Lucky Cirrus Pilot - Wake Turbulence

[GeorgePerry]

Read the article, watch the video, take the quiz.  This could have been much worse.  The pilot suffered a few broken bones but is expected to make a full recovery.  Its a powerful reminder that wake turbulence from aircraft and rotor wash from helicopters should be a concern for pilots, especially those who fly light aircraft.  A pilot’s best defense is knowledge of how wake turbulence propagates and the time required for it to dissipate.

 

Accident Summary

 

Rotor Wash / Wake Turbulence Cirrus landing accident video

 

Air Safety Wake Turbulence Awareness Quiz

[carusoam]

Thank you George...

I feel like my AOPA has reached out to me personally!

I also see I haven't taken any AOPA courses in a while...

I'm putting a few on my todo list.

Thank you and best regards,

-a-

[Ratherbflying]

Hmmm... I wonder if a year from now the NTSB probable cause report will state that this was caused by rotor wash... or just another stall/spin by a student pilot trying to execute his first real life go-around.

[GeorgePerry]

Hard to say but it's pretty clear the rotor wash was a contributing factor.

[Joe Zuffoletto]

This is a real eye-opener for me. We have UH-60's visiting KAPA quite often, plus the normal helo activity, so this will really boost my awareness. Just what I needed to add to my longstanding paranoia about wake turbulence from larger fixed wing aircraft!

[AndyFromCB]

This is a real eye-opener for me. We have UH-60's visiting KAPA quite often, plus the normal helo activity, so this will really boost my awareness. Just what I needed to add to my longstanding paranoia about wake turbulence from larger fixed wing aircraft!

 

Just going into KAPA always gives me paranoia. I once missed a Cessna there going around from 28 while they were landing me and what appeared to be 20 others on 35R. Seriously, by like 100 feet. I could hear the relief in controller's voice. I was landing real long on purpose and the Cessna just kept on getting pushed south by the wind and making no progress what so ever climbing...

 

That has to be the busiest GA airport I have ever been to.

[GeorgePerry]

Thank you George...

I feel like my AOPA has reached out to me personally!

I also see I haven't taken any AOPA courses in a while...

I'm putting a few on my todo list.

Thank you and best regards,

-a-

 

Thanks for the kind words.  AOPA is changing for the better.  We want to make sure our members know we are accessible.  Your comments really reinforces what we're trying to do - Create a community, reestablish AOPA as a welcoming place for pilots and hopefully rebuild some bridges to bring members who've lapsed back inside the tent.

[frcabot]

Wow. I'm pretty familiar with fixed wing wake turbulence but not with the way rotor wash propagates. I'll have to do some research

[slowflyin]

Wow, I fly around 60s all the time and I've never even felt a burble.   I'll be reading up.

[rbp]

There is no way this is rotor wash. the blackhawk had departed the runway 36 seconds before the cirrus even appeared. If you watch :28 - :32 at quarter speed, you will see that he nosed up and the left wing dropped. This was in a quartering tailwind, no less, so he had undoubtedly exceeded his endorsement's crosswind limitation.

[GeorgePerry]

There is no way this is rotor wash. the blackhawk had departed the runway 36 seconds before the cirrus even appeared. If you watch :28 - :32 at quarter speed, you will see that he nosed up and the left wing dropped. This was in a quartering tailwind, no less, so he had undoubtedly exceeded his endorsement's crosswind limitation.

 

I'd be careful stating an opinion as fact.  Since rotor wash is "invisible" there's no way to know for sure and to what degree turbulence caused from the rotors were or were not a contributing factor, however, here's what the NTSB had to say.  Additionally the winds at the time of the accident were reported at only 3 knots, so crosswinds effects on the approach were likely minimal.  

 

http://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20141208X21730&key=1

[Ratherbflying]

I'd be careful stating an opinion as fact.  Since rotor wash is "invisible" there's no way to know for sure and to what degree turbulence caused from the rotors were or were not a contributing factor, however, here's what the NTSB had to say.  Additionally the winds at the time of the accident were reported at only 3 knots, so crosswinds effects on the approach were likely minimal.  

 

http://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20141208X21730&key=1

The NTSB has said nothing about the cause. All the NTSB did was report what the Student Pilot said happened. In 6-9 months the NTSB will complete their investigation and publish their findings and then we'll know what the NTSB thinks happened.

If it is a contributing factor, it's a minor one compared to the pilots failure to stop the nose from pitching up and controlling the subsequent adverse yaw causing the left wing to stall.

Yes... It's good for pilots to understand rotor wash. But misrepresenting what happened here to support your narrative? That's just dishonest.

[N601RX]

After watching the video a couple of weeks ago before it was posted here my initial thoughts was that the rotor wash spooked him on landing and he then botched the go around. Although I had done several go arounds during my transition training, the 1st one by my self several months later was a real eye opener. I pushed the throttle in, I was slow and just above the runway. The nose pitched up and the wings started rocking and it would not climb or gain airspeed. At that point I realized what was happening and pushed the nose back down and let airspeed build back up. One of those things you remember next time.

[GeorgePerry]

The NTSB has said nothing about the cause. All the NTSB did was report what the Student Pilot said happened. In 6-9 months the NTSB will complete their investigation and publish their findings and then we'll know what the NTSB thinks happened.

If it is a contributing factor, it's a minor one compared to the pilots failure to stop the nose from pitching up and controlling the subsequent adverse yaw causing the left wing to stall.

Yes... It's good for pilots to understand rotor wash. But misrepresenting what happened here to support your narrative? That's just dishonest.

 

While I appreciate different points of view, to call someone dishonest is uncalled for and rude.  The narrative isn't supported by anything other than the pilots claims as stated in the NTSB's initial report.  It may or may not be upheld when the full investigation is completed.  

 

Once again, stating you know why this accident happened without first hand information or investigative data to support your assertions is not helpful.