[Peetwo]

Beaker is indeed out to make a name for himself as a talented Investigative guru!! How much media can one prostitute ones self for?? However I hate to tell him but the Robbo fuel tank issue is old news. The Widowmaker has incinerated too many fellow pilots already, for a number of years, and the fix has been very slow due to 'international political' agendas. And lets not forget that Fort Fumble had to be dragged by the cuff yelling and screaming until they received adverse media attention and were forced to act. Sadly it was too late for some of our Pilots who died unnecessarily due to the piece of shit tank design, and then the cost of replacing the tanks with new bladders fell onto the operator FFS! Every chopper pilot and their first year engineering apprentice know about the issue, so as much as Beaker may have 'proactively petitioned EASA and the FAA to mandate changes', they will do as they please when they please, and won't be listening the facially furry mi mi mi-er from down under! But nice try Beaker, mixing with the big kids, but be careful you don't get sand kicked in your face again  

 
In case you needed anymore proof that the whole point of Dolan being the front man in the Bulli Tops media release, is purely a disgusting PR sham to grab the limelight away from recent bad press, here it is...FFS :

Tweet from ATSB this AM:

@atsbinfo warning on helicopter fuel tanks may lead to worldwide aviation safety changes http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/3126661/

  
And this was the article from the Illawarra Mercury (where the last sentence (in bold) will be conveniently overlooked by Beaker & the ATSB):

Bulli Tops helicopter crash sparks global warning

By MICHELLE WEBSTER
June 4, 2015, 9 p.m.

A horrific helicopter crash at Bulli Tops which claimed the lives of four former CSIRO scientists in March, 2013, may lead to worldwide aviation safety changes.


Dr Don Price, Gerald Haddad, Dr John Dunlop and Dr Tony Farmer died when the Robinson R44 helicopter they were travelling in struck a tree during landing before hitting the ground and exploding in flames.

The accident led Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority to order all R44 operators to replace the model's rigid all-aluminium fuel tank, which was found to increase the likelihood of post-crash fire, with a bladder-style tank.

On Thursday, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) released its final report into the Bulli Tops incident, calling on US and European regulators to follow Australia's lead and ensure all R44s are fitted with the crash-resistant fuel systems.

ATSB chief commissioner Martin Dolan said the bladder-style tanks reduced the risk of post-impact fire and he was concerned helicopters not fitted with the newer tanks could still be in the skies.

"We believe the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) can help improve the safety of many helicopter pilots and their passengers," he said.

"We have issued safety recommendations to the FAA and EASA. We ask them to take action to increase the number of crash-resistant fuel systems fitted to existing and newly manufactured helicopters."

Mr Dolan said the ATSB expected to hear from the US and European regulators by early September.

On March 21, 2013, the four retired CSIRO scientists flew out of Bankstown Airport on a helicopter joy flight before landing for lunch at Panorama House just after midday.

Witnesses reported seeing the chopper land and then rapidly take off again, yawing to the right and striking a number of tree branches with the main rotor blade.

Horrified onlookers watched helplessly as the aircraft pitched towards the ground, hitting nose-first and rolling onto its right side.

One witness who rushed in to help noticed a large amount of fuel pouring from underneath the helicopter and within moments a fire had started on the grass under the rotor mast and cabin area, quickly engulfing the aircraft.

A number of people tried desperately to extinguish the fire but it was too intense.

The incident was among a string of tragic accidents where R44 choppers had crashed. An investigation of a starkly similar incident at Jaspers Brush in 2012 found the two victims might have survived if the chopper's all-aluminum fuel tank had been replaced with a different model.

Australian film producer Andrew Wight and American filmmaker Mike deGruy were heading to Jervis Bay to shoot footage when Wight's door opened shortly after lift-off.

As he reached to close it, the helicopter moved into an abrupt nose-up pitch, forcing the chopper to hit the ground where it burst into flames.

Just one month after the Bulli Tops tragedy, Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) delivered an ultimatum to Australian R44 operators to replace the chopper's aluminium fuel tanks with crash-resistant bladder tanks.

Within 12 months all 484 R44s operating in Australia had made the switch.

California-based Robinson Helicopter Company issued a service bulletin to R44 operators in December, 2010, telling them to swap to flexible fuel tanks.

Some on here will remember that at Budget Estimates in May 2013 (i.e. 2 months after the tragic Bulli tops accident), the matter of the R44 post impact fire accidents were the subject of Senate questioning. Here is a copy of a post of mine off the UP from that time:

Yep the list is growing and the stench is rising!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You can add the Cousin's to that list...remember this from sub16:

“We have been to Martin Dolan Chief Commissioner ATSB, Albanese, John McCormick, Local Member John Castrilli - who did write a letter to CASA on our behalf but that was it! John McCormick insulted us in his response stating that "CASA is unaware of any other accidents involving this company’s aircraft". Oh My God how insulting to our intelligence. So in their eyes Kenny's Mob have never been involved in other incident!


How many fatalities does a Company need to have to be anything recorded as an ACCIDENT! At the inquest the CEO of Heliworks was questioned about his Statutory Declaration and had he completed - he disclosed he did not complete it and the Company had told him what to write! How could that be admissable in a court of law?

They were aware that this cowboy operation existed out at the Bungles but once again NO ONE would do a thing to stop them...............
It took 2 yrs 7 mths after the accident for the inquest to be held and we did not get the final report until a further 6 months!! Over 3 years!!”

Then

“Well we had our inquest which was an absolute joke and embarrassment for the fact that so many documents were not produced / lost / created etc and no one did a thing about it. Our Coroner Ms Fricker left a lot to be desired and the fact that in the 2 years 7 months not one person in the court room excluding us had even visited the accident site or gone out to witness just what happens out there. We came away just blown
away with the fact that so many things were dismissed/ allowed/undisclosed and were allowed to be.

That smell of money I think well and truly came into play!!!
I personally lost all respect for our government representatives, law, safety authorities after sitting in that court room for 5 days and listened to excuses on their behalf...instead of reasons to rectify and was horrified after the evidence given that it was declared and accident.

As I said in court this was an Accident waiting to happen and will occur again!!The coroner in her report even noted the number of helicopter accidents just since the inquest - approx 4 month....and not one recommendation was handed down. She used the words like Breached and Failed to comply in her report and yet not one
recommendation.”

Carolyn Cousins. (mother of Jessica Cousins) Slingair Robinson 44 Bungle Bungles 14

September 2008 4 fatalities

Although according to Beaker this accident was a high-energy impact:

Mr Dolan: There had been a number of post-crash fires associated with R44 helicopters. In the vast majority of those cases they represented high-energy impacts, which is to say accidents that were unlikely to have been survivable and which would have led to a post-crash fire in almost any helicopter.

Senator XENOPHON: So you are saying that the retrofitting would not have made any difference?

Mr Dolan: That would be our general assessment.

Senator XENOPHON: Take it on notice, because I have a few other matters to raise. You are saying that, from a causation point of view, even retrofitting the helicopters with that protective bladder, it still would have been a fatal accident?

Mr Dolan: On the facts that were available to us. We are not aware of any previous to Cessnock. I do not think we are aware of any of the low-energy collisions leading to that sort of thing. There were, as you say, a number of high-energy collisions that would have led to a ruptured fuel tank in any helicopter and therefore a great likelihood of a post-crash fire. Those are the sorts of accidents that generally are not survivable.

But on the evidence in the bureau report it would appear that there was a strong possibility the pilot at least survived the crash impact only to be overcome by the post impact fire, from the report:

Medical and pathological information
The post-mortem examinations for all occupants of the helicopter described varying degrees of injuries consistent with the high vertical velocity impact. All sustained extensive thermal injury.

The pilot’s post-mortem report indicated that he was found ‘...a slight distance from the damaged aircraft.’

You will notice that the post-mortem didn't appear to explore how the victims died i.e. did they succumb to their impact injuries or the 'extensive thermal injuries'. Nor was IMO the post-survivability issues properly explored by the ATSB. It was almost as if the ATSB accept that if a chopper comes (in particular a Robbo) down hard it will inevitably burn!

Yes 004 it will be interesting to watch and I bet there will be a couple of interested Senators tuned in as well..given the QONs outstanding on the subject of post-impact fires and R44s

Here's the links for the high energy post-impact fire fatalities to which Senator X refers:
http://www.atsb.gov.au/media/1533519/ao2008062.pdf

http://www.atsb.gov.au/media/1361537/aai...79_001.pdf

http://www.atsb.gov.au/media/24556/aair2...46_001.pdf

And here is a link for the report from the Jaspers Brush tragedy - AO-2012-021 - that included these two safety issues:

Fitment of rubber, bladder-type fuel tanks to R44 helicopters

A significant number of R44 helicopters, including VH-COK, were not fitted with bladder-type fuel tanks and the other modifications detailed in the manufacturer's Service Bulletin, SB-78 to improve resistance to post?impact fuel leaks and fire.

Issue number:
AO-2012-021-SI-01
Who it affects:
All owners and operators of R44 helicopters
Status:
Adequately addressed

---

 
R44 helicopter all-aluminium fuel tanks
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau encourages all operators and owners of R44 helicopters that are fitted with all-aluminium fuel tanks to note the circumstances of this accident as detailed in this preliminary report. It is suggested that those operators and owners actively consider replacing these tanks with bladder-type fuel tanks as detailed in the manufacturer's Service Bulletin (SB) 78A as soon as possible.

In addition, the ATSB highlights the existence and content of SB 82 that aims to reduce the chance of the rotor brake switch as a possible ignition source in the event of a fuel leak.

Issue number:
AO-2012-021-SAN-001
Who it affects:
Owners and operators of R44 helicopters
Status:
Partially addressed

And in ICAO Annex 13 Ch 6 under Safety  Recommendations  it is stated...


"..6.8 At any stage of the investigation of an accident or incident, the accident or incident investigation authority of the State conducting the investigation shall recommend to the appropriate authorities, including those in other States, any preventive action that it considers necessary to be taken promptly to enhance aviation safety.



6.9 A State conducting investigations of accidents or incidents shall address, when appropriate, any safety recommendations arising out of its investigations to the accident investigation authorities of other State(s) concerned and, when ICAO documents are involved, to ICAO..."


So what is the ATSB excuse for sitting on these SRs until now (over two years after the fact)?? No this is just another cynical attempt to gain credibility where none is due..FFS get rid of the Muppet

P2