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Darwin Awards
2005 Slush Pile

This item was recently submitted by a reader.
Should I include it in the archive?
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Chopper vs Pipeline

2005 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance

Honorable Mention:

A client of mine told me this story:

He was working in the oil- and gas-fields of Northern British Columbia, Canada at the time. It was and is quite common to use helicopters to transport personnel and smaller supplies in these remote areas.

On day a crew working on a pipeline needed a valve brought in. The helicopter arrived as needed, with the valve suspended underneath on a long cable. The pilot hovered overhead while the crew removed the valve, and the pilot flew off as expected. It seems, however, that he forgot that the cable was still hanging under the chopper. The cable, hanging free, came into contact with the pipeline at a point where it had not yet gone into the ground. Because of the forward momentum of the chopper/cable, the cable snaked around the pipeline, effectively anchoring the chopper to the pipeline.

The pilot didn't realize what was happening until too late, but managed to crash the chopper in a non-lethal fashion, narrowly escaping a Darwin award.

Submitted on 09/19/2005

Submitted by: Gavin Still
Reference:

Copyright © 2005 DarwinAwards.com

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>> Moderator Scores <<

Greg said:
Maybe Toss: Personal Account
Too hasty, yes. Truly dumb? I'm not sure. Perhaps the guys on the ground didn't do THEIR job properly, hence the cable not being clear? Perhaps it was the winch man (if there was one)?

Kelly said:
Definitely Keep: Personal Account
I like this one.

James said:
Definitely Keep: Personal Account
I have to go with Kelly here. Between those on the ground and those in the aircraft, SOMEONE should have been smart enough to ensure that proper procedure was followed and that the cable was secured before resuming flight. This is COMMUNAL stupidity in action!

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