Encyclopedia > 10 August 2005 helicopter crash near Tallinn
This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses.
A Sikorsky S-76C+ helicopter of Copterline enroute to Helsinki, Finland crashed into the sea near Tallinn, Estonia on August 10, 2005, three to four minutes after taking off. On board were two Finnish crew members and 12 passengers: six Finns, four Estonians and two Americans. There were no survivors. The Sikorsky S-76C+ has emergency pontoons for water landings but were not deployed, and no distress signals were heard before the crash. The reason for the disaster is still unknown. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Ongoing events • Abramoff-Reed gambling scandal • Angola Marburg virus outbreak • Atlantic and Pacific hurricanes of 2005 • Bagram torture and prisoner abuse • Cindy Sheehan Crawford Protest • Downing Street memo • Edinburgh Festival • European Constitution ratification • Expo 2005 in Aichi, Japan • Fuel prices • Gomery Comm. ... S-76A in Helijet livery. ... Copterline is Finlands largest helicopter airline with nine copters and several rescue craft. ... Province Southern Finland Region Uusimaa District Helsinki City manager Jussi Pajunen Official languages Finnish, Swedish Area - total - land ranked 342nd 185. ... County Harju County Mayor Tõnis Palts Area 158. ... August 10 is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... A distress signal is an internationally recognized means of obtaining help by using a radio, displaying a visual object or making noise from a distance. ...
Rescuers reached the site in less than 10 minutes to find only one of the main rotor blades and an oil slick on the water. The wreckage of the helicopter itself was located by sonar operators on the Estonian Maritime Administration vessel Eva-320, who indicated that the aircraft was intact at a depth of roughly 43 meters. Two Estonian deep-sea divers following an earlier unmanned robotic vehicle reported that the bodies of the passengers were inside the craft. Thirteen have since been retrieved but the body of one of the pilots is missing. Estonian and Finnish authorities are conducting a search for the missing body using aerial reconnaissance and sonar. The recovery mission was hindered by rough weather conditions. The wreckage of the copter was lifted on August 13, 2005 and transported to Tallinn for investigation. The investigation was hindered by the Estonian authorities who denied sending the flight data recorder of the copter to the United States because the copter was manufactured there, thus possibly creating a conflict of interest. The F70 type frigates (here, La Motte-Picquet) are fitted with VDS (Variable Depth Sonar) type DUBV43 or DUBV43C tugged sonars Sonar (sound navigation and ranging) is a technique that uses sound propagation under water to navigate or to detect other watercraft. ... Reconnaissance is the military term for the active gathering information about an enemy, or other conditions, by physical observation. ... August 13 is the 225th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (226th in leap years), with 140 days remaining. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... An Example Flight Data Recorder The flight data recorder (FDR) refers generically to a class of recorders used to record specific aircraft performance parameters. ... For the Babylon 5 episode, see Conflicts of Interest A conflict of interest is a situation in which someone in a position of trust, such as a lawyer, a politician, or an executive or director of a corporation, has competing professional and/or personal interests. ...
Copterline was restricted from commercial flights in bad weather conditions in spring 2004, due to concerns about pilot qualifications, but the decision had since been lifted. 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) -- A helicopter carrying 14 people, including two Americans, crashed in the Baltic Sea off the Estonian coast on Wednesday and all aboard were believed killed.
The U.S.-made Sikorsky S-76 helicopter, operated by Finnish firm Copterline, was on a commercial flight from the Estonian capital, Tallinn, to Helsinki, Finland, when it went down in strong winds shortly after takeoff near the island of Naissaar, about three miles off the coast, officials said.
The cause of the crash was not immediately known, but a storm in the area caused operators to cancel ferries between Tallinn and Helsinki and wind speeds of more than 45 mph were recorded on the Baltic Sea.
The wreckage of the helicopter itself was located by sonar operators on the Estonian Maritime Administration vessel Eva-320, who indicated that the aircraft was intact at a depth of roughly 43 meters.
The wreckage of the copter was lifted on August 13, 2005 and transported to Tallinn for investigation.
The missing body was not found in the searches performed by the Estonian and Finnish authorities, but on August 25 it was finally found and retrieved by volunteer divers some distance away from the accident site.
Feeds |
Contact