[Peetwo]

C&C V: Preliminary reports

True to their word the NTSB issued their prelim report into the tragic fatal crash of Kobe Bryant's S76 Helicopter near Calabasas California - https://ntsb.gov/investigations/Document...Update.pdf - inside of 2 weeks - 

Summation from Christine Negroni, via her Flying Lessons blog: 

NTSB Releases Photos of Kobe Bryant Helicopter In Clouds – Why, Remains Shrouded Too

February 7, 2020 / Share your comments...

The Sikorsky S-76 that crashed in California nearly two weeks ago, killing Kobe Bryant and eight others flew into clouds then hit the side of a hill near Calabasas north of Los Angeles, according to a preliminary report on the accident released Friday by the National Transportation Safety Board.

The investigators relied on multiple photos from people in the area at the time and at least one security camera. A low, thick cloud layer blanketed the hills as the helicopter disappeared into the clouds.






Ara Zobayan, the 50-year old pilot for Island Express Helicopters, the charter company hired by Bryant, had received proficiency training for inadvertent flight into instrument conditions as part of his flight review in May of 2019, but as has been reported earlier, Island Express was not approved by the Federal Aviation Administration to offer IFR flights. Other helicopter companies in the area have also declined IFR certification citing the expense and the fact that it is so rarely needed in LA.

There has been much public speculation about what might have contributed to Zobayan’s flying the aircraft into instrument conditions, including the YouTube video at the end of this post. The NTSB as is customary made no conclusions about any of the facts released in the preliminary report. It did, however, describe the accident as one with particularly significant impact damage.




The twin-engine helicopter sliced through trees then hit terrain so hard cockpit instruments were dislodged from the panel. Parts of the flight controls, engines and fuselage were destroyed in the subsequent fire.



The accident probe will not get an assist from digital flight data or cockpit voice recorders because Bryant’s helicopter, with its distinctive Black Mamba livery, did not carry them. The company was not required to equip its aircraft with black boxes, though the NTSB has been urging the FAA to require boxes on turbine engine helicopter operators for more than 20 years.

In making its most recent case to the FAA the board said between 2005 and 2017  there were 185 helicopter accidents in which the flight crew was killed. In 85 percent of those accidents, the aircraft did not carry recorders. The FAA said in 2017 that it was not considering mandating their use but it would encourage voluntary compliance by operators.

Recorders don’t prevent the accident under investigation, to be sure. And many avenues are available to help determine [i]what[/i] happened. But when it comes to understanding [i]why,[/i] recorders make a valuable contribution toward preventing the next crash.

Perhaps this particular disaster, with its high-profile passenger and the tragic number of children and parents aboard will convince the FAA to think again about whether operators should be left to decide for themselves, whether their aircraft should carry data recorders.

It will be interesting to see whether the Hooded Canary's ATCB can also get inside the ICAO Annex 13 30 day requirement for issuing of a preliminary report...

However for general comparison purposes I note that yesterday the ATCB issued their prelim report, nearly a month late, for the fatal Angel Aircraft Corp 44, VH-IAZ, near Mareeba Airport on 14 December 2019. It is somewhat 'passing strange' that this relatively low profile (albeit fatal) accident investigation prelim report was also accompanied by a Dr (Lies, damned lies and statistics) Godley media release?? 

Ongoing investigation to examine engines, records and flight review requirements


[b]One of an Angel Aircraft Corporation Model 44 aircraft’s two engines was heard to ‘splutter’ soon after take-off from Mareeba Airport, Queensland, shortly before the aircraft collided with terrain, fatally injuring the two pilots on board, an ATSB investigation’s preliminary report into the 14 December 2019 accident notes.[/b]

The aircraft had been conducting a flight review — a regular assessment flight undertaken by all qualified pilots — with a Grade 1 flight instructor seated in the right seat and the owner pilot of the aircraft seated in the left seat.

The aircraft had commenced its initial take-off run just before 11.00am, with witnesses reporting that it sounded like one of the engines was hesitating or misfiring during the take-off roll, and with black sooty smoke seen trailing from the right engine.

Once airborne, the aircraft headed for the airfield’s training area. After eight minutes in the training area, the pilot seated on the left broadcast they were inbound to Mareeba and two minutes later broadcast that they were joining crosswind for runway 28. No further transmissions were heard from the aircraft.

An engine was then heard to splutter as the aircraft climbed to between 300 and 450 feet.

Witnesses reported seeing the aircraft touch down on the runway and take off again. An engine was then heard to splutter as the aircraft climbed to between 300 and 450 feet above ground level. The aircraft was next seen above a banana plantation beyond the end of the runway in a right descending turn, before it suddenly rolled right. Witnesses saw the right wing drop to near vertical and the aircraft collided with terrain in a cornfield.

Subsequent examination of the wreckage by ATSB transport safety investigators indicated the aircraft impacted terrain right wingtip first, followed by the nose, and left wingtip. The aircraft then pivoted about the left wing with the fuselage coming to a rest upright.

“The ATSB’s ongoing investigation will focus on further examination of the recovered engines and propellers, maintenance and operational records, aircraft and site survey data, pilot qualifications, experience and medical history, and regulatory requirements for flight reviews,” Dr Stuart Godley, ATSB Director Transport Safety, said.

Dr Godley noted that preliminary reports outline basic factual information established in the early phase of an investigation.
“Preliminary reports do not contain findings, identify contributing factors or outline safety issues and actions,” Dr Godley said. “These will be detailed in an investigation’s final report.”

MTF...P2