Posted on 03/11/2018 5:23:01 PM PDT by Enchante
A tourist helicopter plunged into the East River on Sunday night, leaving at least five people trapped inside the sinking vessel while the pilot scrambled to safety, police sources said.
The Eurocopter AS350 went down around 88th Street, near Gracie Mansion, at about 7:15 p.m., sources said.
The pilot was able to get out and climb aboard a raft — but five others remained trapped inside the upside-down helicopter, according to sources.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Apples and oranges
Fixed wing vs rotary wing.
Sully landed the plane on the river he didnt jump in and fish people out
Thanks. My intuition was telling me it was probably a miracle the pilot got out.
How can you compare a helliflopper to a large air carrier?
If both crashes had happened on land surrounded by hills or buildings, the heliflopper pilot would have been the hero and you would have, in your ignorance of aircraft, ridiculed Sully.
It was a bumpy roller coaster ramp into the water and a flip, then unbuckle and get out. Swimsuits, no flight gear, I recall it as being a little more graceful than the video you linked, not being encumbered with a flight suit probably helped...
However I am critical of both the operator, not the pilot, of the flopper and the NY Port Authority for not requiring floats.
With most of these floppers operating over or in sight of the river, it is stupid not to make available to them the longest emergency landing strip in the entire state.
I flew with a guy that had “Kill” painted on the back of his helmet and he had a big burn scar on the lower part of his face. He’d go right down on the tree tops and stay there for 15 minutes at probably 160mph. I found it fascinating. I really like choppers. The only problem is they don’t glide into a landing too well. At real low altitude and higher speed, critical engine failure only gives a second or two to react. Not good.
Yeah it’s an insane way to fly because it’s completely dependent on the engine and if that engine messes up you end up basically being in a car that’s high in the air which ain’t going to work out too well. At least with planes you can glide or parachute out. I use to work in the financial district in Manhattan and on the east side off the FDR drive is a heliport. I always wondered if there wasn’t some way they could have used them when 911 was happening. I mean the heliport was right there 2 minutes away. Some people must have made it to the roof.
The helmet intercom so the pilot can talk to the passengers...lol What did ya think I was talking about? An intercom like on your front door?
What a knee slapper!
The com in the helmet or head phones....
TWO confirmed DEAD, 3 in critical condition.
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Understood fully.
We know nothing of what they were up against as it rolled over. Probably severe injuries, and possibly passengers that were not properly buckled in.
3 survivors not bad if it holds. Better than none.
Yes! Wonderful news.
I understand and that wasn’t my intention. I probably should have reworded.
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Engine was a turbine so yes, they damn near fell like a rock.
The pilot probably is a Kennedy.
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Amazing really considering that helicopters can’t float for more than a few seconds.
I am not qualified in a flopper, but I think you will find that the engine type has little to do with auto-rotation.
It is also likely, from eye witness descriptions that he did not go to auto-rotation because he had enough power to make a controlled landing.
All the more reason that lack of floats was foolish and in a civil court will probably cost someone a lot of money.
CGA, you are right about the extreme difficulty of egress from a submerged aircraft.
This aviation survival school we attended instructs pilots in hopes that they may have a chance of living when they ditch.
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Easy boy, you’re swimming in your immagination!
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