CAUTION WIRE STRIKE!

One of the numerous risks posed to helicopters that operate in a medium stretching from ground to a few thousand feet is the abundance of wires. Starting from the local cable guy who runs cables across the street to the farmer who wants to zipline his produce across valleys, to the high-voltage power lines that criss-cross the countryside, wires are an omnipresent hazard to low-flying choppers. Often invisible to the naked eye till it is too late, wire strikes claim a few helicopters and their crews every year. Here’s an example from my personal recollection.

- KP SANJEEV KUMAR

In the late 80s, a naval Alouette III helicopter operating on a patrol mission over Gulf of Mannar southeast of the Indian peninsula, deviated from laid down profile. Such patrol flights those days presented many opportunities for ‘cowboy flying’ – a euphemism for unauthorised low flying. Flying a few feet over the ground, skimming the sea surface or ducking at high speed below a passenger bridge was not unheard of. This time, the pilot made a fatal mistake. The low-time pilot dipped low over a highway and tailed a bus running that mofussil route. Couple of ‘joyride’ passengers onboard that ill-fated flight enjoyed the thrills of low flying as surprised travellers from the bus looked on.

Nobody noticed when a high-tension (HT) line running along the road turned sharply across at one point. The cables went through the Alouette cockpit and cabin like a hot knife through butter, decapitating the crew before electrocution and fire consumed the rest. In one grisly moment, it was all over. Since the accident was primarily a result of unauthorised low flying, it was easy to miss the elephant in the room – unmarked wires and the ever-present risk of wire strike for helicopters and small aircraft that fly around at lower strata.

Thirty years later, we are hardly immune as revealed by a string of wire strike accidents, both in civil aviation and military. Our fatalistic attitude ignores this risk like it doesn’t exist. An accident in India on 21st August 2019 reminds us once again that the problem is alive and kicking. Sadly, the crew in this case are not around to tell the tale.