If there isn’t a quick release, the parachute will drag the ditched aircraft downwind if there is wind.
9A_LDSH wrote:
SAR flight in Dubrovnik (LDDU) area, end of 2022
I like the name on your airplane.
Can you tell us more about these SAR flights? Government-sponsored but privately operated?
If off-topic feel free to start another thread or direct us to an existing one if you already told the story. .
Thank you, we like that name too.
You may know that by the legend that small lodge before Loretto, first “landed” on Trsat near LDRI
The one of ex owners is now RIP, but we keep that as is.
That was ad hoc setup, we was on the return by car from some helipad island project passing by the other
active helipad project on peninsula Peljesac, the local contact for H Orebic is also prominent member of
Croatian Mountain Rescue Service (HGSS). They are also doing the diving and sea SAR when needed.
The SAR action was already active for 2 days for missing fisherman, which missing already 2 days after
the cliff fishing just bellow the LDDU.
They needed assistance for quick sweep of shore line, of main land and near islands,
the weather was marginal (special) VFR. No much use of drones.
Our junior agreed to take of in case the soil after rain on LDSH allow that. The plane is STOL so that was possible, we checked the
surface that night. Junior have A and H flying experience with some low level H training in D, all civilian.
The SAR coordination in Dubrovnik by Ministry of interior agreed too, and provided observer.
On the morning after, the problem was refueling because LDSB was closed and did not want to open even on police official request.
The solution was LDSP and with one hour delay the plane made ferry LDSP – LDDU
with observing the shore line on one of near islands (Mljet) along the way.
After the landing and refueling on LDDU the police observer joined and the next search was made
till the local weather and visibility allowed.
After the night over with nice people from the police special unit, the search continued next day.
Unfortunately with no result.
The day after us the HRZ made SAR pattern on the open sea with PC-9, no results either.
The missing fisherman was located 7 days after that, near the island of Lastovo.
The aircraft resources, the pilot time and risk donated by our family,
the fuel and one landing on LDSP – paid by local community of Konavle.
The LDDU performed in accordance to ICAO Annex 12, no charges for plane in SAR mission.
The support by Cro Control FIR Zagreb, was great.
All in all great experience, but sad outcome.
That all was second voluntary SAR task of our “Virgen de Loreto” or “Djeva”, how we call her.
The first one is observing and reporting about the tragic fire (one person perished) near the LDSH in summer 2022.
PS in case you asking why family donation, we have family history of sea rescues.
The family name is present on island since XV century.
Peter wrote:
You might just make a hole and it will help water to get in.
That’s the whole point. As long as water gets in, the pressure equalizes pretty fast. Open all ventilations is a good idea. I really don’t see what the problem should be opening the canopy.
From my “North Sea survival course” which lasted for a whole week, and a full day in the heli-pool, the one single important thing is a good survival suit. The ones we used probably cost a bit more than the average “civilian” suit, but fits perfectly, good mobility, close to 100% thermal insulation and it floats. We spent a whole day jumping and floating around in the fjord with it. The helicopter pilots use the same kind of suit, only with more pockets and stash. With such a suit you will keep warm in arctic conditions for days (as long as you can live without water/food). For longer stay than a few days, a raft would help. For GA, flying over temperate summer water, it’s overkill in most cases I would think. A simple inflatable west will do the trick just fine IMO. The only thing you can do in any case, is to keep alive until the help comes.
The other important thing was the training itself. Up front it seems impossible for most people. Ending up in the arctic sea, trapped inside a helicopter, upside down, in pitch darkness, in the winter is certain death, and within minutes. After the training, it really is a piece of cake, but you need that suit if it’s cold.
I also do the “North Sea Survival” course every 3-4 years and often have to do a different one in-between depending upon country, so can absolutely confirm most of what @LeSving says above. Never done it in anger, but saw a chopper go down and everyone get out and into a raft around 10 or so years ago, while we circled it. The one thing I vividly remember is it took absolutely ages – almost 2 hrs, for the big yellow rescue chopper to arrive, by which time we could also see the Aberden lifeboat approaching, and that the raft drifted a good km from the chopper, which remained afloat.
Lessons to be learned there.
Regards, SD..
Thank you Antonio for your kind words.
LeSving wrote:
With such a suit you will keep warm in arctic conditions for days
Just to note about the heli incident in North waters with crew of 3 wearing dry suits but
not closed properly. Without proper use the dry suit just bring us the false confidence.
Good read about the above mentioned incident here =>
https://aerossurance.com/helicopters/can-cg-bo105-arctic-accident/
johnh wrote:
There was a Twin Comanche that went down in the sea just off the end of the runway about a year ago that almost certainly WAS fuel contamination, though they conveniently never recovered the wreck to be able to investigate. (That was someone who shares my hangar too).
Hello John, folks,
I came very late to that story, what a shame that T7-SAR ditched… It was a very nice plane (at least looking…). We’ll discuss that event during a meetup on the airclub at the end of this month, with the BGTA agent that managed the event. I have no clue at the moment.
For the twinco issue, it was certainly not a fuel contamination issue, they didn’t found any exotic stuff in the other planes… first hear-say at mostly going to a "too much air in the tanks…
I recently came about this video that shows something I had not seen yet: a live ditching of a light SEP with LDG retracted. I had seen pics of the immediate aftermath, but not the actual ditching.
It is interesting to compare with a similarly configured aircraft with fixed gear, like this one (several more available online)
