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PostPosted: 11 Dec 2017, 11:50 
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I have put most of the facts in perspective,The wires where there,NOT new wires.the helicopter was airworthy at the time.The altitude was low and speed was fast.

Wire strikes happen all the time,its a known helicopter pilot error,or error in the wire maps exact or current position.Not planing a route can also contribute to wire strikes.

Flying fast and low gives pilots less time to see and react to wires,not to mention where the sun was during the incident,maybe also obstructing the pilots view.If you notice in dash cam footage the sun was head on in the direction of the traffic and helicopter.

I am not speculating the pilots professionalism in the SAAF..wire strikes happen.

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Last edited by Airfire on 11 Dec 2017, 12:01, edited 2 times in total.

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PostPosted: 11 Dec 2017, 11:53 
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Understood :oops:

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PostPosted: 11 Dec 2017, 12:41 
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What's the chance of the orxy getting back in to service. The damage look bad on the tail and blades but the engine, body, cockpit, extra extra look to still be in good condition.


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PostPosted: 12 Dec 2017, 08:12 
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Mrs Kremlin wrote:
Doug wrote:
Interestingly, (and very sadly)...this appears to be the second SAAF chopper crash into Powerlines at Du Toit's Kloof. Found this on the internet.....

Quote: "Sgt Foote (A.R) (Bob) was a flight mechanic on the first Alouette that the Air Force lost.
It happened in the du Toit's kloof when the chopper flew into some high tension cables.
All aboard were killed. I saw the remains arrive at Ysterplaat on a Queen Mary. Very little left recognisable as a helicopter. "

Does anyone have anymore info on the historical crash there?



Here is some information I was able to find on that crash Doug.

Newspaper reports printed in Helicopters of the SAAF a Pictorial History 1948-2011 compiled by Winston Brent.

Report 1:

Two South African Air Force Officers were killed when their jet helicpter plunged into a deep ravine in the Dutoitskloof pass soon after 11am today.

Their names are being withheld until their next-of-kin have been notified.
The helicopter, a two-seater French Alouette clipped high tension wires near the national road before crashing. The wreck was lying in thick bush. Rescuers found bits of the machine scattered over a wide area. The crash which occurred on the Worcester side of the road tunnel was seen by Mr A. Dreyer a Cape Town businessman. First at the wreck were Mr J H Pickl, proprietor of the hotel in the pass, and Mr W Hector, a waiter there. Mr Pickl said "The helicopter passed the hotel going towards Worcester. I was on the road talking to a friend when we saw it flying past rather low. I watched it going towards Worcester when it suddenly disappeared. I did not hear any crash then"

Mr Pickl go into his car to investigate when Mr Dreyer drove up and said he had seen the machine going down very slowly and thought something must be wrong with it. "I went down the road immediately and saw the wreckage in the river which runs behind my hotel" Mr Pickl said. He and Mr Hector climbed down while Mr Dreyer telephoned the S.A.A.F at Youngsfield. The two dead officers were lying in the wreckage. High tension wires which cross the road had been cut. Part of the helicopter's rotor blade was lying near there Mr Pickl said. The drop to the river, the Molenaars River, is about 300 feet.

Report 2:

Lt Keith Lynford Martin (23) and Air Sgt. Andrew Robert Foote (40) were killed when their S.A.A.F Alouette helicopter crashed in Dutoitskloof yesterday.
Lieutenant Martin was unmarried and came from Malvern Johannesburg. Air Sergeant Foote was married and lived at Wingfield with his wife and three children.
Air Sergeant Foote's family has been offered a military funeral for him and he will probably be buried on Monday.


- The helicopter was an Alouette II. Construction number was 1454, tail number was 17 and it flew with 17 Squadron.


The accident on c/n 1454 happened on 17 August 1962.

Interestingly , c/n 1453, (serial 16; also delivered on 29 September 1960) was "w/o in the mountains near Worcester on 3 October 1966" with 2/Lt Botha on board.

Source: 85 Years of the South Africa Air force by Winston Brent


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PostPosted: 12 Dec 2017, 08:46 
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Lets also not forget the Shackleton 1718 that also went down near Worcester.Just almost a year later after the Alo incident.

On 8 August 1963 the aircraft had been engaged in joint exercises with the RAF and was on a return flight to Cape
Town. In gusting winds and severe icing conditions down to 3,000ft (l,000m), 1718 struck high ground before crashing into the Wemmershoek mountain range outside the town of Worcester, some 60
mile (96km) east of its destination. The crash occurred about 25.8 km (16 miles from the nearest town, Worcester, in the Stettynskloof valley between Paarl and Stellenbosch.

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Yesterday is history.
Tomorrow is a mystery.
But today is a gift.
That's why it's called the present.
____________________________
Adrian Munro
http://www.weddingduo.co.za
https://www.facebook.com/Airfirephotography/


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PostPosted: 12 Dec 2017, 10:03 
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sob wrote:
What's the chance of the orxy getting back in to service. The damage look bad on the tail and blades but the engine, body, cockpit, extra extra look to still be in good condition.
Unless there is a dramatic shortage of aircraft, which I don't think is the case, the cost to repair will be too high compared to the value of keeping the aircraft. More likely would be re-using components but even that is difficult because all mechanical components would need thorough inspection in case of accident damage.

Maybe the best use would be to assign the remains to a maintenance school?


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PostPosted: 17 Dec 2017, 12:18 
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Any more news?


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PostPosted: 21 Dec 2017, 21:25 
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Thanks as always Dean. This is a very important website which allows the SAAF to be remembered and celebrated historically :smt023 . BTW saw an Oryx in IFR mode (I Follow Roads, in this case the N1 between Colesberg and Beaufort West) heading to CT on Tuesday. Possibly a replacement for 22sqn ?


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PostPosted: 18 Jan 2018, 11:57 
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Any update on this incident?


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PostPosted: 27 Aug 2018, 14:19 
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Any update on the investigation?


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PostPosted: 27 Aug 2018, 18:43 
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Board of Inquiry is still ongoing, commander recently received his medical clearance and is back at the squadron.

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