Rooivalk crash
Date: 28 June 2002
South Africa's embattled Rooivalk attack helicopter programme came under renewed pressure when a production model made a forced crash landing near Pretoria on Friday.
Nobody was injured in the crash, but the helicopter was extensively damaged. The arms shelves, the left shock absorber and the left cylinder took a beating. The helicopter is the first of nine production models flown by 16th Squadron based at Bloemspruit air base outside Bloemfontein. It has recently been upgraded by Denel Aviation in Kempton Park. Chief project officer for helicopter programmes Colonel Botes Olivier says the upgrading was necessary to accommodate advanced arms systems on the helicopter.
Petrie van Zyl, a Denel Aviation test pilot and a flight engineer, undertook a test flight on Friday morning in the Bronkhorstspruit area. During the flight Van Zyl executed a manoeuvre: suddenly stalling in mid air. But the helicopter kept losing power and crash-landed in an aardvark hole. Olivier says a cursory inspection did not show any damage to the air frame. The air force and Denel Aviation will investigate the cause of the crash.
This is the first serious accident involving a Rooivalk, which is an indication of the helicopter's exceptional survival design, Olivier says. The crashed helicopter has recorded almost 400 flight hours and the nine production models have a registered a combined 3 200 flight hours.
CAA website / Beeld
