Oh God, bad news :(

Shotgun_ned · 21 Mar 2003 at 11:54

Originally posted by chenko
1 could be expected maybe, but 2. They are trained to fly in zero visiblitiy, so sand isnt a major problem, neither are cross winds etc. and they aint using that many tbh.

Reminds me of the time an US aircrew told its British passengers to jump (over the sea, and the British didn't know) because they where under fire. US crew survived, our troops died.

zero visibility yeah, but sand can cause mechanical faults, if it gets in the egines, will damage them. if its fierce enough it might chip the turbine blades, and even the smallest amount of damage to them can cause the engine to just simply rip apart

RIP lads

Over Clocker · 21 Mar 2003 at 11:58

Prolly best if we just wait until the official line, which will come in due time after the families are notified.

MindYerBeak · 21 Mar 2003 at 12:22

Eight British and four American troops died in a helicopter crash as the ground invasion of Iraq began.
The British troops from 3 Commando Brigade and US troops were killed when a US CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter crashed in Kuwait several miles south of the Iraqi border said US defence officials.

Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon told the Commons an investigation had begun into the crash but it was not the result of "enemy action."

A full scale invasion by US and British forces of southern Iraq by land, sea and air is under way.

Prime Minister Tony Blair said Britain owed an "immense debt of gratitude" to the troops who had died.

"These were brave men who in order to make us more secure knew the risks and faced the risks," he said.

silverpaw · 21 Mar 2003 at 12:23

From the Stonehouse barracks in Plymouth btw.

TINTIN · 21 Mar 2003 at 12:46

Unfortunately the chinook choppers are known for their problems. Many have gone down over the years due to gearbox failures as well as other mechanical problems. However many components are over engineered, such as the turbine which is engineered to ingest a frozen chicken to simulate a bird strike so hopefully further flights losses will be limited.
They were from just down the road too. my prayers go out to them, their families, and all the troops out there.

silverpaw · 21 Mar 2003 at 12:53

The problem with turbine engines in sandy conditions isn't damage to the rotors per say, but that the heat turns the sand into hot glass which can block the pin holes used to cool the engine. Thrust SSC encountered similar concerns I understand.

Over Clocker · 21 Mar 2003 at 12:57

Originally posted by TINTIN
Unfortunately the chinook choppers are known for their problems. Many have gone down over the years due to gearbox failures as well as other mechanical problems. However many components are over engineered, such as the turbine which is engineered to ingest a frozen chicken to simulate a bird strike so hopefully further flights losses will be limited.
They were from just down the road too. my prayers go out to them, their families, and all the troops out there.

But it wasnt a Chinook, it was a Sea Knight. They are similar though.

Bungee · 21 Mar 2003 at 13:03

It was nearly 40 years old too.

DCP · 21 Mar 2003 at 13:04

I heard somewhere that the software these Chinooks/Sea Knights use was flawed. Can anyone clarify this??

Also noted from the BBC was that they were all grounded due to a flaw being found, obviously it wasn't fixed properly before the all clear was given

Marcus · 21 Mar 2003 at 13:18

Originally posted by Over Clocker
But it wasnt a Chinook, it was a Sea Knight. They are similar though.

Similar, yes. Both Boeing, both twin rotor. But the Chinook is bigger, longer, quite a bit heavier, larger rotors, different engines, and so on.

chenko · 21 Mar 2003 at 13:26

Originally posted by Over Clocker
But it wasnt a Chinook, it was a Sea Knight. They are similar though.

they are related, often refered to as its cousin.

dirtydog · 21 Mar 2003 at 13:26

Originally posted by DCP
I heard somewhere that the software these Chinooks/Sea Knights use was flawed. Can anyone clarify this??

Yes, I have heard that too - remember the Chinook crash here a few years back which was blamed on pilot error and the government refused to listen to all the overwhelming evidence which exonerated the dead pilots - a position they continue to hold to this day :mad:

MacX · 21 Mar 2003 at 13:36

The Sea Knights were apparently grounded last year not due to a software problem but a mechanical problem.

Cracks found in the rotors if I heard correctly.

chenko · 21 Mar 2003 at 13:49

Was these British choppers that crashed? I thought they were American? (which would seperate them from the faulty ones here)

Bungee · 21 Mar 2003 at 13:51

Originally posted by chenko
Was these British choppers that crashed? I thought they were American? (which would seperate them from the faulty ones here)

It was a US Navy chopper

Vicar · 21 Mar 2003 at 15:33

Originally posted by dirtydog
Yes, I have heard that too - remember the Chinook crash here a few years back which was blamed on pilot error and the government refused to listen to all the overwhelming evidence which exonerated the dead pilots - a position they continue to hold to this day

That was a crash around 10 years ago off the Mull of Kintyre (remote point off Scotland) where 20 odd High Intelligence officers, operating in Northen Island and crew were tragically killed, unfornutely the governtment blamed it on Pilot error, where all indications pointed to towards defects in the chinook design.

dirtydog · 21 Mar 2003 at 15:36

Originally posted by Vicar
That was a crash around 10 years ago off the Mull of Kintyre (remote point off Scotland) where 20 odd High Intelligence officers, operating in Northen Island and crew were tragically killed, unfornutely the governtment blamed it on Pilot error, where all indications pointed to towards defects in the chinook design.

And it remains a slur on the pilots' names to this day.. despite the heroic efforts by the families to clear their names.

This is how our government looks after its armed forces.. for more on that subject see this thread by an ex-soldier.

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=60533

Emzay · 21 Mar 2003 at 15:56

Are we guna have a thread like this for every set of troops that die?

Bungee · 21 Mar 2003 at 15:57

Originally posted by Stand_By_Me_Girl
Are we guna have a thread like this for every set of troops that die?

Maybe, why?

silverpaw · 21 Mar 2003 at 16:00

Originally posted by Stand_By_Me_Girl
Are we guna have a thread like this for every set of troops that die?

Yep, they're doing an amazing thing, risking their lives serving their country. Deserves respect. Our guys are the best in the world too, every one lost deserves a thread.

Oh God, bad news :(

Closed