CH124 Sea King crash at NY Air Show 1992 (?)

[Popurhedoff]

I was in HS 423 Sqn back then in Shearwater, when the CH124 Sea King from HT406 Sqn crashed at the airshow while in the hover.  Power Settling/Ring state vortex was the problem if I remember... The video has been played a number of times at the Flight Safety seminars but the reason I am writing this is.

Today, waiting for lunch in Kabul, I was talking with an American LCol and the topic of rotary wing/Helo's came up. He mentioned the crash and we had a nice discussion about it.  He asked me if I saw the video, and i replied many times. He asked me if i remembered from the end of the video? and I said yes, spectators were running to the crash,  he chuckled and said... that was me when I was a young Lt.

Lt. Dan Austin at the time was the first to get to the crash and with the help of another aviator, started getting the injured crew members out of the Sea King.  I thanked him for his courage to run in there and knowing some of the crew, no doubt they appreciated it as well.
Lt. Austin received a medal for his actions on that day.

Its a small world, I have met LCol Austin a few times before here in Kabul, and we always sat over a coffee and cigar talking about everything and anything, but this is the first time we talked about Helo's.  He has trained in Gagetown and Petawawa over the years as well.  Its a small world after all.

Cheers
Pop

 

[krustyrl]

Interesting, yes it is a small world at times.  Thanks to LCol Austin for his bravery.   

 

[Good2Golf]

Pop, please pass on my thanks to LTC Austin. 

Folks can talk hypothetically about what they'd do in a situation, but LTC Austin's conduct, as a young 1LT in the day, confirmed that he is a man of action looking to aid others before self.  A good friend was the navigator on that aircraft, pinned underneath the aircraft for some time, and having folks on site almost immediately, assuring him and others of the crew that they were being looked after, went a long, long way.

Regards
G2G

 

[Popurhedoff]

Hiya G2G,

I will pass on all the thanks to Dan, we have lunch together every few weeks at our compound.  He's looking forward to his next assignment, a flying position again, finishing his staffing gig.

Cheers
Pop

 

[Baz]

The crash was in Aug 91... I joined HT406 in Apr 92 (as a TACCO student)  and it was still front and center.  I know three of the crew members; the navigator (all TACCOs from the 90s do) and I the co-pilot (who was a student) well.

I took a CH124B (12434 to be precise, I checked my log) to the same airshow in Sep 95... I'm pretty sure that was the trip that it rained hard and water ingressed into the upper circuit breaker panel (people were wondering why it was hanging down).  I recall that we were (may of been?) the first CH124 at that airshow since the crash, so the staff took a special interest in us (wondering how the crew was, making us feel welcome, etc).

Pop: Army.ca has never made me pull my log before... Thanks   Do we know each other?

 

[Popurhedoff]

The crash was in Aug 91... I joined HT406 in Apr 92 (as a TACCO student)  and it was still front and center.  I know three of the crew members; the navigator (all TACCOs from the 90s do) and I the co-pilot (who was a student) well.

I took a CH124B (12434 to be precise, I checked my log) to the same airshow in Sep 95... I'm pretty sure that was the trip that it rained hard and water ingressed into the upper circuit breaker panel (people were wondering why it was hanging down).  I recall that we were (may of been?) the first CH124 at that airshow since the crash, so the staff took a special interest in us (wondering how the crew was, making us feel welcome, etc).

Pop: Army.ca has never made me pull my log before... Thanks   Do we know each other?

There is a good possibility that we do, I did three posting to Shearwater 87-92 (12 AMS, HS423 Sqn), 434 CS Sqn in Shearwater 92-94,  and (12 AMS, HS 423 Sqn and HT 406 Sqn) 99-04,  Old Fitter.  I have articles published in two books about the Sea Kings during the Gulf War (Certified Serviceable and The Persian Excursion).

Your welcome for having to pull your log, not that is was the intended purpose.

Cheers
Pop