Re: Police helicopter crashes into Glasgow pub roof
 

You're missing the point ... Autorotation allows you to land a helicopter when the engines are mullered. As long as the rotors can free-wheel, the force of air passing over them as the helicopter falls is sufficient to turn them and slow the descent.

You have major problems when a system failure occurs that prevents the rotors from turning freely or if the helicopter is too low for the airflow to spin them up fast enough to be useful.

Re: Police helicopter crashes into Glasgow pub roof
 

And if they can't free wheel or were they to close to the ground for Autorotation to be effective?

Re: Police helicopter crashes into Glasgow pub roof
 

Then, as Chris said in the last line of the post you quoted

Re: Police helicopter crashes into Glasgow pub roof
 

Meaning the helicopter would drop like a stone.

Re: Police helicopter crashes into Glasgow pub roof
 

From hearing people's accounts the choppers engine was still running but spluttering and the blades weren't spinning at all. Then it just stopped and was silent.

That is usually consistant with a gearbox failure or malfunction. My dad worked for BALPA and in avaition for years and that was his response as soon as I told him what had happened. He wasn't aware as is abroad just now.

Re: Police helicopter crashes into Glasgow pub roof
 

I was listening to an interview with Gordon Smart, editor of the Scottish Sun, yesterday on BBC Scotland. He witnessed the event from high in a multistory car park. He said the helicopter was tumbling rather than a straight down plummet.

http://www.latimes.com/world/worldno...#axzz2mEcldZMm

"Gordon Smart, editor of the Scottish Sun, who was in a nearby parking structure, said he saw the helicopter "tumbling nose over tail at a huge pace" before it vanished behind the buildings in front of him."

He made it clear on the radio yesterday the sky was crystal clear and he had a full view of the incident. From his elevated vantage point he may have had the best view of the accident.

Re: Police helicopter crashes into Glasgow pub roof
 

Due to lack of altitude, not due to lack of engine power, as you stated earlier.

Re: Police helicopter crashes into Glasgow pub roof
 

A ninth body has been confirmed :-(

Re: Police helicopter crashes into Glasgow pub roof
 

I've just seen some relatives on the BBC who're extremely upset about the lack of information they're being given by the emergency services and how long it's taking to complete the process and retrieve any bodies. They seem to feel a undue fixation with health and safety has hampered the rescue effort and may well have cost lives and are very critical of the response they've had so far to their requests for information.

Re: Police helicopter crashes into Glasgow pub roof
 

Yeah ,just seen the same interviews ,i can understand the relatives wanting to get more information but i can't imagine that there is much the emergency services can do until the helicopter is removed which is always going to be a slow process because lifting the helicopter out could further weaken the building causing it to collapse even more

Re: Police helicopter crashes into Glasgow pub roof
 

Key phrase in that interview "I'm not an expert"

I can understand he's upset but when the experts are dealing with things putting grieving relatives on the air is a poor show from the BBC. His suggestion to start pulling down the rest of the building just wasn't feasible.

Re: Police helicopter crashes into Glasgow pub roof
 

Exactly my thoughts ,Sky news are doing it as well with the same couple

Re: Police helicopter crashes into Glasgow pub roof
 

The relatives asked to go on air because they feel the emergency services aren't doing enough and I can understand how they feel. I'd have thought they'd have some sort of liaison officer with them trying to keep them informed and protect them from the media. Rightly or wrongly they feel let down so I hope there'll be extra effort made to reassure and counsel them during what must be an awful ordeal.

Re: Police helicopter crashes into Glasgow pub roof
 

Indeed whoever made the decision to put the grieving relatives on air has made a extremely crass judgement in my opinion.

Re: Police helicopter crashes into Glasgow pub roof
 

My heart really does go out to the relatives. It must be torture knowing their loves ones are still inside. I can understand their grief however the emergency services should receive nothing but praise for the way they have handled this event. They don't deserve to be put under pressure, of have their efforts tainted thanks to the BBC and SKY putting emotionally charged relatives live on air.