
Sawyer is their young son's name that was lost earlier this year. The wife, Lacy Scarborough, has a FB profile that isn't totally private. Her last post from yesterday is pretty heart wrenching.
I grew up in the community where they're from, didn't personally know them but know a lot of people that do.
It's really sad, I can't imagine the grief. Losing your only child is bad enough but losing your spouse on top of that is even worse.
Especially in situations that weren't a prolonged illness or something where you were able to somewhat prepare for their passing.
He sent her this photo through Snapchat shortly before boarding the helicopter.
This post was edited on 12/30/22 at 1:17 pm
Posted on 12/30/22 at 1:22 pm to Reservoir dawg
quote:
What's your opinion of the Bell 407? I know some independent medevac companies use them.
Good machine. Been around since 1996, over 1000 made so far. Main rotor system developed from the OH-58D US Army (now retired) Combat Scout.
THe engine is a modernized version of an engine that probably has over a few million hours reliable time in the Gulf.
Its a little more maintenance intensive than its predecessor the 206L4, just because it has a lot more digital systems than analog, and the newer variants like the 407GXI even more computerized, to reduce pilot work load.
I fly in them all the time, Its a good machine. Only as good as the humans that maintain it and fly it. They are popular with EMS operators and were all over the Gulf, but as platforms got further offshore, the range became an issue, as well as the "twin engine aircraft are safer" line of thinking that has come about. Single engine aircraft have been in the GOM since the piston engined Bell 47's used by PHI way back in the day. I dont buy it myself. Yes you have 2 engine redundancy, but now you are twice as complex, with double the moving parts. And the two engines still feed into 1 main transmission and rotor system and one tail rotor system.
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