Slackline causes helicopter crash and 4 deaths

Elsewhere I have seen posted comments from helo pilots that even when they know there is a highline, and the line is marked per legal requirements, it can be very difficult to see.

Mr Rogerswrote:

"The line was flagged and had lights as the NOTAM filing clearly shows...... not sure to the degree those boxes were checked, but they were, at least a little."

Can somebody explain how to attach lights to a slackline that would not interfere with a safety carabiner?

Ti ck wrote:

Would such tiny light have enough power to be visible from e.g. a mile?
Does it make any difference during a day time?

Yurywrote:

Would such tiny light have enough power to be visible from e.g. a mile?
Does it make any difference during a day time?

New Safety suggestion….while line is up

but seriously, seems a couple of big wind socks or flags flying from either side of center would be easy to implement during daylight hours. If I was using the line, I’d also consider having a VHF for Air frequencies like 121.5 MHz to communicate in an emergency when line is in use or about to be used.

Edit to Mike below:   I assume they are retrievable/extendable on a separate pull line along the main or installed on a permanent parallel line below the main.   At least that’s how I’d do it with the flags/windsocks

Yury wrote:

Mr Rogers wrote:

"The line was flagged and had lights as the NOTAM filing clearly shows...... not sure to the degree those boxes were checked, but they were, at least a little."

Can somebody explain how to attach lights to a slackline that would not interfere with a safety carabiner?

Ti ck wrote:

You can’t figure out an LED with a battery?

I am sure most readers understood the significance of Yury's question, but for the few that didn't, to expand on it a bit, how do you attach lights without interfering with the sliding safety carabiner and also use lights that have a longevity and brightness to actually be useful.

Mark Pilatewrote:

Edit to Mike below:   I assume they are retrievable/extendable on a separate pull line along the main or installed on a permanent parallel line below the main.   At least that’s how I’d do it with the flags/windsocks

Very clever! Thanks Mark.

There will be changes to the chopper dynamic at Sedona, probably the slack lining too.

Less of both, is my vote. A lot less.

Not much to add to the discussion except that the nav map overlay that clearly shows all NOTAM activity seems like a valuable tool that may have prevented this accident. Blancolirio makes note of this and shows that the NOTAM for the highline was present before and after the accident. Can any of the pilots offer any insight about how this tool is used and if it is a common feature in modern aircraft? 

The NOTAM was filed only with an air strip nearest the slack line, which was very small and infrequently used. The NOTAM was not filed with the larger airport that the helicopter actually flew out of. The pilot most likely was unaware of the NOTAM. He likely only checked NOTAMs filed with the airport he was flying from.

Daniel Shivelywrote:

Not much to add to the discussion except that the nav map overlay that clearly shows all NOTAM activity seems like a valuable tool that may have prevented this accident. Blancolirio makes note of this and shows that the NOTAM for the highline was present before and after the accident. Can any of the pilots offer any insight about how this tool is used and if it is a common feature in modern aircraft? 

This is a screenshot from my iPad. I'm running Garmin Foreflight and turned on the NOTAM layer. I also have the satellite imagery shown (which I generally wouldn't use flying) to show how complex the terrain is where this slackline and pilot were. The NOTAM for the slackline is the black and white circle. A NOTAM is not a TFR - which appears as a red circle on Foreflight and immediately draws your attention; a NOTAM is informational; it isn't closed airspace.

Foreflight, like Mountain Project, is common, but not all pilots use it all the time. The pilot would a) have to have and use Foreflight, b) have the NOTAM layer turned on, and c) notice that his/her flight path took them through the active NOTAM (and check to see what that NOTAM is...)

It is not unreasonable to think many pilots might do this... but it is also not unreasonable for a pilot (especially one who is very experienced and flies in a particular area regularly) to not do this.

The thing to remember is that most of us, when engaged in climbing or hiking or whatever, are moving very slowly and have tons of bandwidth to stop, observe, and see things. A 1 KM slackline might seem so obvious (especially if flagged and lighted) that you might wonder "how could someone possibly miss that???" But this pilot is probably flying at 60-100 KTS and is paying attention to a LOT of things: airspeed, attitude, altitude, instruments, radios, weather, the sound and feel of the helicopter, his three nieces next to him and in the backseat, the fact that he's getting married in a few hours... and he's scanning for birds and other aircraft and keeping track of possible places to set the helicopter down if there's an engine failure... He's single pilot so he's doing all that himself. Is he also looking at his iPad? The brain has limited capacity to handle all these demands and information and in doing so it becomes much harder to see something like this - especially since it undoubtedly wasn't there the last time (or any time) he flew in that canyon... in aviation this is called an expectation bias.

Edit to add: I'm speculating. I do not know this pilot or what happened exactly. I do know he was hugely experienced and has been flying for longer than just about anyone on Mountain Project has been climbing and dedicated his life to helicopters much like many of us dedicate our lives to climbing. The NTSB report will be the thing to look for. Most of all I'm incredibly sad for him and his family and honestly it keeps me up at night thinking about how it could happen to me.

Ti ck wrote:

Climbers over here camouflaging bolts or using trad gear to not disrupt the visual environment and ruin the experience for others while slackers set up this visual atrocity that affects everyone in the middle of the wilderness for a week at a time that usually has a fluster cluck of people around it plus music. Thats why people are upset at slackers. Literally building a temporary structure in the middle of the wilderness.

Who cares if it was all “registered” they are obnoxious af when all you wanted was some solitude. 

While I understand this and agree with this, helicopters flying through wilderness are probably a lot more disruptive to wildlife, natural ecologies, and humans seeking solitude and serenity. 

However, in this case, it's a terrible tragedy for everyone involved. Our annoyances seem petty in the face of such a terrible event. 

Yeah, helicopters are annoying as fuck. I'll be the first to say it.

But they're pretty great when you break your ankle in the middle of nowhere... or are glad you have a cell signal thanks to a cell tower that was placed via helicopter for that matter. Also, if it's a Hollywood action movie and it doesn't have a helicopter, then it's not worth watching.

OP, can you change the title of this thread to be more accurate as to the event? It is very misleading.

Josh Janeswrote:

This is a screenshot from my iPad. I'm running Garmin Foreflight and turned on the NOTAM layer. I also have the satellite imagery shown (which I generally wouldn't use flying) to show how complex the terrain is where this slackline and pilot were. The NOTAM for the slackline is the black and white circle.

Foreflight is common, but not legally required. The pilot would a) have to have and use Foreflight, b) have the NOTAM layer turned on, and c) notice that his/her flight path took them THROUGH the active NOTAM and check to see what that NOTAM is...

It is not unreasonable to expect most pilots to do this... but it is also not unreasonable for a pilot (especially one who is very experienced and flies in a particular area regularly) to not do this.

The thing to remember is that most of us, when engaged in climbing or hiking or whatever, are moving very slowly and have tons of bandwidth to stop, observe, and see things. A 1 KM slackline might seem so obvious (especially if flagged and lighted) that you might wonder "how could someone possibly miss that???" But this pilot is probably flying at 65-100 KTS and is paying attention to a LOT of things: airspeed, attitude, altitude, instruments, radios, weather, the sound and feel of the helicopter, his three nieces next to him and in the backseat, the fact that he's getting married in a few hours... and he's scanning for birds and other aircraft and keeping track of possible places to set the helicopter down if there's an engine failure... He's single pilot so he's doing all that himself. Is he also looking at his iPad? The brain has limited capacity to handle all this information and these demands and in doing so it becomes much harder to see something like this - especially since it undoubtedly wasn't there the last time (or any time) he flew in that canyon...

Thanks for the info. I understand all of the factors that you described too. Maybe at some point Foreflight may consider making the NOTAM indicator a brighter color pattern or have an audible alarm that activates when in close proximity to a NOTAM. While not a perfect system that overlay seems to provide pertinent info that could help avoid accidents like this in the future. 

I have a friend who flies a tiny 1946 Taylorcraft. When he took me on a flight around the mountains near Bishop, he used a thigh mounted device that the screen looked very similar to your screenshot. Flying in close proximity to those mountains was wild and I can imagine not having much time to constantly look at a screen. 

Ps. I’m not trying to assign blame here, just interested in learning. 

Thanks for taking the time to break things down in simpler terms from a pilots perspective, Josh.  As you know I’ve supervised some incredibly complex air shows and there is a lot going on, happening at a high rate of speed, so many things can go wrong.  This is really an awful tragedy for everyone involved.  I don’t think I ever worked with the pilot, but have certainly seen his aircraft on fires.  My thoughts are with the families of the victims and I hope that the people who set up the line are getting the support they need, as well.

This is absolutely horrific.  I would think that if you are going to have a slack line set 600ft in the air that it would have to be marked with the same style and grade of lighting that they use on the big power lines. 

Read thru this thread. The blaming without all info is horrible and also human nature. Personally the OG post by OP had me blaming the slackliners too. Tragedy begs for reasons. I'll be curious to read the report. Im not a slackliner but I hope they followed the law/rules to the letter. 

My most sincere condolences to family and friends.

Josh Janeswrote:

This is a screenshot from my iPad. I'm running Garmin Foreflight and turned on the NOTAM layer. I also have the satellite imagery shown (which I generally wouldn't use flying) to show how complex the terrain is where this slackline and pilot were. The NOTAM for the slackline is the black and white circle. A NOTAM is not a TFR - which appears as a red circle on Foreflight and immediately draws your attention; a NOTAM is informational; it isn't closed airspace.

Since its not closed airspace, how do you determine if its safe to fly over?

Josh Janeswrote:

This is a screenshot from my iPad. I'm running Garmin Foreflight and turned on the NOTAM layer. I also have the satellite imagery shown (which I generally wouldn't use flying) to show how complex the terrain is where this slackline and pilot were. The NOTAM for the slackline is the black and white circle. A NOTAM is not a TFR - which appears as a red circle on Foreflight and immediately draws your attention; a NOTAM is informational; it isn't closed airspace.

Foreflight, like Mountain Project, is common, but not all pilots use it all the time. The pilot would a) have to have and use Foreflight, b) have the NOTAM layer turned on, and c) notice that his/her flight path took them through the active NOTAM (and check to see what that NOTAM is...)

It is not unreasonable to think many pilots might do this... but it is also not unreasonable for a pilot (especially one who is very experienced and flies in a particular area regularly) to not do this.

...

When I look up 33.1412, -111.0714 on caltopo or google maps,  it gives me a location 11km south of what you are showing with that black and white circle.  
Per those maps your circle center is at 33.236, -111.119, which is only 5km south of Superior, and 5 km North of the White Canyon wilderness.
I am seeing it just 2.8 km North of the Gila River, and 2km SE of Battle Axe Butte, and 2.4km south of the White Canyon wilderness?
Does this discrepancy possibly affect pilots?

tom donnellywrote:

When I look up 33.1412, -111.0714 on caltopo or google maps,  it gives me a location 11km south of what you are showing with that black and white circle.  
Per those maps your circle center is at 33.236, -111.119, which is only 5km south of Superior, and 5 km North of the White Canyon wilderness.
I am seeing it just 2.8 km North of the Gila River, and 2km SE of Battle Axe Butte, and 2.4km south of the White Canyon wilderness?
Does this discrepancy possibly affect pilots?

The coordinate system used in NOTAMs is degrees/minutes/seconds - not decimal degrees. What you looked up (33.1412, -111.0714) is not the same as "331412N1110714W" as written in the NOTAM. Try looking up 33° 14' 12" N, 111° 07' 14" W and you'll see the location of the circle in Foreflight is correct.