Does the helicopter remain someone? – Defenseb

ARMSCOR, through its defense removal services (DDS), plans to get rid of the remains of a Helicopter of Agusta A109 Light Services that crashed in 2016, through a contract issued this month (March).

The 87 helicopter flying school planes, the 4013 tail number, crashed while on a night training flight in the clocolen vicinity in the free state province on the border of Lesotho on November 7, 2016. A occupant was seriously injured, while two others suffered moderate injuries.

The remains, according to Armscor Contract EDSS/2024/150, is located in Bloemspruit of the Air Force Base (AFB), home of 16 squad and its Rooivalk combat support helicopters. The contract, issued on March 5 with a closing date of April 11, does not give indications of damage caused by impact or fire, nor is there a willingness for inspection. The bidding notice says that the elimination is of a “burned disaster.” Email consultations can be directed to (protected email).

The Air Force SA (SAAF) acquired 30 A109 helicopters of the then Italian manufacturer Agusta, now part of the Leonardo Group, at the end of the 1990s to replace the Alouette fleet as part of the Strategic Defense Procurement Package (SDPP).

The A109 fleet has suffered a relatively high loss rate in the SAAF service. Defensede knows more than half a dozen involved in accidents at variable levels ranging from hard landings to tail rotor failure.

On May 12, 2009, an A109 (4022) crashed into the Woodstock dam, near Bergville in Kwazulu-Natal. The three members of the crew on board died (Lieutenant Simon Baloyi, Flight Sergeant Moné Zuidmeer and Captain Bongani Mdluli). The plane was in formation with two other A109 on route from Swartkop to Dragon Peak Park in the Bergville area to participate in a scheduled one -week mountain training exercise. The formation was on the flight of the Earth’s nap at that time, and the accident was considered caused by a pilot error.

Two other helicopters were damaged in November and December 2010, but without loss of lives. An A109 (4024) was seriously damaged in a hard landing near Potchefstroom in the northwest province on November 24, 2010. The crew was not seriously injured. On December 15, 2010, an A109 (4021) reached an accident landing near Ballito on the north coast of Kwazulu-Natal while helping the police and business against crime. Two crew suffered light wounds, while another suffered a broken back and pelvis. The plane was seriously damaged.

After the December accident, all the A109 were on land, pending inspection. The 2010 accidents determined that the SAAAF was due to the failure of the tail rotor and a broken swash plate control rod, but according to the reports, all mechanical problems were resolved in 2012.

However, more accidents claimed more fuselations. On March 30, 2013, an A109 (4018) in an operation against the Poach in the Kruger National Park crashed at night, killing the five on board, including the flight crew. It was considered that the pilot’s error was the cause of the accident, since SAAF researchers discovered that the flight crew (Captain Phil Chaballala and the Ruiters of the Generagento of the flight engineer) did not have enough to undertake a low level night flight with passengers. The passengers were Captain Jakes Van Rensburg and Sergeant Paulus Ndishishis of the 5 Special Forces Regiment and Cape Medical Lance Orderly Lance Bheki Petros Cele.

An A109 was slightly damaged on February 5, 2024 when a pilot student tried to land with the landing train yet. Although the landing was aborted, the plane suffered minor damage in its belly.

The most recent SAAF A109 accident occurred on April 18, 2019 when 4006 crashed near R101 next to Swartkop Golf is near the base of the Swartkop Air Force (now Saaf Mobile Deployment Wing) after a technical malfunction. Both occupants were seriously injured.

The military aviation authority, Dean Winingrin, told DefenseWeb that he was not aware of the current state of crashed. “I have no information on whether repairs to the aircraft state were made or if the plane was canceled,” he said.

At least three A109s severely damaged (including 4021) were seen in 2023 in a hangar in the Saaf mobile deployment wing. Judging by the dust layer on them, the plane had standing for years.

In the SAAF service, the A109 has been considered too complex to convert newly qualified pilots into helicopters, and it has also been reported that the helicopter cannot carry operational loads in high heat conditions or fly with a strong wind. Hundreds of kilograms of additional equipment to SAAF A109S were added, which limits heat and high performance.

According to the SAAF, the typical missions for the A109 include training, search and rescue, extraction of ropes and rappel, troop, medical evacuation (Casevac), cargo transport, border patrol, peace maintenance, communications and urban operations.