[scottishmark]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/6996860.stm

there's stories all over the UKs news websites about this at the moment. It appears that Colin, his 5 year old son, another adult and another child were all in the helicopter. Police are saying there are no survivors.


A sad, sad day.

 

[dhbuilder]

i saw this in a wrc forum.

very sad.
he was absolutely a ripper in a wrc car.

 

[LukeD]

i just read this over on nasioc.com that's horrible. i'm going to take the wrx out for a nice ride tonight in his honor.

 

[gonefirefightin]

That is truly depressing.

 

[CKxx]

It's always ****ty when people die in the process of doing some sort of everyday activity, rather then one at least 1/10th as extreme as their job. The man raced through trees 130+mph and he probably crashed because of a stupid mechanical malfunction. Seems like people always get robbed of due glory.

 

[MMike]

Worst news in a while......

 

[Nagaredama]

Godspeed Colin

 

[Rip]

Damn.

 

[ummbikes]

Too bad. He was an inspiration to me. Me and a few buddies are doing SCCA Rally Cross, and when one of us does well we start calling him Colin. Bummer.

 

[stoney]

This is a truly sad day. RIP Mr. McRae and son, and all others involved.

 

[blue]

 

[amateur]

i'm going to take the wrx out for a nice ride tonight in his honor.

heresy

 

[MMike]

This is really bugging me....I guess largely because it involves kids and helicopters....

I'm really curious to know the cause of the crash. You can land a helicopter safely without your engine(s) running. If he wasn't shot down, (which of course he was not), I really wonder what could have gone so wrong that he'd crash.

 

[jebfour]

 

[CKxx]

This is really bugging me....I guess largely because it involves kids and helicopters....

I'm really curious to know the cause of the crash. You can land a helicopter safely without your engine(s) running. If he wasn't shot down, (which of course he was not), I really wonder what could have gone so wrong that he'd crash.

Don't you need some initial altitude so you can adjust the pitch as you fall, pick up some headspeed, then adjust the pitch again once close to the ground?

If your engines were to crap out at a medium/low altitude, is it possible you can't get sufficient headspeed to land safely?

I'm just applying what I know from flying models. Don't know if it holds true for the real thing.

 

[MMike]

Don't you need some initial altitude so you can adjust the pitch as you fall, pick up some headspeed, then adjust the pitch again once close to the ground?

If your engines were to crap out at a medium/low altitude, is it possible you can't get sufficient headspeed to land safely?

I'm just applying what I know from flying models. Don't know if it holds true for the real thing.

Yeah you do....I was thinking about that after I posted. I hadn't noticed or made the connection or whatever that he was only 200 yards from his house. So he was likely pretty low to the ground...so yes, if you lose your engine, you'll pile it up pretty good...

 

[Hawkeye]

My dad worked for Borg Warner for many years and they made clutches for all kinds of things one of which was main rotor clutches for Helicoptors. When ever a heli crashed the lawsuit would follow behind it. usually the clutch isn't what fails when a helicopter goes down but you know they sue the deepest pockets. So much so that they stopped making the parts for all helicopters including military vehicles.

 

[MMike]

I can't see the McRae clan hurting for $$ to badly.....

You would think that being a pro racecar driver than he would have kept his maintenance up to snuff.

Very very curious to learn what the cause was....

I've read a few different stories. Only one mentions that there was some tricky weather involved.

 

[MMike]

http://www.caa.co.uk/application.aspx?catid=60&pagetype=65&appid=1&mode=detailnosummary&fullregmark=G-CBHL

Even his middle name was cool!!

 

[jeff da grom]

thats really sad. he was a dominating force on the wrc. His amazing skills behind the wheel encouraged many to try driving. He will be missed.

It's so sad that his 5 yr old was w/him too. So young...

 

[MMike]

http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1520782007

Likely a mechanical failure

 

[MMike]

Or not....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/glasgow_and_west/7884088.stm

Looks like he may have had a lapse in good judgment...or maybe it was mechanical failure. But he did let his license lapse..

 

[Da Peach]

And how is the Generalissimo?

 

[MMike]

And how is the Generalissimo?

Still dead

 

[brungeman]

Or not....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/glasgow_and_west/7884088.stm

Looks like he may have had a lapse in good judgment...or maybe it was mechanical failure. But he did let his license lapse..

Mr.Mike sir resident chopper X-pert... what is "servo transparency phenomenon. "

 

[MMike]

Not sure to be honest.

I'm guessing it's akin to your power steering crapping out....

 

[jimmydean]

It's next to the pneumatic fluid reservoir.

 

[MMike]

It's next to the pneumatic fluid reservoir.

You just pray to god it doesn't affect your reciprocating embroglio or you overhead neilson regulator....

 

[Da Peach]

My dad worked for Borg ....they stopped making the parts for all helicopters including military vehicles.

Resistance was futile...

 

[MMike]

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/shoe-was-only-clue-to-victims-of-mcrae-crash-1.1082081?localLinksEnabled=false

 

[stevew]

necro bump?

 

[MMike]

necro bump?

Well they ARE still investigating. Sounding like ol' Colin wasn't thinking straight.

Steven Kitchen, a former Royal Navy helicopter pilot who flew the police helicopter over the crash scene, told the inquiry it was unlikely Mr McRae would have tried to land in the Mouse Valley.

“In civilian flying, would you fly into that valley?” asked procurator-fiscal Kate Meikle.

“No,” said Mr Kitchen. “I would be breaking aviation safety rules and obviously based on my experience of flying a helicopter, I would deem it to be unsafe.”

Mr Kitchen also told the inquiry that learning to fly helicopters at low-level – 500ft or less, as some eyewitnesses have claimed Mr McRae was doing on the day of the crash – was a “fairly complex process” that would require 10 to 15 hours of specialist training in the military.

The inquiry continues.

 

[johnbryanpeters]

Mr.Mike sir resident chopper X-pert... what is "servo transparency phenomenon. "

Servo Transparency

Also Known As:
Jack Stall, Servo Reversibility

Contributing Factors:
High "G" Loads, High density air, High Airspeed, High Collective, High Gross Weight

Effects:
Loss of control, manifested as a control lock. A hydraulic system has a constant max amount of force for the entire system. During extreme maneuvers the aerodynamic load on the control surfaces can exceed the hydraulic force of the system. The controls will appear to lock, or move while uncommanded.

Corrective Action:
Allow the controls to move to remove the force on the surfaces. The hydraulics will take over once the
stresses have lessened allowing control to be gained again.

 

[scottishmark]

Well they ARE still investigating. Sounding like ol' Colin wasn't thinking straight.

Sadly, I think he might just've been thinking like the Colin we all loved watching - I was just hoping he wouldn't do such things with kids in the cabin with him

 

[Sandwich]

still dead after all these years?

 

[valve bouncer]

I know there has to be a public inquest when these kinds of things happen but sometimes the "public" (i.e me) doesn't really need to know the "details" (i.e I wish I hadn't read that article).

 

[TheTruth]

dammit. This sucks. I was looking forward to seeing if colins son would be the next colin.