May 2010 covers_Covers.qxd - World Airnews

Services, departed by road to the site of
the wreck.
The airborne team led by Brown inspected
all the slinging equipment and
packed the Huey before departing on the
1,5-hour flight to the location of the wreck.
Once airborne, a weather update was
obtained and final adjustments to the action
plan were made. On arrival at the
crash site, a few orbits were flown to determine
the best and safest approach to
be made. The Huey then landed on top of
the mountain and a final briefing was held
to place everybody in the correct spots.
The truck and part of the ground crew
made their way to the base of the mountain,
while the other members of the crew
were tasked with gathering parts of the
wreckage and were responsible for the
strapping and bundling of the aircraft
pieces.
Part of this involved smashing holes
into the remains of the aircraft wings to
avoid them producing lift from the rotor
downdraught as they were hoisted on the
sling and possibly cause an accident as a
result.
Another part of the ground crew’s responsibility
was to ensure that all loose
bits from the wreck would not break free
during the lift with the possible attendant
danger to all involved.
Before the Huey went into action, all
three loads were prepared for the lift to
avoid wasting valuable time as well as to
reduce costs.
Before Alistair took-off for the slinging
operation, the weather was re-assessed;
by this time a gusting 30-knot wind had
sprung up making the task all the more
challenging.
Besides the wind and the proximity to
the mountain slope, Brown had to maintain
focus on controlling the swing of the
load and to make sure that the load did
not snag on any ground objects as he
began lifting.
One of the challenges he faced was
that, during the actual lift, he had to lean
out of the cockpit to keep his eye on the
load below him and to maintain vertical
reference, which he described as “learning
to hover all over again”.
With Brown’s experience this was all
one smooth and very well executed lift
and seemed effortless to the ground crew
and myself.
Within hours most of the visible signs
of the wreck had been safely removed
from the mountain slope and we were
making our way back to Lanseria at a comfortable
110 knots ground speed. Q
Above: With the door off, Alistair Brown peers out of the cockpit to watch the load of wreckage
as he lifts it from the crash site. Below: The Huey comes in close to the mountainside on an
inspection run. Bottom: Brown (white shirt) and his crew assess the wreckage to work out
how best to “sling” it for evacuation from the crash site.
WORLD AIRNEWS, MAY 2010. 37