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To: fix
No problem Fix, I am not going to dispute the larger statistics.. if they are the safest per flight hour then that is amazing, especially as you mentioned with the age of most of them.. Even when I was around them regularly I could only be left with the impression that they were vietnam era equipment (mid 80s) whenever I was close to one. If they are staying airborne safely, then that is testimony to the aircraft and more importantly the maintenance.

One thing I did notice, and it is a non expert observation based on maybe 15 crashes... when the twin rotors go down, they appeared to go down much harder than the not dual rotors.... at least from the damage in the photos I have seen... Is this statistically a safe statement or more of a bubble as well?

246 posted on 03/04/2002 9:30:46 AM PST by HamiltonJay
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To: HamiltonJay
when the twin rotors go down, they appeared to go down much harder than the not dual rotors....

That is entirely possible. Pilot error can really make a mess of things. I have only seen 2 H46 crash sites firsthand. One was a mid-air collision. Obviously, all bets are off here. The other was a major snafu on the part of a young pilot combined with an engine failure. Both crashes killed good Marines, both were hard ground impacts. As others have mentioned, these things are not forgiving at all when it comes to inexperienced pilots. Most of the H46 crashes have either been pilot error, or catastrophic failure of a major component. In the case of pilot error, as stated earlier, all bets are off. In the case of major component failure, well...that would mean rapid descent is inevitable in most cases. That might explain the "hard crash" phenomenon. Having had friends describe the dynamics involved in the "breakup" following impact, I can certainly say that there are better airframes to hit the ground in, but I'll take my chances.

If it ain't Boeing, I ain't going...

247 posted on 03/04/2002 9:44:47 AM PST by fix
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To: HamiltonJay
... when the twin rotors go down, they appeared to go down much harder than the not dual rotors....

When I went through the CH-47 pilot qualification course many moons ago my instructor told me something that has stuck with me over the years and always kept me on my toes. "It doesn't do any good worrying about dying in the Chinook because if it's going to kill you it's going to kill you quick, you don't have time to worry about it." Kind of a fatalistic attitude, but it sure made me conscious of every little vibration, whine, or click and probably saved my butt more than once.

248 posted on 03/04/2002 9:56:30 AM PST by ladtx
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