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I'm not really sure the 2020 Calabasa crash is a relevant example. That helicopter had a radio altimeter, and it surely wasn't being jammed. And before hittin
by bigbubba 6y ago
I'm not really sure the 2020 Calabasa crash is a relevant example. That helicopter had a radio altimeter, and it surely wasn't being jammed. And before hitting the ground, the helicopter was descending at 20 m/s. The last known intent of the pilot was to climb, not descend. Some witnesses on the ground report that the helicopter sounded like it was malfunctioning before the crash. I do not particularly credit eye witnesses, but their story seems to fit with the rapid descent of the helicopter more than an altimeter issue.
- ajarmst 6y agoAnother point I should make about the Bryant crash (now that i've looked it up): while the pilot was IFR rated and the helicopter theoretically had the required instruments, the owning company was not certified for IFR passenger service. That means he the flight was filed as VFR. One of the things they teach you when you get an IFR rating is that you don't fly into IFR weather (IFC for the pedants) during a VFR flight without a pre-filed plan. His IFR training didn't teach him to fly in those conditions---it taught him to avoid them. They didn't have an IFR flight plan or clearance, so flying into a fog bank and persisting in that flight was forbidden and if unavoidable would constitute an emergency. Which is why I tend to look pretty hard at the pilot in this case, not the instruments.