Three Killed, One Injured In Bell 212 Helicopter Crash

[Lite Beer]

Three killed, one injured in Bell 212 helicopter crash

PHETCHABURI, July 24 – Three soldiers were killed and the other was wounded in the third helicopter crash in Phetchaburi’s Kaengkrachan district

Two pilots, Major Jeerawat Kaewkamol, First Lieutenant Burana Wangjai and one mechanic Sergeant Major 1st Class Wichien Chantapat were killed and Sergeant Pattanaporn Tonchan, the other mechanic, was wounded and rushed to hospital. It is believed that this accident may have been caused by malfunctioned engine. This is the third helicopter crash in nine day.

The Bell 212 helicopter from the Hua Hin Wing was flying on a mission to support operations to retrieve the bodies of an earlier Black Hawk crash when it lost balance, caught fire and fell onto a paddy field in Kaengkrachan district on Sunday morning, according to witnesses.

The Black Hawk helicopter crashed on Tuesday inside Myanmar, just opposite Phetchaburi, during a mission to retrieve the bodies of five soldiers killed in an earlier Huey helicopter crash on July 16. The Black Hawk wreckage was found some 200 metres away from the first helicopter crash site.

Two of nine victims killed in Black Hawk helicopter crashes in Phetchaburi province have already been taken to Surasee 9th Infantry Division on Saturday pending recovery of the remaining victims before transferring all of them to Wat Thung La Ya for funeral rites.

Commander of Surasee 9th Infantry Division Maj Gen Tawan Ruangsri, and cameraman of the army television channel TV5 Sornwichai Kongtannukul were the only two bodies that were successfully retrieved from the forest on Saturday, while the transfer of the remaining seven bodies was underway but facing difficulties from inclement weather and challenging topography of the crash site, which is located in a steep valley.

The initial Huey helicopter crashed when it was on a rescue mission to airlift a group of rangers, journalists and suspected forest encroachers out of the forest in Kaeng Krajan National Park where they had been stranded for five days.

Foul weather condition was blamed for both previous crashes. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2011-07-24

[Lite Beer]

3 killed, 1 injured in Army helicopter crash in Phetchaburi

An Army Bell 212 helicopter crashed in Phetchaburi Sunday morning, killing three troops and injuring another.

The crash happened at 9:30 am when the helicopter was flying to Army training camp in Kaeng Krachan district.

The pilot, Maj Thirawat Kaewkamol, the co-pilot, Lt Burana Wanjai, and the mechanic, Sgt Wichian Chanphat, were killed.

The Nation

-- The Nation 2011-07-24

[angiud]

Any serious government at this point would leave all helicopters on the ground for a strict overall control.

I mean, serious!

[kevbap]

Any serious government at this point would leave all helicopters on the ground for a strict overall control.

I mean, serious!

or maybe a 'Burma Triangle' event?

[Lite Beer]

Environment and Natural Resource Ministry denied the ownership of the crashed helicopter

BANGKOK, 24 July 2011 (NNT)-Permanent Secretary for Environment and Natural Resources Choti Trachu indicated that the helicopter that crashed this morning was not the property of his Ministry

He speculated that the Bell 212 helicopter could have been owned by the 9th infantry which had lost contact before the crash. The helicopter was found in the National Park. Mr. Choti said he had been following up on the accident while confirmed that it did not belong to the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources.

He added that it had already been agreed since yesterday that any helicopters in the possession of the Ministry would not fly in bad weather conditions. He said the Bell 121 could have been coming from the army unit in Kanchanaburi province.

-- NNT 2011-07-24

[beano2274]

They need to send another Helicopter to get the bodies out

Edited July 24, 2011 by beano2274

[apetley]

We are just having lunch with our labourers who are building a Thai kitchen for us in the back garden. The news of the third crash has just been on the radio. 'Alot of ghosts in the forest and mountains' was the general feeling. Whether from the recently deceased or the cause of the crash I am not sure.

[CrustyJuggler66]

We are just having lunch with our labourers who are building a Thai kitchen for us in the back garden. The news of the third crash has just been on the radio. 'Alot of ghosts in the forest and mountains' was the general feeling. Whether from the recently deceased or the cause of the crash I am not sure.

Some Thai (so called) experts are also saying this... The mind boggles. The system is clearly wrong and Thai soldiers are needlessly being sent to their death from negligent superiors and ground maintenance nothing more.

[Lite Beer]

Bell 212 fleet grounded for quality inspection

BANGKOK, 24 July 2011 (NNT)-Major General Pittaya Krachangwong, the Commander of the Royal Thai Army Aviation, has ordered the cancellation of the fleet of Bell 212 helicopters. They are due to undergo further inspections to make sure they are safe to fly again.

Following the crash this morning, Major General Pittaya said an activity would be held to boost the spirits of those involved. Meanwhile, he said the crashed helicopter was 20 years old and had undergone quality control every 25 flying hours.

-- NNT 2011-07-24

[beano2274]

Bell 212 fleet grounded for quality inspection

BANGKOK, 24 July 2011 (NNT)-Major General Pittaya Krachangwong, the Commander of the Royal Thai Army Aviation, has ordered the cancellation of the fleet of Bell 212 helicopters. They are due to undergo further inspections to make sure they are safe to fly again.

Following the crash this morning, Major General Pittaya said an activity would be held to boost the spirits of those involved. Meanwhile, he said the crashed helicopter was 20 years old and had undergone quality control every 25 flying hours.

-- NNT 2011-07-24

I doubt every 25 flying hours!!!

[MrRed]

Bell 212 fleet grounded for quality inspection

BANGKOK, 24 July 2011 (NNT)-Major General Pittaya Krachangwong, the Commander of the Royal Thai Army Aviation, has ordered the cancellation of the fleet of Bell 212 helicopters. They are due to undergo further inspections to make sure they are safe to fly again.

Following the crash this morning, Major General Pittaya said an activity would be held to boost the spirits of those involved. Meanwhile, he said the crashed helicopter was 20 years old and had undergone quality control every 25 flying hours.

-- NNT 2011-07-24

How can you boost the spirits of the deceased?

[Pond Life]

The number one cause of all air accidents in the world is PILOT error.

There are suggestions that the helicopters are not properly maintained.

This is possible, but the statistics say these accidents are more than likely pilot error.

If the weather is not safe to fly in, its the pilots responsibility not to fly.

If the landing site is not suitable, its the pilots responsibility not to attempt a landing.

If the General in the back is shouting at him, its the pilots responsibility to tell him to <deleted>.

If he suspects the aircraft is not fit to fly, its the pilots responsibility to refuse to fly it.

25 flying hours is the standard period between inspections on the Bell 212.

RIP the passengers.

Edited July 24, 2011 by Pond Life

[Steely Dan]

How does the saying go.. Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, three times is enemy action.

They should ground all army helicopters immediately as they clearly constitute the largest military threat to Thailand.

[Soutpeel]

How does the saying go.. Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, three times is enemy action.

They should ground all army helicopters immediately as they clearly constitute the largest military threat to Thailand.

Suprised that some loonie in the current or incumbent goverment hasnt suggested it's the Cambodians shooting them down.......

[Lite Beer]

TRAGEDIES IN KAENG KRACHAN

Retrieving of bodies continues despite third crash : army spokesman

By The Nation

Tragedy of air crash continued in Phetchaburi when an army Bell 212 helicopter crashed on Sunday morning, killing three and injuring another.

The crash was the third in ten days, bringing the death toll to 17.

The ill-fated Bell was flying from Bangkok to an army training camp in Phetchburi's Kaeng Krachan district when it reportedly went down, crashed and burst into flames near a market at about 9.30am.

The crash killed two pilots; Maj Thirawat Kaewkamol, the co-pilot, Lt Burana Wanjai, and the mechanic, Sgt Wichian Chanphat, were killed. Another mechanic; Sgt Pattanaporn Tonchan, suffered from burns at his legs was taken to a nearby hospital.

There were altogether three air crashes at the Kaeng Krachan national park in ten days, starting with a Huey crash inside the park on July 16, killing all five on board followed by a Black Hawk crash, killing nine.

The Huey aircraft was on its mission to crackdown on forest encroachment while the Black Hawk carrying 9th Infantry Division Chief Maj General Tawan Ruangsri was on a mission to retrieve the bodies of the first crash victims.

First Army Region's commander Lt Gen Dej-udom Sritabutr said the aircraft flied to Bangkok for maintenance after retrieving the bodies of Tawan. It was on its way back to the army camp.

Meanwhile Army spokesman Col Sansern Kaewkamnerd told reporters the despite the Sunday crash, the mission to retrieve the bodies of the first two air crashes will continue.

-- The Nation 2011-07-24

[ib1b4]

Sargent Tonchan suffered burns and his legs were taken to a nearby hospital ? must be more to this coming.

[EyesWideOpen]

This has simply stopped making sense...... I know Thais really seem to like coincidences, but the the odds here are bit long to say the least. Maybe they should be looking for illegal logging snipers, and bullet holes in the helicopters. Or if snipers are not the reason, then they should stop flying helicopters and start using vehicles.

[Lite Beer]

Third Thai army helicopter crash kills three

BANGKOK, July 24, 2011 (AFP) - Three military men were killed and a fourth injured on Sunday in the third fatal Thai army helicopter crash in little over a week, a force spokesman said

The Bell 212 chopper -- part of the rescue mission following another helicopter crash on Tuesday -- went down in Phetchaburi province, southwest of the capital Bangkok, bringing the death toll from the three incidents to 17.

"There were two pilots and two army technicians on board. One was injured and three were killed," Colonel Sunsern Kaewkumnerd told AFP.

Thai television news channels showed aerial shots of the flaming wreckage, in the same jungle-heavy province that witnessed the previous tragedies.

The aircraft, which was travelling from Bangkok to a task force base in Phetchaburi, had on Saturday transported bodies from a Black Hawk helicopter crash on Tuesday, in which nine people were killed.

The victims were eight military personnel and a television cameraman from army-run Channel 5.

The Black Hawk was found in dense forest just across the border in Myanmar on Friday morning, three days after it disappeared during a mission to recover the bodies of five soldiers killed in a helicopter accident on July 16.

Outgoing premier Abhisit Vejjajiva has said the twin tragedies had a "great impact" on army morale, while a piece in English-language The Nation newspaper on Sunday said they had "cast a veil of gloom over the country".

Following the third accident on Sunday morning, army chief General Prayut Chan-O-Cha said that air missions came with added risk, but insisted safety had been a priority.

"The first two accidents were caused by bad weather and the third one we presume was an engine problem, but we will wait for an investigation," he said on Channel 3.

In the first crash, a Huey helicopter went down in bad weather during a mission to airlift troops from the remote jungle area.

It had been sent to collect about 35 soldiers who had been on patrol in the park as part of measures to combat deforestation

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2011-07-24

[Deez]

Bell 212 fleet grounded for quality inspection

BANGKOK, 24 July 2011 (NNT)-Major General Pittaya Krachangwong, the Commander of the Royal Thai Army Aviation, has ordered the cancellation of the fleet of Bell 212 helicopters. They are due to undergo further inspections to make sure they are safe to fly again.

Following the crash this morning, Major General Pittaya said an activity would be held to boost the spirits of those involved. Meanwhile, he said the crashed helicopter was 20 years old and had undergone quality control every 25 flying hours.

-- NNT 2011-07-24

I doubt every 25 flying hours!!!

Exactly. The Thai way is to "run it until it breaks" Normal maintainence is a "waste of money" to them

[cloudhopper]

How the pros see it - http://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/457663-huey-subsequent-blackhawk-crashes-thailand.html

[Daffy D]

Sargent Tonchan suffered burns and his legs were taken to a nearby hospital ? must be more to this coming.

[random]

There is a rumour I heard last night, before this third crash, that the senior soldiers killed were involved in the operations last year against the reds, and now another chopper goes down after hearing that rumour, last night I laughed at it, today I am not so sure. Could there be skulduggery afoot?

[sirchai]

They need to send another Helicopter to get the bodies out

They might not have experienced pilots any more, with all respect. Hope they will rest in peace...............:jap:

[ginjag]

They need to send another Helicopter to get the bodies out

Is it possible to send a drone next time????

[TPI]

I can't help thinking about what will be going through the minds of the next lot of "rescuers" when they fly in...let's hope it isn't the tail rotor!:jap:

[TAWP]

This is sadly quickly going in the direction of being an rendition of 'And Then There Were None'.

[Cynthetic]

Typical Thai "maintanence".

If anyone has seen or experienced Thai mechanics/repairmen, you will know that they really know little. If by chance they rectify a problem, whether correctly or not (most likely the later), then to them it is all good. There is no difference from a sala hut or delaership repairman, and I am willing to bet all I got, that it is no differnet with thier army/airforce/navy personell. They all have little idea what they are doing, or are "ok" with using something that kinda fits and/or sorta works.

But who am I to second guess. Yeah, must be the ghosts.

[TAWP]

But who am I to second guess. Yeah, must be the ghosts.

Funny you brought it up. Mere hours ago a [red shirt] neighbor told me that the bodies of the victims in the previous crash couldn't be lifted up from the ground by even ten men, it was too heavy, until they brought in monks for prayer.

Also all candles and stick they tried to put in the ground refused to stick. Some black magic at play in the area apparently...*sigh*

[webfact]

Third crash stuns Army

By The Nation

Third accident in 9 days kills 3, which brings total deaths to 17

A third helicopter crash in just nine days claimed three more lives and injured one soldier in Phetchaburi's Kaeng Krachan district early yesterday.

The tragedy occurred before the dead from two previous chopper crashes this month were able to reach their final resting place.

It brought the total death toll of virtual back-to-back helicopter tragedies to 17.

Sergeant Pattanaporn Tonjan was the sole survivor from the three inter-linked aviation tragedies, which have stunned the nation.

All helicopters belonged to the Royal Thai Army (RTA).

In the wake of the crashes, RTA Aviation Centre's chief Maj General Pittaya Krajangwong ordered all Bell-212 helicopters grounded for checks. The Army currently has about 20 such helicopters.

"I am so sorry for what happened. Three more lives were lost," he said.

The survivor Pattanaporn, a mechanic on the Bell-212 that went down yesterday, was quoted as saying that the two engines suddenly stopped working at the same time.

"From his report, the helicopter then lost control, hit the ground and exploded," Army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha said.

A witness said he saw Pattanaporn and rushed in to pull the injured soldier away from the aircraft that started to catch fire.

"Another soldier was trapped under the wreckage and called for help. Many locals wanted to rescue him but the flame spread too fast," the witness said.

Killed were 1st Pilot Major Thirawat Kaewkamon, 2nd Pilot Lieutenant Burana Wanjai, and mechanic Sgt Major Wichien Janpat.

They and Pattanaporn boarded the aircraft in Bangkok and headed to Phetchaburi to continue the mission to retrieve the bodies of those killed in the Black Hawk crash last Tuesday.

This helicopter with a different crew had successfully lifted the bodies of 9th Infantry Division chief Maj General Tawan Ruangsri and TV cameraman Sornwichai Kongtan-nikul from the dense jungle on Saturday. Tawan and Sornwichai were among nine people killed in the Black Hawk crash, which was blamed on bad weather.

The Black Hawk hit the ground during its mission to airlift the bodies of five victims in the first helicopter crash, which took place during a rescue mission too on July 16.

Yesterday's crash occurred

about 30 kilometres from the first tragedy.

"We never thought that another crash would happen," Prayuth said.

The five bodies of the first helicopter crash have already been returned to their families with proper ceremonies being held.

But nine bodies from the Black Hawk crash were not expected to reach Kanchanaburi until last night. Disaster-victim identification

procedures will then be conducted.

Some 16 of the 17 killed were soldiers.

Investigations will start to officially determine the exact causes of the three crashes. Currently, bad weather is blamed for the first two, while engine failure is blamed for the latest tragedy.

First Army Region chief Lt General Udomdej Seetabut said all the three crashes saddened him. "But at least this time, there's a survivor," he said.

Pattanaporn was being treated at the Phra Mongkutklao Hospital in Bangkok.

His backbone was broken but he was in safe condition. He remained conscious and could talk.

"I believe he will have a full recovery within six months," Colonel Dr Phirapol Polpong said in his capacity as head of the hospital emergency unit.

Pattanaporn's relatives said the survivor had worn many amulets and Buddha images.

-- The Nation 2011-07-25

[AlanJones]

<P>It's time to wake up to what's really going on.........<BR></P>