1996-01-17:
HU5 HUGHES 500 GREAT SLAVE HELICOPTERS
C-FGSU HAD
JUST PICKED UP A SURVEY
CREW AT A REMOTE
SITE AND WAS RETURNING
THEM TO THE
BASE CAMP. THE WX WAS 1
MILE IN
SNOW. HIS ROUTE OF FLIGHT REQUIRED TRANSIT OF A
SNOW COVERED
LAKE ABOUT 3.5 MILES
WIDE. THE PILOT INTENDED TO FOLLOW AN ICE PRESSURE RIDGE FOR VISUAL REFERENCE
OVER THE
LAKE. HE COULD NOT SEE THE RIDGE
WHEN HE
LEFT THE SHORE
LINE BUT EXPECTED TO
PICK IT UP A SHORT DISTANCE OUT. BEFORE HE FOUND THE RIDGE HE GLANCED
INTO THE COCKPIT TO CHECK HIS INSTRUMENTS.
WHEN HE LOOKED OUT OF THE COCKPIT HE COULD NOT REESTABLISH VISUAL REFERENCE IN THE WHITEOUT CONDITIONS. HE
HELD THE CYCLIC NEUTRAL AND LOWERED THE COLLECTIVE TO MINIMIZE THE INEVITABLE IMPACT
WITH THE ICE SURFACE. FORWARD SPEED WAS
LESS THAN 20 MPH
INTO WIND. THE HELICOPTER LANDED HEAVILY
LEFT SKID LOW AND ROLLED
ONTO ITS
LEFT SIED. THE HELICOPTER WAS DESTROYED AS THE BLADES AND
TAIL SEPARATED DURING THE CRASH. THERE
WERE ONLY MINOR INJURIES TO THE PASSENGERS AND PILOT. SAR WAS ALERTED BY THE COMPANY. COMPANY PERSONNEL ON SNOWMOBILES REACHED THE SURVIVORS IN ABOUT SIX HOURS.
TIME = 2030Z. ACTION = TSB.Air1: Air2: Air3: Occurrence: Class: JJCategory: 110 272
