[Peetwo]

CHALK & CHEESE: Talking out of school?? 

On the comparative timeline, 2 weeks after the Calabasas chopper accident the Preliminary report was released without any further fanfare. Just this news release: 
 

NTSB Issues Investigative Update on Sikorsky Helicopter Crash

2/7/2020

The National Transportation Safety Board issued an investigative update Friday for its ongoing investigation of the fatal, Jan. 26, 2020, helicopter crash near Calabasas, California.

The Sikorsky S-76B helicopter collided with hilly terrain and was destroyed by impact forces and fire. The pilot and eight passengers were fatally injured. The helicopter operated by Island Express Helicopters Inc., was on an on-demand passenger visual flight rules flight from John Wayne-Orange County Airport, in Santa Ana, California, to Camarillo Airport, in Camarillo, California.

"Our investigators have already developed a substantial amount of evidence about the circumstances of this tragic crash," said NTSB Chairman Robert L. Sumwalt. "And we are confident that we will be able to determine its cause as well as any factors that contributed to it so we can make safety recommendations to prevent accidents like this from occurring again.” 


(This NTSB still image is from a drone video duplicating the flightpath of N72EX at position/altitude of last ADS-B target. NTSB image)

According to the investigative update, all significant components of the helicopter were located within the wreckage area. Examination of the main and tail rotor assemblies found damage consistent with powered rotation at the time of impact. The initial point of impact consisted of highly fragmented cabin and cockpit debris.

The main wreckage was about 127 feet from the impact and consisted of the empennage/tailboom, both engines, avionics boxes, and portions of the cockpit instrument panel. The entire fuselage/cabin and both engines were subjected to a postcrash fire. The cockpit experienced extreme fragmentation. The instrument panel was destroyed, and most instruments were displaced from their panel mounts. Flight controls were fragmented and fire damaged.

The helicopter was not equipped with a flight data recorder or cockpit voice recorder nor was it required to be for the accident flight. The NTSB has been issuing recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration to require recorders on helicopters since 1999. Currently, safety recommendations A-13-12 and A-13-13 are the only open recommendations that address recorders in helicopters.

The helicopter operator, Island Express Helicopters, held an FAA Part 135 operating certificate ISHA094F, for on-demand VFR-only operations, since 1998 and conducted offshore oil industry support flights and charter flights. The company’s operations specifications document listed six helicopters including the accident aircraft: 1 SK-76A, 2 SK-76B, 2 AS-350-B2 and 1 AS-350-BA.

The investigative update includes a summary of the ATC and radar data, weather information as well as a summary of video and photos provided by witnesses depicting the weather at the time of the accident.

The information in the update is preliminary and subject to change as the NTSB’s investigation progresses. Analysis of the accident facts, along with conclusions and a determination of probable cause, will come at a later date when the final report on the investigation is completed. As such, no conclusions about how the incident happened should be drawn from the information contained within the investigative update.

The full investigative update is available at https://go.usa.gov/xd84a

Additional information about this investigation is available on the accident webpage: https://go.usa.gov/xd8ah

To report an incident/accident or if you are a public safety agency, please call 1-844-373-9922 or 202-314-6290 to speak to a Watch Officer at the NTSB Response Operations Center (ROC) in Washington, DC (24/7).

Meanwhile on the Gold Coast chopper midair accident there is no 'investigative update' (prelim report/interim factual statement) from the ATSB. And according to Popinjay we should not expect one for at least another 3 to 5 weeks, at the earliest?? -   

However 2 days ago there was this squeak, apparently attributed to Popinjay...  : 

Via 1News NZed: 

Questions over leak of Gold Coast helicopter crash footage remain

By Andrew Macfarlane, 1News Australia Correspondent
Mon, Jan 23

Australia’s air safety investigator has carried out a review into whether footage of the fatal helicopter crash on the Gold Coast was leaked from someone in the organisation.

New Zealanders Edward Swart, Marle Swart, Riaan Steenberg and Elmarie Steenberg were on a scenic helicopter ride near SeaWorld when their aircraft collided with another one taking off from below in early January.

While the holidaymakers miraculously survived, four others were killed in the tragedy.

Now there are fresh questions over how footage from inside one of the helicopters was released to media, without the permission of survivors.

The video, which shows the moments before the collision, was first aired by Australian broadcaster Channel 7, with the group of New Zealanders telling 1News they hadn’t shared the footage and that they were seeking legal advice.

Chief commissioner for The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) Angus Mitchell told 1News the broadcast of the footage was “distressing and inappropriate”, but it hadn’t come from the ATSB.

He said the leaking of evidence is concerning and against Commonwealth law in Australia.

“Evidence such as the videos provided by passengers is protected under Commonwealth law as restricted information, and can only be released on my authority as the chief commissioner for the purposes of improving transport safety.”


The New Zealand survivors of the fatal Gold Coast helicopter crash. (Source: Supplied)

Mitchell said he was confident the footage hadn’t been shared by an ATSB staff member, following an internal investigation.

“To be able to provide that assurance to others, on learning of the footage being aired in the media I immediately ordered a review of the ATSB’s IT systems, including any mobile devices, on which that footage was held.”

“That review showed no evidence that the footage had been shared externally by anyone at the ATSB.”

There are also concerns that the leak could compromise future investigations, and the sharing of sensitive information.

1News also asked the Queensland Police for similar reassurances, as they are the other major organisation involved in the investigation.

A spokesperson said “the incident is subject to ongoing Coronial investigations, it would be inappropriate to provide further comment, as all aspects of the matter are being examined as part of investigations.”

Note the difference between Popinjay flapping his gums to an 1News reporter and the short but succinct statement from a QPS spokesperson...

A quick review of the 'attributed' to Popinjay media statement webpage - see HERE - or on social media do not acknowledge any of the above statements from Popinjay - WTD??   

MTF...P2