Irish Coast Guard S-92 down-1 dead 3 missing

Irish Coast Guard S-92, Rescue 116, was returning from a mission overnight when it disappeared. The last communication was around 1245 am, when the crew reported they were approaching Blacksod to refuel.

Rescue 116 had been flying top cover for Rescue 118. They had received a request for aid for a crew member on a UK based fishing boat. Due to the distance, Rescue 116 was sent along to serve as a radio relay, and precaution in case something happened to the other aircraft.

Capt Dara Fitzpatrick, a 20 year veteran was pulled from the water in critical condition, and was later pronounced dead at a local hospital. Three other crew members are missing.

www.rte.ie...

Now thats sad news to say the least, hopes and wishes go to the families

a reply to: Zaphod58

Sorry to hear this, these guys do one of the hardest and craziest jobs, things turn in seconds.

I hope they can recover the other crew members, to give the family closure if nothing else.

The other crew were identified as Chief Pilot Mark Duffy and winchmen Paul Ormsby and Ciarán Smith. The air search was scaled down overnight, but a number of ships and fishing boats are working overnight.

www.bbc.com...

Many lives would have been saved if it had explosive charge on main rotor and a huge parachute.
There are no good argument against mounting it on sea rescue heli.
At least it brakes the speed of impact enough to survive.
We drop a lot of heavy stuff by parachute.
I am sad and frustrated that people doing service to others has to die because lack of chute.

a reply to: Norge

It's not that easy. The parachute is going to add at least a couple hundred pounds, so do you take the range hit,or remove a matching weight?

You have to create a wreak point on the shaft,which adds a failure point. You have to add explosives, and ensure they are guarded from EMI. That's more weight, and another failure point.

I know Zaphod it has been discussed by you and others before.
I fly a lot in my fltsim DCS: UH-1H Huey by Belsimtek so i have no problem understanding this tragedy.

The only helicopter,that I'm aware, that has an explosive recovery system is the Mi-28 Havoc. The rotor blades are blown off followed by a recovery parachute.

The S-92 is a relatively new helicopter and I have very little knowledge to its' performance. A water landing in a helicopter is serious in the best conditions. With turning rotors as it contacts the water it will beat itself to pieces even in calm waters.

The crew goes through specialized training in the pool on how to escape a water landing. The helicopter will turn upside down due to the weight of the rotor and transmission on the top of the helicopter. The crews are equipped with emergency respirators with 5 minutes of supplemental air for escape.

I'm guessing that hypothermia played a big part in the crew recovery or the lack there of. I'm sure they were wearing anti-exposure suits but even with these time is limited by water temperature. I hope they were equiped with an EPRB.


I just want to send my thoughts and prayers to the crew and families...RIP.

I saw the tweets start to pop up on my twitter feed last night. RIP to the brave crew

For us while we wear inflatable preservers if we have an over water leg the reality of ditching in the water is grim no matter what. Unless it was an elective ditch under power or reduced power (and even then its iffy)

For our EC-145 you have to be 200 feet or less as the seats can absorb about 45G. Note that its "survivable" that does not mean you just walk away it mean you may make it but injuries and disability are likely
Most have the buoyancy of a rock
They will flip to one side because of rotor inertia
Auto rotation is predicated on the transmission being intact
You have to maintain situation awareness, wait for the rotors to stop turning then egress out before inflating you preserver in something that is sinking quickly.
your crewmates have to stay calm as well.

Then they have to find you and recover you ASAP.

Colleagues in the Coast Guard and SAR communities are among the bravest most selfless people you will ever meet. They will launch in conditions that would terrify anybody and operate in day to day conditions that are risky to say the least.

A faint signal from the aircraft data recorderr has been detected in 40 meters of water, approximately 50-60 meters from the Blackrock lighthouse. It's not clear if the recorder is within the airframe, or not, but specialized equipment has been brought in to localize the signal.

www.irishtimes.com...

Something about this story feels wrong. The S-92 is a large multi-engine helicopter and has the ability to not make an immediate autorotation. This gives the crew a little time to make a water landing. I am thinking that it may be an equipment failure or flight into the water. Am I wrong in thinking that the S-92 floats at least a little while?

a reply to: buddah6

Not if the cause of the crash was a main gearbox failure.

a reply to: JIMC5499

True!

Investigators have found wreckage from the tail area on the cliffs above where the aircraft hit the water. What they don't know is if they hit the cliff and that caused them to hit the water, or if they were already coming down from another cause and hit the cliff.

www.flightglobal.com...

The data recorder and body of Captain Mark Duffy have been recovered. He was found in the cockpit of the helicopter, approximately 130 feet down. The data recorder was damaged, and water may have gotten into it. The UK AAIB is attempting to recover data from it. They're still looking for the remaining crew members remains.

No indications of mechanical failure:
www.bbc.co.uk...

They're working to raise the wreckage.

www.bbc.com...

The aircraft struck terrain that wasn't in the aircraft EGPWS database. The crew was called to fly the mission from Dublin, when there wasn't an aircraft available to fly top cover for the rescue mission. They originally set course for Sligo before altering their plan and heading to Blacksod Lighthouse. Just past Blacksod, they commenced their descent on the APBSS course set by CHC. Conversation indicated that neither pilot had been to the island recently, and neither mentioned either the lighthouse or terrain during their briefing.

A rear crew member identified the island, probably through their EO/IR system, and guided the crew in. As they were approaching, the rear crew member suddenly interjected "Come right now come right COME RIGHT!" The recorder shows the aircraft pitching up two seconds prior to impact, with the last words being Duffy saying "We're gone."

www.verticalmag.com...