Breaking news: SAF apache helicopter crash in woodland

[lockeliberal]

Dear PAP

If it was powered flight as you stated in any form, he would have made Sembawang which was like 15 20 secs away. I think you have misunderstood the nature of auto rotation, yes it is spinning but could also be described as moving around in circles as in a sharp dive before it enter's a flaring move to bleed of air speed and velocity in order not to pancake into the ground.

The Rotodome was removed from the Apache because it was the most expensive piece of kit on the air craft. Furthermore it was a hindrance to clearing the Apache. If there was any problem with a rotor blade, that plane would have crashed full stop.

I would list three possibilities on reflection.

1. Double Engine failure

2. Main Transmission fallure , more likely than two brand new engines concussing at one.

3. Tail Rotor failure. Possible.



Locke

 

[silverfox@]

Problems and curses gets bigger before each general erection it seems.
But I still have not get to vote in decades! :oIo:

Then you should move to a place where every time there is opposition party challenging that ward, instead of staying in the same place enjoying walkovers. :p

 

[lovesamleong]

​

Nice photos!

 

[rofthelper]

before we actually have this birds, we spent alot of moolah to send the pilots, tech crew and maintenance ppl to US to train for one year plus.

Firstly, kudos to the pilots to be able to control land the bird in order to preserve lives and those innocent. This require cool and calm handling.

But the next question I have is, where the fuck is the maintenance? Did they already outsourced to ST Aerospace? Moreover, this is a relatively new bird, possibility of engine failure shld be low..unless they are swapping engines with Super Puma and Apache...maybe they took the engine from the Puma who just returned from Persian Gulf?

For a heli, you can do a control landing...if it is F15...u land where? in the sea?

No lah bro, the hourly servicing and depot maintenance of apache is done by RSAF regulars, and not ST Aerospace.

 

[Papsmearer]

even if engineers from BOEING or MDD comes down to investigate the cause of the crash, it will be covered up.

the question is, can the chopper be repaired and be operationally again or not?

cost is USD20million - AH-64A
the D variant costs more. we bought the D variant. (longbow).

you scrap the chopper, you lose more than USD20m.
repair costs? ask BOEING.

There is no such thing as scrapping a helo in this shape. If the helo cannot be repaired, it will be cannibalised for parts. The engines alone are worth millions. I would imagine u could salvage over $5 million in parts. As for whether it can be repaired or not, that is a good question. My guess is no. If this is a NOTAR, than a definite yes. But because it is a military helo and not a civilian one, and the tail boom has obviously broken off, even after repair, I don't think it can tolerate the original G force that it was specified for.

 

[Papsmearer]

Those who like window seats on airliners are bound to notice, hardly a few minutes after take-off or before landing at Changi, you can see practically the whole stretch of ECP from Changi to Shenton Way. That's how small Singapore is. That's your range within minutes when your airplane is somewhere between 250 to 500 k.m.h. An airfighter is about 1,000 k.m.h. at lower altitude and 1,500 k.m.h. or more at higher altitude. RSAF warplanes have not only crashed in Singapore but into Malaysia too. How they negotiated, settled and/or compensated, I think that's classified.

To my knowledge, no RSAF crashes in Malaysian territory. The flight path is usually straight out over the water and into international airspace. The flight path is very restrictive in this aspect. The RSAF takes pains to avoid overflights into Malaysia. At one time, they did, but the Mats complained too much and they avoid it now. The closest I can recall is 2 Hunters in formation over the Straits of Malacca, collided and were never seen again. Safe to say the wreckage isin Malaysian waters.

 

[Papsmearer]

Dear PAP

If it was powered flight as you stated in any form, he would have made Sembawang which was like 15 20 secs away. I think you have misunderstood the nature of auto rotation, yes it is spinning but could also be described as moving around in circles as in a sharp dive before it enter's a flaring move to bleed of air speed and velocity in order not to pancake into the ground.

The Rotodome was removed from the Apache because it was the most expensive piece of kit on the air craft. Furthermore it was a hindrance to clearing the Apache. If there was any problem with a rotor blade, that plane would have crashed full stop.

I would list three possibilities on reflection.

1. Double Engine failure

2. Main Transmission fallure , more likely than two brand new engines concussing at one.

3. Tail Rotor failure. Possible.



Locke

I disagree. A helo pilot with a sick plane will never risk another 20-30 seconds of flight time, especially over highly populated areas. If he attempts this and fails to make it to Sembawang, the worse case scenario would have happened, i.e. crashing into a HDB flat. The safe play would be to land in the nearest piece of clearing he can find. He can have full engine authority, but if the mast was excessively vibrating, or there was gearbox problem, he would still look to set it down. This guy is a hero as far as I am concern, could have been much worse.

I did not say there was a problem with the rotor blade. I said rotor, in particular the mast. They took the radome off because they were doing work on it. This was a check flight after the servicing, and obviously, problem was not solve. One of the articles even mention it was a "maintenance flight", not a training flight. Therefore, I suspect a rotor issue, or maybe a gearbox issue. Definitely not a double engine failure, that would be a joke. The only way it was a double engine failure is if someone did not put enough fuel in there. These things are built with multi redundancy systems. The thought of 2 engines failing at the same time is laughable.

 

[Ramseth]

Excuse Locke, he's talking about Airfix and Hasegawa helicopters.

 

[lockeliberal]

Dear PAP

Hmmm U are right, the earliest pictures on stomp showed the long bow off. Anyways I would agree with you on a gear box / transmission issue.




Locke

 

[Papsmearer]

Excuse Locke, he's talking about Airfix and Hasegawa helicopters.

I see, that's right. Double engine failures quite common in Airfix and Hasegawa Do they still make Revell?

 

[Seee3]

To my knowledge, no RSAF crashes in Malaysian territory. The flight path is usually straight out over the water and into international airspace. The flight path is very restrictive in this aspect. The RSAF takes pains to avoid overflights into Malaysia. At one time, they did, but the Mats complained too much and they avoid it now. The closest I can recall is 2 Hunters in formation over the Straits of Malacca, collided and were never seen again. Safe to say the wreckage isin Malaysian waters.

Have lah. In JB sultan compound some more. Pilot is alive.

 

[matamafia]

Lucky Kalangooni can now by s huge piece of of scrap metal from Mindeaf soon. We must pay another $20M tax to buy RSAF another new toy.

 

[Papsmearer]

Have lah. In JB sultan compound some more. Pilot is alive.

If I recall, that was an emergency landing, not a crash. I might be wrong.

 

[Papsmearer]

Dear PAP

Hmmm U are right, the earliest pictures on stomp showed the long bow off. Anyways I would agree with you on a gear box / transmission issue.




Locke

Its definitely not your number 1, or number 3. The RSAF already suspect gearbox/transmission failure. That is why it grounded the Sikorskys also because they share the same engine. if it was the tail rotor, the Sikorskys should not have been grounded.

 

[Balls2U]

It's about time Mindef consider buying newer and more advanced heli models!

 

[Papsmearer]

It's about time Mindef consider buying newer and more advanced heli models!

Are u kidding? No one buys this crap. Never trust a major weapons system to a South African company. What are they going to do, set up a supplies and support line all the way from South Africa?

 

[Balls2U]

Are u kidding? No one buys this crap. Never trust a major weapons system to a South African company. What are they going to do, set up a supplies and support line all the way from South Africa?

Of course I'm aware of that. I was just being sacarstic lah!

 

[mako65]

I see, that's right. Double engine failures quite common in Airfix and Hasegawa Do they still make Revell?

Wow...all these miniature modelling brings back my memories! I built Airfix, Hasegawa, Tamiya and Revell too! Even go all the way to MPH and got the Jane's yr book to study and select my intending next buy! It's crap quality now, brand like Dragon and etc...Tink I shall re-kindle my passion again! Hahaha...thks to all bros!

 

[Papsmearer]

Wow...all these miniature modelling brings back my memories! I built Airfix, Hasegawa, Tamiya and Revell too! Even go all the way to MPH and got the Jane's yr book to study and select my intending next buy! It's crap quality now, brand like Dragon and etc...Tink I shall re-kindle my passion again! Hahaha...thks to all bros!

I can't even remember how many models I bought. I must have spend all my allowance on them. Tamiya was too expensive for me, I made most airfix, and than later some matchbox too.

 

[Pannic]

This looks and sounds more like a controlled crash landing than an uncontrollable plunging crash. In 1991, a when Super Puma crashed at SAFTI, both pilot and co-pilot died, but a backseat crewman was saved.

Ramseth, u seem to know lots about the Super Puma air crash happened on 16th of August 1991. Were u in the Forces before?