Pending Review
Red Bull gets you winged!
On 8th Sept. 2016 on a fine Indian summer afternoon Hannes Arch, a prominent Red Bull aerobatics pilot and former Red Bull Air Race World Champion fires up the engine of his R66 helicopter to venture out into the beautiful scenery of the Austrian Alps. He is flying to his buddy Reinhard who runs the Elberfelder hut, a cosy remote mountain lodge, to re-supply him with one sack of potatoes. At least that`s what Hannes told the authorities to obtain permission for such a flight into a National Park's prohibited airspace. After cheering and having a good time for almost six hours up there and maybe enlightened by a drink or two he is struck by a really bright idea: Wouldn't it be fun to do a night cruise with the chopper? To curve around the snow covered summits like it was a nightly high altitude air race? To finally bring some entertainment to the snoozing marmots? Okay - Hannes doesn't have any experience whatsoever in instrument flying. Okay - it is a pitch black moonless night out there. Okay - it is strictly prohibited to fly at night within the National Park. Okay - nobody has done that ever before. But hey: isn't that exactly what he is famous for? Doing things nobody has ever done before? Hannes knows how to handle a plane during the daytime, he has been World Champion after all, hasn't he? Can't be too hard to fly at night, right?
Here is what the Austrian air accident investigation bureau found out after analyzing the engine management unit's and GPS log data: the turbine engine was ignited at 09:02 pm local time, lift-off was at 09:06 pm, loss of control occured almost instantly after leaving ground effect, at 09:08 pm the chopper crashed against a mountain slope only a few hundred metres away from the Elberfelder hut. The rescue helicopter was summoned to the scene but was unable to reach the accident site. It was simply too dark to fly, even for trained professionals with military grade night vision equipment.
Six minutes from ignition to perdition - he proved to be a finally worthy air racer. May the Darwin award be the last trophy in your long career - rest in peace, Hannes!
Submitted on 06/29/2018
Submitted by:
Anonymous
Reference:
www.bmvit.gv.at/verkehr/sub/luftfahrt/berichte/hubschrauber/2016/160908_robinson_r66_85240.pdf