Phayao copter crash raises safety concern for remaining same aircraft

[thailiketoo]

Assuming the clown pilot has not gone IMC, he can land in any open space and sit it out. I've done that hundreds of times

Everybody has seen helicopter pilots dressed as clowns sitting in fields all over Thailand. BTW how do you know there are no power lines or hills or mountains on the ground with 0 visibility? Does Somchai give you altimeter settings in bad weather here?

You may be talking to people who have done quite a bit of flying in South East Asia in helicopters on Thai Visa --- just saying.....

How much instrument flight training do you think Thai military pilots get?

[jpinx]

you confirm my original comment -- Bad weather = pilot error

[thailiketoo]

you confirm my original comment -- Bad weather = pilot error

That would be my first thought.

[jpinx]

Not sure about their IMC training, but military rules are nothing like as stringent as civilian. I can't imagine those old 212's are equipped with anything more modern than maybe a radio altimeter, which in IMC merely tells you that the ground you have just flown into is zero feet below you When we were told to fit them I got mine to point 45degrees forward so at least I had some idea what I was flying into That was before forward-looking radar was available The most fundamental rule of flying was always to maintain a speed that you can stop within the distance you can see ahead, and maintain visual contact with either the ground below or the earth horizon when flying "VMC on top" to a known clear weather destination. That applied at night too - which is tricky in jungle mountain where there's no lights on the ground.

Edited November 19, 2014 by jpinx