Vintage Piasecki Helo down with three fatalities

[bdk]

http://cbs2.com/local/helicopter.crash.Mojave.2.1298718.html

3 die in vintage helicopter crash in Mojave Desert
By The Associated Press

Saturday, November 7, 2009 at 2:21 p.m.

ADELANTO, Calif. — Authorities say three people are dead after a vintage helicopter hit power lines, crashed and caught fire in San Bernardino County.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor says the Piasecki PV-18 took off from Adelanto Airport at 8:30 a.m. Saturday headed for Flabob Airport in Riverside.

All three people aboard were killed when the helicopter crashed about a mile south of Adelanto Airport. Adelanto is a city in the Mojave Desert about 70 miles northeast of Los Angeles.

Investigators from the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board were at the scene Saturday.

There was no immediate word on the cause and identities of the dead were not immediately released.

Gregor says the helicopter is a vintage military aircraft built in 1951.

The Associated Press

[P51Mstg]

http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-v ... 4841.story

One picture is at the link above. Sorry to see it happen. Condolences to the family. Anyone have a photo of it before the accident? Was this the one that has been to the Chino Airshow in the past couple of years?

Mark H

[Jack Cook]

I remember that HUP it was a beautiful machine.
I talked to the pilot and he was a nice chap but for the life of me I can't recall his name.
How very sad

[Ztex]

Sad news.

I had no idea there was one of those still flying.

[JBoyle]

A real tragedy.

I was very excited years ago when I learned that someone had restored a HUP to airworthyness.

Considering the finite life items and overhaul requirements of helicopters, and what I'm guessing are the rarity of airworhy parts, it was a huge undertaking..enough to make a P-51 restoration look easy, IMHO.
Sadly, helicopters don't getthe attention they deserive in the historic aviation or warbird communities.

So it's not only a huge human loss, but the loss of the only airworthy HUP, which we will very likely never see again.

RIP to those lost, sincere condolences to the families...and thanks to the restorer/pilot who gave us a chance to see something we wouldn't have otherwise seen.

[Joe Scheil]

[JimH]

(at some point) was this based at Romona?

jim

[Joe Scheil]

Jim,

I don't believe so. The H-21 is down there with Terry Robinson of Classic Rotors. I think the accident aircraft was based in VCV.

[DaveG]

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/adelan ... opter.html

a few other pictures there. Preliminary thought (according to the article) is that they struck a static cable and then an energized power line.

[JohnH]

http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-vintage-helicopter-crash,0,1154841.story

One picture is at the link above. Sorry to see it happen. Condolences to the family. Anyone have a photo of it before the accident? Was this the one that has been to the Chino Airshow in the past couple of years?

Mark H

Mark, I was thinking it was the one at the Chino show as well but looking at pictures of an H-21- I think that is the H-21 mentioned elsewhere in this thread. The picture of the 18 is too small to be the one at chino and I think the color is different. I don't know anything about these Helicopters and also didn't know this existed. Sad.

JH

[bdk]

The article stated the pilot transmitted a mayday, so maybe they had a problem and struck the wires upon their descent from whatever problem they had. Purely speculation on my part though.

[Roger Cain]

(at some point) was this based at Romona?

jim

What a tragic loss for these men and their families. Condolensces to them.

Yes Jim, unfortunately it was. This was/is the HUP-1 with the Classic Rotors Museum as pictured above.

Some confusion showing up in the above posts, this was not the H-21 which is another Piasecki with the museum which is much bigger, in Army markings.

[Project Warbird]

Very sad news,

The guys at Classic Rotors are really nice guys and are doing such a great job saving these Warbird Helicopters. I feel that they don't get enough credit and support by the Warbird community. I have been lucky to work with them at airshows in San Diego. Here is their link http://www.rotors.org/

[Craig59]

Very sad indeed. I have several accident reports of HRS helicopters flying into power lines (if indeed that is proven to be what happened here) back in the fifities. No surprise that many modern helicopters are equipped with cable cutters. Sincere condolences to the crew and their families.