I just heard it on the news that an R44 went into the house in Orlando.
Ouchy. 3 people on board. I think I know that chopper.....
Got to dig for the name but I think it's Bruce's.

FUCK! That's KORL. He was departing towards our favorite place. Smokey Bones.
He was a Tomlinson Aviation student.
Rest in piece.
I wish he bought the 269 he was experienced in and not the stupid R44.
He took his wife with him apparently.
Crying shame.
Nice guy.
RIP

I agree Gabor, the 269 is so much safer then the R-44, I wonder what brought it down. it took him his wife and friend out.

sad day for sure.

Well the tower cleared him for down town approach.
That means he didn't have engine trouble.
He was probably experiencing shake and it was getting worse and worse.
2 miles out of KORL he made a bad call.
Never try to return with a shake! NEVER!!!
Enter autorotation and put it down in the middle of I4.
I have a feeling delamination started and got more and more advanced until there was no way of saving it.
When you cut power it slows the delamination too.
There is no driving force so the surface of the blade doesn't get exposed to the extreme peeling force.
I am only logically thinking out loud.
When he made the call to the tower he did have the engine running and according to the witnesses the whupping was slowing down.
Delamination will slow the blades to full stop.....

LiveATC.net recording of KORL tower between 2:00pm and 2:30pm Sunday 3/22/2015

com from helicopter 30242:
10:19 request downtown departure from HQ ramp
13:15 request request return to HQ ramp (approved downtown approach)
15:30, 16:19, 16:31, 17:49 tower tries to contact 30242 (must have had some indication of trouble) - no answer
17:59 ground requests another unit to see if 30242 at HQ ramp

Thank you.
The engine was running indeed.............
Damn.
He was a really nice guy too.
I hate this......

Shame a good guy bought it...

Prayers to the surviving family/friends.

Be interesting to read the NTSB report when it comes out.

If I remember between his and his late wife they had 4 kids or so.....
He had a company that was shredding paper....I think.....
It is a sad situation when we lose a rotor brother.
A casual joy flight turned into a catastrophe.
It's the risk we take when we fire up the engine......

I have a feeling since they just had an AD about the blade, you are probably very right.
I really do not like the Robinson helicopter Company, they have a lot of Issues. just not a safe machine as far as I am concerned.

Yes, a terrible event.... condolences to the family again....

I agree Tim, it appears that Robbo rotors are Far Inferior?

Well he used to rent an R22 before he rented the R44. But the reason of him going to the R44 was the number of seats. The Schweizer has only 2. He wanted to be able to take friends and family for a spin. Tragic tragic tragic.

I hate to hear that...


Are robbies really that big of P.O.S.'s ??

.

Daily Mail has some nice pictures of him and his wife , they were a happy looking couple , sad to see this happen to them

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... lames.html

.

I am not big fan of the R22's because they misuse them and they are not forgiving machines.
You don't teach in a low inertia blade system that is not rated on full down because the flimsy skids. The machine is great for one my sized guy to fly around and have fun knowing the limitations. Every machine has its limitations by the way.
Two people under high demands of a student making wrong inputs.....not a good combo.....
R44s are much better. Frankie has killed a lot of people just like Dennis but at least he learned from it and created a better heli as a result.
The blades suck apparently. The engine is strong and very seldom quits.
I flew R44 and I was very pleased of its characteristics. But again. Once that blade starts to delaminate......you are pretty much toast unless of course if you recognize it in time and you are low enough to put her down in time.

All joking aside, they really need to look at some CF rotors ASAP as far as I am concerned

How hard could it be to design and manufacture carbon blades? Or not even CF, just composite.....

Too sad losing good people for reasons that could/should be cured....

I would like to see them grounded, or at least 2 flight hourly inspections.... if you fly a 4 hour trip, you have to stop and inspect them half way.... I bet pilots will be paying attention to rotors in preflights.... at least, I sure hope they do.

Well it is not a fact that it was a delamination crash.
I was just assuming since the engine was running that it had to be something that was effecting the ability of controlling the flight. It could have been a running but under performing engine.....
But the call to the tower didn't indicate immediate emergency or it would have been a Mayday call......
Just thinking out loud....

Another ouch this morning. A German plane went down in the French Alps. Damn.
Not good. 148 feared to be dead. Sad day.

It could just be me, but he sounds more distressed on his call to return .
And it sounds like he is in a HUEY . I don't know what the R44 normaly shakes like but I would not think like a HUEY .
And I could just be over thinking this .

R44s do sound whuppy. Long blades and when you have 3 people that's quite a weight on them.
It's just logically what I am going on has happened.
Although a stuck exhaust valve can render you the same results.....don't ask how I know that!
Here are a few pics of Bruce.
At Tomlinson Aviation plus the R22 and R44.
I found him on FB