Navy: Helicopters Took Dip In Lake Tahoe - video link

[Kadie]

Sep 26, 2010 4:31 pm US/Pacific
Navy: Helicopters Took Dip In Lake Tahoe

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (AP) ― Military officials say an investigation is under way after two U.S. Navy helicopters dipped temporarily into the waters of Lake Tahoe, before righting themselves and landing at a nearby airport.

San Diego-based Naval Air Forces media officer Lt. Aaron Kakiel said a YouTube video filmed by tourists represents authentic footage of the Sept. 13. incident, the Nevada Appeal reported.

Kakiel said two pilots were returning from a cross-country tour when they attempted a "hover" maneuver with MH-60 Romeo helicopters a few feet above the water in Emerald Bay.

The aircraft had insufficient power to sustain the hover and slowly descended into the water, he said. Both were able to regain altitude and land.

The helicopters suffered some damage, but no one was injured in the incident and no fuel leaked into the lake, Kakiel said.

snip...
The helicopters -- each worth $33 million, according to a Navy website -- were repaired at the Lake Tahoe airport and returned to San Diego on Sept. 16. Kakiel said the Navy has classified the incident as a "Class C Mishap," meaning the damages were between $50,000 and $500,000.

more...
http://cbs13.com/local/navy.helicopters.lake.2.1932957.html


video here...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYExH8hpgXI&feature=youtu.be

[backscatter712]

1. A $500,000 whoopsie!

Thankfully, it wasn't worse - the pilots did recover and land safely.

But yeah, that's a serious "Oh shit!"

[Fumesucker]

2. It looks more like the chopper on the right deliberately went into the water..

If it had insufficient power to hover, there's no way it would have had enough to pull back out of the water afterward which would have required even more power.

[hayu_lol]

3. Perhaps, 'water effect' is different from...

'ground effect' on hovering and the pilots did not know this. If there is a difference, then the power setting could have been wrong.

[Fumesucker]

5. If you listen to the people on the video..

It seems from what they are saying that the chopper on the left had already dunked into the water and come back up.

I find it hard to believe the two pilots were not in radio contact with each other.

[Kadie]

6. from the article...

snip...

Retired Navy jet pilot Steve Diamond told the Union-Tribune he thinks the helicopter crew may have had a legitimate reason to be hovering over Lake Tahoe. Someone out hot-dogging probably wouldn't do it in view of another aircrew, or over a popular tourist destination, he said.

"It's possible they were troubleshooting a problem," said Diamond, who retired in 2002. "It's easy to make a snap judgment, but there are other possibilities."

The MH-60 Romeo is the Navy's newest helicopter and is considered state-of-the-art. Its usual missions take it over the open ocean for anti-ship and anti-submarine warfare.


:shrug:

[Fumesucker]

8. It wasn't just one crew...

If you listen to the words of the people on the video it's clear that both helicopters went into the lake, the video is only of the second helicopter..

One chopper dunking because of a problem I could possibly buy, that both of them had the identical problem at the same time stretches credulity beyond the breaking point.

[Winterblues]

7. The pilots most definitely should know that fact as it is taught from the very beginning.

:shrug:

[UTUSN]

4. What?!1 Mc5plane(s) AND Poppy are still driving and killing military vehicles?!1 n/t

[Liberal In Texas]

9. Helicopter quick wash.

They were lucky the rotors didn't contact the water.