Pilot forced to drop animal due to windy weather: Ministry

[snoop1130]

Pilot forced to drop animal due to windy weather: Ministry

By The Nation

 

 

Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment permanent secretary Wijarn Simachaya on Thursday said bad weather had caused a helicopter pilot to drop an Asian black bear in February, resulting in the bear’s death.

 

The helicopter transport was meant to return the animal safely to the wilderness. 

 

He said the death was still being investigated by the Office of Aviation for Natural Resource Conservation and the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP). 

 

He added that the ministry’s separate fact-finding probe should provide a clear answer about the causes of the tragedy by the end of the month. 

 

Wijarn said the DNP had airlifted wild animals before, but the weather conditions were bad that day with gusty winds, resulting in the helicopter shaking violently and forcing the pilot had to drop the bear. 

 

“It’s a tragedy that no one wants to see happen. We’ll take this lesson to improve the aviation system and airlifts of wild animals,” said Wijarn.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/national/30312841

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-4-20

[A1Str8]

Rest in peace, bear!

[Commogwinto]

So it wasn't bad weather when he began his flight then?  Yet another feeble attempt to cover up mistakes!!!!!

 

[DoctorG]

New day; new story.

[mtls2005]

Annunciator audio warning changed from "Pull Up, Pull Up", to "Drop Bear, Drop Bear".

[overherebc]

A load slung under a chopper can cause all sorts of stability problems for the pilot. A sudden wind change causing the pilot to make a correction that can swing the load causing another balance problem. Approaching a cliff with the wind coming off the cliff can mean the helicopter to be affected by downward or sideways winds again causing the slung load to swing. Think about a sudden side wind hitting a caravan towed behind your car, massive swinging and the caravan takes control of the car, it's a similar effect. In a chopper the only option is drop the load.

[Holmsedale25]

What a load of complete bull....

 

The first things that are checked in detail before any underslung lift by a helicopter are condition of the lifting/slinging equipment, load weight (can the helicopter take it), dimension of the load , drop zone condition and weather/wind conditions on route. It is possible for the weather to change but an experienced pilot would be able to assess and act accordingly. The only reason a load should be prematurely dropped is a technical fault with the helicopter.

 

Correct prior planning by an experienced pilot and support team would have meant a happy bear not a dead bear.......

[dageurreotype]

When I first arrived, I'd overheard a long staying English friend remark to another 'Trust the Thais to <deleted> it up'. I was a tad taken aback at the time but in the twenty years since the rose coloured tint had completely disappeared from my glasses. About two years in.

[overherebc]

19 hours ago, dageurreotype said:

When I first arrived, I'd overheard a long staying English friend remark to another 'Trust the Thais to <deleted> it up'. I was a tad taken aback at the time but in the twenty years since the rose coloured tint had completely disappeared from my glasses. About two years in.

Does that mean that all the planes that crashed on landing due to wind shear at airports all over the world were piloted by xxxxxx, you fill in the blanks.

?

[Holmsedale25]

1 minute ago, overherebc said:

Does that mean that all the planes that crashed on landing due to wind shear at airports all over the world were piloted by xxxxxx, you fill in the blanks.

?

I don't know, you tell me.

 

The case in question was a short flight into the hills to release the bear. Prior planning and thought should have highlighted all possible risks. If wind shear was one of them then this should have been taken into consideration and other means of transporting the bear assessed.

[colinneil]

Have the people responsible for this fiasco never heard of risk assessment.

Before i retired every job i did could not be carried out without a risk assessment being done.

Many times i would think what nonsense, but when you see fiascos like this 1 you can understand the need.

[overherebc]

32 minutes ago, Holmsedale25 said:

I don't know, you tell me.

 

The case in question was a short flight into the hills to release the bear. Prior planning and thought should have highlighted all possible risks. If wind shear was one of them then this should have been taken into consideration and other means of transporting the bear assessed.

On the point of wind shear, the reason in can catch out even experienced pilots is that it doesn't have a big sign pointing to it, it's invisible, it's wind. When a plane enters an invisible upward, downward or sideways moving piece of air as well as it's forward speed it moves upward, downward or sideways at the exact same speed as that piece of air. That's why in a plane that hits turbulence if you're not strapped in and the plane drops suddenly you stay where you are. In real terms the luggage locker comes down and belts you, you don't go up and hit it.

You can be made aware of it pre-flight but you have no control over when you are going to encounter it.

Edited April 21, 2017 by overherebc

[1130bobs]

I'm surprised nobody thought of the obvious - he dropped it where friends could butcher & haul it away for sale.   Bear organs cost more than gold to chinese & others with magical beliefs.

[smew]

Drop the pilot as he is at fault for not checking the weather conditions ahead ... I 

[Bluespunk]

14 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

 

He added that the ministry’s separate fact-finding probe should provide a clear answer about the causes of the tragedy by the end of the month. 

Inept, incompetent officials who couldn't plan their way out of a wet paper bag are the cause. 

[lemonjelly]

I believe the original version; bear was in chopper sedated and partially covered by net, regained consciousness earlier than hoped, all hell broke loose, bear went into free fall. (sad about the bear, but the pilot's intercom must make some hilarious listening)

[overherebc]

Armed forces all the world over are still doing studies into the instabilities introduced due to slung loads, some still ongoing into the reasons for Australian British and American helicopter pilots having to drop loads instead of crashing.

But don't let facts get in the way of Thai bashing from your early morning bar stools.

[Reigntax]

Windy weather, i suspect is just more hot air!

[FitnessHealthTravel]

Dropped his phone, then lost altitude then had to drop the bear to recover if the truth be known. How many professional Helicopter pilots know the weather conditions way before they go up. Another BS coverup for sure at the cost of a rare animal species. 

[Wingman615]

Wind shear was not the issue here. The pilot, who I can only imagine had very limited experience slinging, used a lanyard that was far to short and exceeded the aircrafts speed limitations (VNE) while carrying an underslung load. 

 

 

[Beats56]

6 hours ago, colinneil said:

Have the people responsible for this fiasco never heard of risk assessment.

Before i retired every job i did could not be carried out without a risk assessment being done.

Many times i would think what nonsense, but when you see fiascos like this 1 you can understand the need.

I too had to do risk assessments. The reason is so the company will.not be responsible..you are. It's all lawyer stuff.

 

[Sphere]

20 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

...but the weather conditions were bad that day with gusty winds...

 

They had to do it that day because the bear had promised his wife he'd be home for dinner.

[Artisi]

5 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

Inept, incompetent officials who couldn't plan their way out of a wet paper bag are the cause. 

Nor come up with a respectable and  half believable excuse. 

[Artisi]

1 hour ago, elgordo38 said:

I agree and it bears investigation. Bears and bulls and the Dow jumped 200 points last night. Time to get back in the market its a sign. 

lottery numbers would be more useful. 

Edited April 21, 2017 by Artisi

[JAG]

7 hours ago, overherebc said:

A load slung under a chopper can cause all sorts of stability problems for the pilot. A sudden wind change causing the pilot to make a correction that can swing the load causing another balance problem. Approaching a cliff with the wind coming off the cliff can mean the helicopter to be affected by downward or sideways winds again causing the slung load to swing. Think about a sudden side wind hitting a caravan towed behind your car, massive swinging and the caravan takes control of the car, it's a similar effect. In a chopper the only option is drop the load.

 

6 hours ago, Holmsedale25 said:

I don't know, you tell me.

 

The case in question was a short flight into the hills to release the bear. Prior planning and thought should have highlighted all possible risks. If wind shear was one of them then this should have been taken into consideration and other means of transporting the bear assessed.

Umh, shouldn't the pilot have been aware that he was going to be flying near cliffs, and of the wind effects involved?

[SABloke]

Wind shear was not the issue here. The pilot, who I can only imagine had very limited experience slinging, used a lanyard that was far to short and exceeded the aircrafts speed limitations (VNE) while carrying an underslung load. 
 
 

What was the length of the lanyard he used? What should it have been?

[overherebc]

18 minutes ago, SABloke said:

 

What was the length of the lanyard he used? What should it have been?

 

At the moment they are still doing studies into that all over with various countries armed forces. The problem has so many variables they might take a long time to come up with a 100% formula to address the problem. It happens more often than people are aware of.

This one is getting a lot of attention because it's a bear. If it had been 10 sacks of rice it would be a different story or a non story.

[eeyang wah]

6 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

Inept, incompetent officials who couldn't plan their way out of a wet paper bag are the cause. 

With scissors in their hands

[SABloke]

At the moment they are still doing studies into that all over with various countries armed forces. The problem has so many variables they might take a long time to come up with a 100% formula to address the problem. It happens more often than people are aware of.
This one is getting a lot of attention because it's a bear. If it had been 10 sacks of rice it would be a different story or a non story.

I understand this. My comment was a sarcastic one, because Wingman categorically stated that the lanyard was too short: to make such a statement one should have the 'facts'. He clearly doesn't in this case and is just making assumptions wrapped in the guise of an "expert opinion"

[overherebc]

19 minutes ago, elgordo38 said:

Market has better odds all the stocks keep going up. Asia follows the Dow Europe follows Asia its an upward spiral. Investors are winners. Companies fudge their quarterly profits with the governments blessing, they borrow our savings at next to nothing, Large corporations have large algorithym programs that make them winners 99.9% of the time all with the governments blessing how can we loose.!!!!

The bear was the loser in this one.