Re: Helicopter Crash

by Zodiac Tue 16 Jun 2020, 5:56 pm

Air Force to resume Cyclone helicopter flights as investigation into crash continues

BY STAFF THE - CANADIAN PRESS

Posted June 16, 2020

https://globalnews.ca/news/7070115/canadian-military-plan-cyclone-helicopters/

by **Spider** Thu 18 Jun 2020, 9:21 am

The Cyclone chopper crash probe could lead the military to some uncomfortable conclusions

Murray Brewster · CBC News · Posted: Jun 18, 2020

Helicopter Crash - Page 3 Canada-helicopter-nato-repatriation

A military crew member wearing a protective face mask carries a pillow with the headdress of one of the six Canadian Forces personnel killed in a military helicopter crash in the Mediterranean, during a repatriation ceremony at Canadian Forces Base Trenton on May 6, 2020. (Frank Gunn/Reuters)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/cyclone-chopper-helicopter-crash-fly-by-wire-1.5616809

by **Victor** Sun 21 Jun 2020, 9:07 am

Military says remains of all 6 who died in Cyclone helicopter crash now identified

The Canadian Press · Posted: Jun 20, 2020

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/military-says-all-remains-identified-in-crash-of-cyclone-helicopter-1.5621014?fbclid=IwAR1DX5c2VrRIJuSQe-sekZnQFV6uOkwfsdqM8Uxpkkd4f5YZ0cqLNAjN1CA

by **Wolfman** Mon 22 Jun 2020, 5:52 pm

Canadian Armed Forces members recovered from Stalker 22 crash identified

Posted on June 22, 2020; DND Press Release

Helicopter Crash - Page 3 Fredericton-3_1600-900-1-1024x576

https://www.skiesmag.com/press-releases/recovered-members-identified-stalker22/

by Logan Fri 26 Jun 2020, 8:58 am

Motorcade procession held in N.S. for military members killed in helicopter crash

Published Thursday, June 25, 2020

https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/motorcade-procession-held-in-n-s-for-military-members-killed-in-helicopter-crash-1.4999492

by Ironman Sat 27 Jun 2020, 9:51 pm

Body of B.C. pilot who died in military helicopter crash returned to Victoria

CBC News · Posted: Jun 27, 2020

Helicopter Crash - Page 3 Capt-kevin-hagen-funeral-procession

A police-escorted motorcade brought the body of Capt. Kevin Hagen from the Victoria International Airport to the McCall Gardens Funeral Home in Victoria Saturday, June 27, 2020. (CHEK News)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/kevin-hagen-victoria-return-helicopter-crash-greece-1.5630031?fbclid=IwAR2X1HgKYnpYYOnpj4i4V7J9u8UlQvoS7qntTlFS_coPw8cYwRYxk_65Gjw

by Ravenson Tue 28 Jul 2020, 12:55 pm

HMCS Fredericton returns after six-month mission marked by helicopter crash

The Canadian Press · Posted: Jul 28, 2020

Helicopter Crash - Page 3 Hmcs-fredericton

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/hmcs-fredericton-homecoming-helicopter-crash-1.5665436?fbclid=IwAR0hyiMJ0ZRsNFFh6KfMY5ItTUgYuflh0oikY43KsK3-acgS8CUz3Grp_Cg

by **Joker** Wed 28 Apr 2021, 4:54 pm

Families remember those lost in Cyclone helicopter crash on one-year anniversary

By Michael Tutton and Virginie Ann The Canadian Press
Posted April 28, 2021

https://globalnews.ca/news/7816803/families-remember-those-lost-in-cyclone-helicopter-crash-on-one-year-anniversary/

by **Proctor** Thu 29 Apr 2021, 9:47 pm

One year-anniversary since Cyclone helicopter crash
Thursday marks one year since six Canadian Armed Forces members were killed in a Cyclone helicopter crash in the Mediterranean.

04.29.2021

by Armoured Fri 25 Jun 2021, 4:26 pm

Canadian Forces pilots not warned about autopilot before deadly Cyclone crash in 2020

BY MICHAEL TUTTON, THE CANADIAN PRESS

Posted Jun 25, 2021

HALIFAX — As a pilot guided one of Canada’s navy helicopters up into a tight turn, neither his training nor cockpit indicators warned of how a built-in autopilot would take control and plunge the Cyclone into the Ionian Sea, a military report has concluded.

All six Canadian Forces members on board died in the crash on April 29, 2020.

According to a board of inquiry report obtained by The Canadian Press, when the pilot was flying the turn, commonly called a “return to target,” he had pointed the nose up and used his feet to turn the helicopter’s tail, overriding the autopilot to complete the manoeuvre of less than 20 seconds.

The report, however, said testing wasn’t done during the aircraft’s certification to identify what would happen if a pilot overrode the autopilot more than “momentarily” and in certain complex situations. “The automation principles and philosophy that governed the Cyclone’s … design never intended for the (autopilot) to be overridden for extended periods of time, and therefore this was never tested,” it said.

This was the case even though — as the report stated — pilots are known on occasion to override the autopilot system without manually pressing a button on their control stick, called the cyclic.

The report said that at the time of the crash, the autopilot — referred to as the flight director — was set to an air speed of about 260 kilometres per hour before one of the pilots pitched the aircraft’s nose upward for the turn.

It was supposed to fly back over HMCS Fredericton and practise hoisting people onto the deck. Instead, the frigate’s CH-148 Cyclone helicopter crashed off the coast of Greece while returning from a NATO training mission. That crash caused the worst single-day loss of life for the Canadian Armed Forces since six soldiers were killed in a roadside bombing in Afghanistan on July 4, 2007.

The report indicated the crash might have been averted if the pilot had manually chosen to turn off the autopilot during the turn. But it also stated that it wasn’t unusual for pilots to override the autopilot and there were no explicit instructions in the manuals on the necessity to manually turn off the flight director.

In addition, the report said the pilot appeared unaware the computer would attempt to regain control near the end of the turn.

When the helicopter flipped around, the report said, the pilot pulled back as far as he could on the cyclic, attempting to right the aircraft that the computer was flying into the sea. Within seconds, the helicopter hit the ocean at massive force.

The board of inquiry said it found no evidence the flying pilot recognized he had lost control of the aircraft until it was too late.

Critical to the crash, the report said, was the aircraft’s software, which was certified by the military. If the autopilot is overridden, the computer accumulates digital commands, referred to as “command bias accumulation.” The more commands a pilot sends manually to the computer while the aircraft is coupled with the autopilot, the more this bias accumulation occurs, the report said.

After a pilot overrides the air speed set by the autopilot, a “feed forward look” occurs, the report said, adding that in some situations, “the pilot’s ability to control the aircraft … will be reduced or lost.”

The board of inquiry said the pilots’ training didn’t cover “with sufficient detail” certain risks of flying the aircraft, leaving the flyers unaware the autopilot would seek to keep control of the helicopter.

The return-to-target manoeuvre, which led to the crash, was being flown by others in the maritime helicopter community, the report said. That manoeuvre has been disallowed since the crash.

The report makes six recommendations, five of which involve better training for pilots to make them aware of the potential problems that could occur if they override the autopilot. It recommended creating special cockpit signals pilots could use to warn each other about overriding flight directors for extended periods of time.

The report also recommended the military consider an engineering change “to automatically disengage the flight director under certain conditions, such as when the flight director is overridden in multiple axes, or for an extended period of time.”

According to a senior military source, that recommendation is not shared in a second, independent report by the military’s Directorate of Flight Safety, expected to be released next week.

The second report said pilots must be well trained to almost instantly press a single button on their control stick to disengage the autopilot if they’re not getting the response they want out of their controls. It said, however, that automatically disengaging the autopilot might pose its own risks in some situations, especially when a pilot believes the autopilot will keep functioning.

The second report instead argued that the software — and its “bias accumulation” — needs to be addressed by American aviation company Sikorsky Aircraft, the manufacturer of the Cyclone.

“We need to look at that software … and see if we can eliminate this from the software altogether, being careful to understand when you make any changes like that you may introduce a butterfly effect and cause problems elsewhere,” the source said.

The board of inquiry report, signed by three members of the panel on Nov. 20, 2020, concluded the pilots were not distracted and the crew “flew well together.” It added that the aircraft captain had a strong command of the helicopter and the co-pilot showed “good situational awareness” throughout the mission.

The second report is expected to provide further analysis on the factors behind the crash.

The military source said the recommendations of the two reports must be meshed into a single set of findings for consideration by senior Royal Canadian Air Force officers.

A spokeswoman for Sikorsky referred all questions on the report to the Canadian Forces.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 25, 2021.

Michael Tutton, The Canadian Press

https://www.660citynews.com/2021/06/25/canadian-forces-pilots-not-warned-about-autopilot-before-deadly-cyclone-crash-in-2020/

by **Braven** Mon 28 Jun 2021, 4:39 pm

Deadly Canadian Forces helicopter crash linked with software glitch: report

By Staff The Canadian Press
Posted June 28, 2021

https://globalnews.ca/news/7986494/cyclone-helicopter-crash-cause/

by Covert Thu 08 Jul 2021, 9:23 am

No 'quick fix' to cause of deadly military helicopter crash, procurement chief says

BY LEE BERTHIAUME, THE CANADIAN PRESSPOSTED JUL 8, 2021

OTTAWA — Canada’s top military procurement official warns there is no “quick fix” to the software issue identified as the primary cause of last year’s deadly helicopter crash off the coast of Greece, which killed six service members.

Two separate internal reviews by the Canadian Armed Forces found the autopilot on Stalker 22 took control of the CH-148 Cyclone helicopter as the pilot was turning to land on HMCS Fredericton on April 29, 2020, sending it into the Ionian Sea.

Master Cpl. Matthew Cousins, Sub-Lt. Abbigail Cowbrough, Capt. Kevin Hagen, Capt. Brenden MacDonald, Capt. Maxime Miron-Morin and Sub-Lt. Matthew Pyke died in the crash.

Among the recommendations to prevent similar incidents with the rest of the Cyclone fleet, the reviews said the autopilot problem should be addressed.

Troy Crosby, the assistant deputy minister of materiel at the Department of National Defence, says officials have since launched discussions with Sikorsky Aircraft, the American company building the Cyclone, to find ways to deal with the issue.

However, he added, “it’s not as simple as making a quick fix” because changing one part of the Cyclone’s existing software could have unintended consequences elsewhere.

“So it has to be very carefully thought through,” he told The Canadian Press in an interview. “And then once that’s determined, then a decision will be made on how to proceed.”

Crosby did not offer a timeline for when that might come, though he did indicate there are no plans at this time to take legal action against Sikorsky, which is now owned by U.S. aerospace giant Lockheed Martin.

The flight-safety review released last month appeared to absolve Sikorsky of any responsibility, saying the type of manoeuvre that Stalker 22’s pilot was attempting to perform was not spelled out in the military’s documentation.

Sikorsky spokesman John Dorrian expressed his condolences in a statement to the families of those killed in the crash.

“When operated as designed, tested, and certified, the CH-148 has proven to be safe and effective,” he added. “If requested, we are ready to work with the Canadian Armed Forces to modify the CH-148.”

The crash of Stalker 22 marked the largest single-day loss of life for Canada’s military since Afghanistan. It also cast a harsh spotlight on the Cyclone’s long and problem-plagued development, which remains a work in progress.

Sikorsky yet to deliver all 28 Cyclones that Canada first ordered in 2004, though Crosby said the last is scheduled to arrive in the country by the end of this year.

Even then, however, the aircraft will not be exactly what Canada ordered, as the fleet needs further updates to its software and electronic warfare system. Neither is related to the issue that caused Stalker 22 to crash.

Defence procurement documents released last week also show the $3.1-billion project is “facing financial challenges, increased procurement costs and some financial adjustments,” and that officials plan to ask the government for more money to finish it.

Crosby described the latest cost overrun as a “couple of percentage points” of the overall budget.

The Cyclones are typically deployed on board Canadian frigates and used for search and rescue, surveillance and anti-submarine warfare.

The crash of Stalker 22 was only one of several incidents involving the fleet, which only started flying real missions in 2018. The most recent saw a Cyclone make an emergency landing in a Halifax park before being towed back to base.

The mother of one of those killed while on board Stalker 22 has questioned why the Cyclones, which only started flying real missions in 2018, were allowed back into the air less than two months after the crash.

But Royal Canadian Air Force commander Lt.-Gen. Al Meinzinger has expressed confidence in the helicopter, two of which are currently deployed overseas with Canadian warships.

Crosby echoed the sentiment, adding: “Clearly the accident was a terrible tragedy and we lost too many good people … We’ve got the subject-matter experts focused on ensuring that we learn from this and make improvements.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 8, 2021.

Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press

https://toronto.citynews.ca/2021/07/08/no-quick-fix-to-cause-of-deadly-military-helicopter-crash-procurement-chief-says/

by **Colter** Sat 11 Dec 2021, 4:55 pm

‘Scope’ and cost of software fix to naval helicopters expected in spring 2022

By Michael Tutton . The Canadian Press
Posted December 11, 2021

Global News

by Terrarium Sat 04 Mar 2023, 4:37 pm

Ottawa on hook for software glitch that caused deadly military helicopter crash

Fri, March 3, 2023

OTTAWA — A still-unresolved software problem identified as the main cause of a deadly military helicopter crash off the coast of Greece in 2020 will end up being fixed on Ottawa's dime — at a yet-to-be-determined cost and time.

The Defence Department and U.S.-based Sikorsky Aircraft say they have agreed on a plan to fix the autopilot problem that allows the CH-148 Cyclone's computer to override the controls of its human pilots in certain situations.

But nearly three years after the glitch resulted in a Cyclone plunging into the Ionian Sea, killing all six Canadian Armed Forces members on board, it still remains unclear when that solution will be implemented.

"Now that the technical requirements have been agreed upon by all parties, Sikorsky and its subcontractors have proposed an initial implementation plan for Canada’s review," Defence Department spokeswoman Jessica Lamirande said in an email.

"Discussions on this plan are ongoing, so it’s too early to discuss cost and schedule. We hope to have the plan finalized in the coming months, and will provide more details at that time."

One thing that has been finalized, however, is that Canada will foot the bill.

Lamirande said the planned software upgrades fall outside the scope of the government's existing $9-billion contract with Sikorsky for the delivery and maintenance of 28 Cyclones, which was signed in 2004.

"We are committed to continuously improving the safety of our fleets and those who operate and fly in them," she said.

Sikorsky spokesman John Dorrian said the company, which has yet to deliver all 28 Cyclones nearly 20 years after the original contracts were signed, is now waiting for a new contract for the work.

"Following a contract award from DND, Sikorsky will complete development, flight test and upload of the enhancements to the CH-148 fleet," Dorrian said in an email.

The federal government has faced calls for urgency since two internal military reviews identified the autopilot glitch as the primary cause of the deadly Cyclone crash on April 29, 2020.

The tragedy took the lives of Master Cpl. Matthew Cousins, Sub-Lt. Abbigail Cowbrough, Capt. Kevin Hagen, Capt. Brenden MacDonald, Capt. Maxime Miron-Morin and Sub-Lt. Matthew Pyke. It also shook the nation during some of the darkest days of the pandemic.

Military commanders have repeatedly suggested the problem isn't serious, saying the Royal Canadian Air Force has developed protocols and procedures to avoid a repeat of that tragedy by training pilots to avoid certain manoeuvres.

"I'm very confident that we're operating within that aspect, within a safe regime," Air Force commander Lt.-Gen. Eric Kenny said in a recent interview. "Otherwise they wouldn't be flying the aircraft."

A number of Cyclones have been deployed overseas on Canadian warships in recent years, where they are primarily used for search-and-rescue missions, surveillance and anti-submarine missions. Kenny said the helicopters have excelled.

Yet there have been problems, including the discovery of tail cracks on nearly the whole of the fleet due to a design flaw. Sikorsky has agreed to cover the cost of those repairs, but they have yet to be implemented.

The 26 Cyclones that have been delivered by Sikorsky so far don't have all the capabilities that the American company originally promised to include.

Former Sea King squadron commander Larry McWha described the Cyclone fleet's autopilot issue as a serious software design flaw or "gremlin" given the potentially deadly consequences.

The fact the government is covering the bill for the autopilot fix suggests Ottawa is taking at least partial responsibility "for having specified, tested and approved the original design and control laws that led to the tragic loss of an aircraft and crew," he added.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 3, 2023.

Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press

by **Diesel** Tue 20 Jun 2023, 11:28 am

2 RCAF members missing after Chinook helicopter crashes near Garrison Petawawa

Hannah Berge . Published June 20, 2023

Two Royal Canadian Air Force members are missing and two others are in hospital after a Chinook helicopter crashed into the Ottawa River near Garrison Petawawa early Tuesday morning.

The Department of National Defence confirms a CH-147 Chinook helicopter crashed into the water during a training flight. The incident happened at 12:10 a.m. Tuesday.

"The missing crew are amongst a total crew of four who were on the helicopter at the time of the accident,” DND said in a statement.

“Two other members of the crew were found by first responders and taken to hospital in Pembroke.”

The two missing people are members of the 450 Tactical Helicopter Squadron, according to DND.

Canadian Armed Forces members, the Ontario Provincial Police marine unit, and the Petawawa and Pembroke fire departments are all assisting in the search.

Boaters are asked to avoid the shores near Garrison Petawawa as the search continues.

Garrison Petawawa is about 150 kilometres northwest of Ottawa.

In a tweet, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, “I'm keeping all of the members of 450 Squadron in my thoughts as search efforts continue, and I'm wishing a fast and full recovery to the injured. In this difficult time, we're here for you.”

This is a breaking news story. More details to come.

CTV News Ottawa

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