Even after two years still the nation has many doubts about YSR’s death. Undisputedly YSR is one of the most popular leaders ever to have a charisma that touched zenith. The aftermath of YSR death has shown an unprecedented magnitude of adoration from the people but sadly it has taken the biggest toll ever. Nearly thousand people died either by committing suicide or with a heavy heart. According to CNN this kind of massive toll is an extraordinary phenomenon. Sakshi daily owned by YSR’s son Jagan Mohan Reddy has come out with a banner story raising several doubts about YSR’s death. It has concluded with a doubt that it could be an assassination.
On 2 September 2009, a bell- 430 VT-APG helicopter carrying Reddy went missing in the Nallamala forest area. On the morning of 3 September 2009, the helicopter wreckage had been found on top of Rudrakonda Hill, 40 nautical miles (74 km) from Kurnool. Five people aboard of this ill fated helicopter including Reddy, his special secretary P. Subrahmanyam, chief security officer A. S. C. Wesley, Group Captain S. K. Bhatia and Captain M. S. Reddy were pronounced dead. Later Central government set up a committee headed by R.K. Tyagi to investigate the accident. Simultaneously CBI also enquired on conspiracy theories. While Tyagi committee categorically came to a conclusion that bad weather and the poor judgment by the Pilot Capt. S.K. Bhatia and Co-pilot M.S. Reddy were main causes for the accident.
The committee mentioned that “Accident occurred due to loss of control resulting in uncontrolled descent in the terrain at a very high rate of descent due to entry into severe downdraught” The vital source of information for any committee should be clear and the investigation should be scientific. Unfortunately the committee has neither clarity nor scientific approach. Since the most indispensable DFDR (Digital Flight Data Recorder) is not installed in the ill fated Bell 430 chopper they have to depend only on the CVR (Cock-pit Voice Recorder). But according to the Tyagi Committee report the CVR was badly damaged. Hence Tyagi committee report looks more conjectural than scientific. For the helicopter performance they depended upon ECU (Engine Control Unit) but this ECU threw very little information. This is little use for a complete and in-depth analysis. Surprisingly a questionable dimension of the Tyagi report is that they depended on the ECU to assess the crashing of the chopper.
The report mentioned “The Engine Control Unit (ECU) readout shows that during last 14 seconds the rate of descent was in excess of ten thousand feet/ minute” But some aviation experts express doubts about how the ECU can measure the descent rate of the chopper. According to them ECU is only a device to manage multiple engine control functions. It determines the amount of fuel, ignition timing and parameters of an internal combustion needs to keep running. The Altimeter is a device that measures the height of chopper but strangely The Tyagi committee entrusted the job of Altimeter to ECU. The committee also quoted that “As per Text on Aviation Meteorology by K.M. Wickson, Airlife Publishing Ltd. England, “In thunderstorms or CB (Cumulonimbus Clouds) substantial shafts of air may be encountered, with no warning, which can be moving either vertically up or down. Such shafts may be virtually side by side, and the shear will then be very marked and violent”. But this expert did not tell that this kind of weather very dangerous to the flying helicopters.
Contrary to the committee report aviation experts and authors of the book “Flying without Fear: 101 Fear of Flying Questions Answered “ Paul Tizzard , Richard Conway says “Storm clouds can also cause turbulence and pilots will always do their best to avoid this type of weather, they do this not because the turbulence is dangerous but because they aim to make the flight as smooth as possible. In the centre of storm clouds there can be quite strong up draughts and downdraughts and this is what pilots are doing their best to avoid. Pilots remain clear of storm clouds by either looking out of the window or by using their weather radars. The important thing to remember about turbulence is that although it can be uncomfortable it is not dangerous. A straight course through the storm most likely will get you out of the hazards most quickly. In addition, turning maneuvers increase stress on the aircraft So, Don’t turn back once you are in the thunderstorm” But Tyagi committee in its report says both pilot and co-pilot made a mistake by not returning to base. “Despite being constantly in clouds they never thought it fit to return to Hyderabad or divert” the committee observed.
Anil Ambani, Target Of Helicopter Sabotage
Anil Ambani does not wait in traffic.The billionaire industrialist often commutes by helicopter, soaring far above the traffic jams that clog his sprawling hometown of Mumbai.But Ambani’s highflying life could have ended in 2009 _ a complaint filed with police said pebbles and gravel were found in the chopper’s engine _ debris that could have caused the craft to crash.The case took a bizarre twist this week: the technician who discovered the suspected sabotage turned up dead. Bharat Borge’s body was discovered on suburban Mumbai railway tracks after he was apparently hit by a train _ a death police are calling suicide but Borge’s family believes was murder. The intrigue is only the latest chapter in the Ambani saga, a multigenerational tale that began with an ambitious patriarch and includes warring brothers, Bollywood starlets, and egos that match their multibillion dollar fortunes. Whoever placed the pebbles in the engine understood helicopters, senior pilot R.N. Joshi of Reliance Transport & Travels _ one of Anil Ambani’s companies _ said in the police complaint. The chopper likely would have been able to take off, he said, but the debris would have entered the gear box and cut the power, bringing down the aircraft. “Some persons, possible business rivals, were attempting to take away the life of Anil Ambani,” said Joshi.
More over A chopper is a machine meant for adverse weather conditions. Military and Governments around the world depend on choppers for rescue operations in severe adverse weather conditions. So the weather on the day of crash was not a terrible impediment for it’s flight or a factor for it crash.
Is it an expert report or Probability report?
YSR’s chopper crash can not be regarded as some thing or one of those things. In spite of a great deal of political and public attention it has drawn form all corners of the world The Tyagi Committee dealt it so causally that the report superfluously and repeatedly used words like probably , appears and might be and the like. According to the Committee report: At 09:27: 25 IST there was a callout regarding the Autopilot. Probably it had tripped and was re-engaged. The autopilot would trip if the speed falls below 50 kts. Thus it appears they had reduced the speed to 40 kts. It is obvious that the committee had no technical information regarding the failure of the auto pilot. Such an important aspect of the investigation is left for guess work. It merely guesses that the auto pilot had probably tripped off. Had the DFDR is installed in the chopper it would have recorded this data clearly. In the absence of DFDR no aviation accident investigation Report can be deemed complete. Following an accident the recovery of DFDR is usually a high priority for the investigating body, as analysis of the recorded parameters can often detected and identifies the causes or contributing factors. That’s why investigating committees mainly rely on DFDR data for their reports but here
Bell - 430 Broke The World Record
On September 3, 1996, Americans Ron Bower and John Williams broke the round-the-world helicopter record with the second Bell 430, flying westwards from the UK with a time of 17 days, 6 hours and 14 minutes. The Bell 430 is a twin-engine light-medium helicopter built by Bell Helicopter. On January 24, 2008, Bell announced plans to terminate production of its Model 430 after current order commitments are fulfilled in 2010. Production ended after 136 helicopters were completed, with the last being delivered in May 2008. The Bell 430 features several significant improvements over the 230, the most significant of these being the new four-blade, bearingless, hingeless, composite main rotor. Although both the 230 and 430 are powered by Rolls-Royce (Allison) 250 turboshaft engines, the 430’s engines are 10% more powerful. Other changes include the 1 ft 6 in (46 cm) stretched fuselage, providing for two extra seats,an optional.
Unbelievably the chopper used to carry such an important leader
like Rajasekher Reddy has not been fitted with DFDR. The Director General of Civil Aviation recommended that all helicopters of a maximum certificated take-off mass over 3,180 kg, required to be equipped with an DFDR and/or a CVR, may alternatively be equipped with one combination recorder (DFDR/CVR).
But Tyagi Committee downplayed the importance of DFDR by saying that “ This helicopter is equipped with CVR but not DFDR (neither it is required b equipped)”
Don’t blame helicopter pilots
Mike Danco , chairman , Denko Law Firm & Aviation Expert says “ After a helicopter accident, many aviation experts are quick to conclude that the helicopter pilot violated one aviation regulation or another. But the laws that airplane pilots know so well do not always apply to helicopters. Rather, helicopters operate largely under their own set of rules. If we take visibility factor , except when on an instrument flight plan, airplanes cannot fly unless the weather conditions allow a certain minimum visibility. For example, in airspace outside of air traffic control jurisdiction, airplane pilots may not operate unless the weather is clear enough to see at least 1 mile ahead of them. But in that situation, there is no minimum visibility requirement for helicopters”
Transmission oil affects paints and plastics
Helecopter Transmission Oil was specifically developed to meet the high temperatures and load carrying requirements of SST engines and the DEF STAN 91-100 (formerly DERD 2497) and XAS-2354 specifications. More recently with the need to transmit more power and higher loads through helicopter ransmission and gearbox systems (many helicopters use a synthetic turbine engine oil in the transmission/ gearbox system) Transmission oils contains a synthetic ester oil and should not be used in contact with incompatible seal materials and it also .
The Tyagi committee further concluded the factors that caused the crash included the crew became fixated for more than six minutes about a problem with their transmission oil pressure system, and were distracted from the worsening weather. But the same report also mentioned that “It was also noted that the pilot in control was well aware of the repercussions of bad weather and instructed the Co-Pilot to keep his hand under the collective to safe guard against superfluous Torque and up and down draughts and turbulence. Due to weather they decided to be slightly on the left of the track, although they cleared the red zone as painted on helicopter weather radar. At 9:16:31 IST they observed that clouds were more on the right of the track and quantum of clouds were increasing.
They decided that after crossing Krishna River they would turn left” According to Tyagi committee both pilot & co-pilot never consider that the weather is a problem for their journey that’s why they didn’t consider diverting or returning to Hyderabad. Another important aspect is even Cockpit voice recorder didn’t record any unusual troublous sounds or impact of thunderbolt and lightning except co-pilot’s GO AROUND. In 2008 August 3, same bell 430 model chopper crashed in the adverse weather conditions at Venkatpuram, Khammam District. On that occasion, even though CVR damaged it recorded wiper sounds also. This chopper also traveled through stormy weather. While traveling in cumulonimbus clouds it did not face any trouble. But the pilot of the chopper tried to avoid the clouds by descending his chopper to 1000ft. And Helicopter was destroyed due to impact with the hill. M.J. Singh, Inspector of Accidents who enquired into this accident did not blame the pilots for descending their chopper.
But Tyagi committee found fault with Bhatia and Reddy for their so called negligence even though at the time of crash the chopper was on Auto pilot mode. An autopilot is a mechanical, electrical, or hydraulic system used to guide a vehicle without assistance from a pilot. Modern autopilots use computer software to control the aircraft. The software reads the choppers current position, and then controls a Flight Control System to guide the chopper. According to Tyagi Committee Report the ill fated chopper was on auto pilot mode since 09:20:46 (eight minutes before crash) “At 09:20:46 IST there was a callout to reduce the speed. Subsequently there was inter-crew talk that whether any thing will happen below 40kts. At 09:21:07 IST they encountered the snag of transmission oil. Thereafter they got engaged in finding out the procedure in the checklist for the transmission oil pressure but were not able to find it. At 09:27: 25 IST there was a callout regarding the Autopilot. Probably it had tripped and was re-engaged. The autopilot would trip if the speed falls below 50 kts.
Thus it appears they had reduced the speed to 40 kts” Normally when chopper in auto pilot mode its not possible to reduce the speed. To override the autopilot, a crew member has to disengage the system, either by flipping a power switch or, if that doesn’t work, by pulling the autopilot circuit breaker. Autopilots can and do fail. A common problem is some kind of servo failure, either because of a bad motor or a bad connection. A position sensor can also fail, resulting in a loss of input data to the autopilot computer. Even though the auto pilot was in control at the time of crash the committee did not give any information on its performance. But found fault with the performance of the pilots.
Auto pilot failures:
On 20 January 1992, Air Inter Flight 148 crashed in the Vosges Mountains, near Mont Sainte-Odile, while circling to land at Strasbourg Airport. 87 of the 96 onboard were killed. Flight 148 crashed because the pilots inadvertently left the autopilot set in Vertical Speed mode (instead of Flight Path Angle mode) then entered “33” for “3.3° descent angle”, which the autopilot interpreted as a descent rate of 3,300 feet (1,000m) per minute. The Airbus A330 which crashed at Toulouse on June 1994 during a test flight, lost directional control when its speed dropped dramatically after it was pitched up under autopilot control. In 2009, the Airbus 330 left Rio de Janeiro and was flying at 35,000 feet (10668 meters) when the co-pilots decided to make a slight turn to the left in an attempt to navigate around an area of turbulence. Just two minutes after executing the turn, the autopilot and auto-thrust disengaged. The flight crashed into the Atlantic falling at 10,912 feet (3300 meters) per minute, under mysterious circumstances, 228 people killed. At the time of the event, the two co-pilots were seated in the cockpit and the captain was resting. Several experts claim that the deactivation of the autopilot could have been caused by the icing up of the air speed probes, known as pitots.
Sudden fall:
The Tyagi Committee report says “The crew got so engrossed with the observed snag and neglected the weather ahead and experienced severe down draught; sudden loss of height and impacted the ground. In spite of repeated callouts from Co-pilot during the last 14 seconds to “Go Around”, the Pilot-in-command could not act apparently due to incapacitation.”One aviation expert says on unanimous condition that “when a helicopter plunging towards earth with a speed of ten thousand feet/minute how can an experienced co-pilot shouts GO AROUND ? In many fatal crashes pilots in last movement make panic calls like MAY DAY…MAY DAY…WE ARE FALLING.. WEAREFALLING… OOO.. GOD… MY… GOD… etc.” He feels that co- pilot may shout GOROUND ..GO ROUND…due to technical problem of transmission oil pressure.If problems like this arise pilots try to solve with thehelp of in-flight manuals, if they fail to rectify they try safe landing at the nearest facility. “In that context only the co-pilot may scream GO AROUND” he says. Small discrepancies in Committee Report : Here also there are small discrepancies in Tyagi Report. At one place they report that “ At 09:27:24 IST (36 seconds before crash - CVR stopped at 09:28 IST) there were repeated callouts from Co-pilot to “Go Around” indicating emergency situation”. In another part they mentioned that “In spite of repeated callouts from Co-pilot during the last 14 seconds to “Go Around”, the Pilot-in-command could not act apparently due to incapacitation” . In another page the committee mentioned that “Crew was aware of the poor weather conditions on the route . The Co-pilot also did not advise the PIC to return or divert to the nearest location”
On one hand the report concluded that there was no failure in the flight control system components in air. The failure in these components was instantaneous and would have occurred during impact of the helicopter on ground. On the other hand same committee mentioned about significant snags in transmission oil pressure. Before the crash pilot & co-pilot struggled to rectify that snag. According to CVR conversations the two spent nearly six minutes to avoid this snag. But committee mocked their efforts. The chopper also faced unexpected disengagement of auto pilot system. Some times this snag also proved fatal. The committee also identified a significant amount of what appeared to be finely shredded vegetative matter.
Vegetative matter?
Tyagi Committee report clearly mentioned that “Boroscope inspection of the combustor section (via the fuel spray nozzle port) revealed no obvious signs of failure or combustion anomalies. The combustor contained a significant amount of what appeared to be finely shredded vegetative matter. There was no metal spatter or other evidence of compressor failure.” Combustion area - Burns the fuel and produces high-pressure, high-velocity gas. The Committee mentioned about finely shredded vegetative matter, but never bothers to explain how this matter entered the combustor. Its effect on the helicopter performance. Committee did not explain whether this vegetative matter came into the combustor after the crash or prior to the crash. Some experts say that there is no scope for vegetative matter to enter by chance unless someone deliberately put in aviation fuel.
Locked Rotors:
Tyagi Committee also mentioned in their report that “Both the N1 and N2 rotor systems were locked and could not be turned by hand.” But they could not give any reasons for that locking. If any one asks about it the committee members might say that due to sudden impact rotor systems were locked. Here also aviation experts are expressing doubts. They are saying that due to fall of transmission oil pressure , there is a chance, rotor systems may get locked. In such situations pilots lose their control on chopper, falls on earth with rapid speed. The ill fated Bell helicopter fell on earth with a descent rate of approx. 237 ft. /sec or 14,200 ft./min.
Transmission oil pressure system failure:
It’s obvious that Tyagi committee & CBI have not given much needed attention to the crucial technical problem of transmission oil pressure system failure. I am calling it a crucial problem because this same problem caused nearly 15 fatal helicopter accidents around world killing nearly 45 people. Even US FAA (Federal Aviatio Administration), worlds leading aviation accidents investigation authority confirmed that snag in transmission oil pressure system is one of the major reasons for fatal helicopter accidents in the world. Russian built the Sikorsky S-92 considered as “safest helicopter in the world”. But US FAA rejected its safety record because this world’s safest helicopter occasionally facing snags in transmission oil pressure.
On 12 March 2009, at 0917 Newfoundland , a Cougar Helicopters’ Sikorsky S-92A crashed. 16 persons on board were dead. Reason for this crash was transmission oil pressure system problem. Ten minutes after the red MGB OIL PRES warning, the loss of lubricant caused a catastrophic failure of the tail take-off pinion, which resulted in the loss of drive to the tail rotor shafts. Probe committee later discovered that “Both rotor systems were locked and could not be turned by hand.” Same thing happened to YSR’s ill fated bell-430 helicopter also. In 1978 a Canadian CHI91 crashed with same technical problem. The flight data recorder (FDR) registered that the main gearbox (MGB) oil pressure started decreasing from its normal range which is between 45 psi to 70 psi. Within approximately 1 second, the amber MGB OIL PRES caution message, indicating low MGB oil pressure, appeared momentarily before extinguishing due to the illumination of the red MGB OIL PRES warning message. The illumination of the red MGB OIL PRES warning message was accompanied by the aural warning: “GEARBOX PRESSURE…GEARBOX PRESSURE”.
Five minutes later chopper crashed, all 6 members on board dead. The ill fated bell-430 helicopter also reported almost the same problem for six minutes before its crash. On 27 July 2010 a Bell 412 also encountered the Transmission oil pressure problem. When alert light came ON, crosschecked with the oil pressure gauge and found oil pressure at 30 psi and dropping. The pilot immediately took over the controls and reduced power to approx 45%, commenced descent to 500 ft and turned towards the nearest landing site available & force landed his chopper. In 1998an Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed in the mountains of Colorado during a routine training mission. All six soldiers aboard were rescued, two with serious injuries. Reason for this crash was also transmission oil pressure system problem. Somewhat recently, instruments of a Boeing CH -47 Chinook helicopter of the U.S.
Army indicated, while in flight, that there was a low oil pressure in the main mechanical transmission system. Once the Chinook was on ground and while attending to this warning, maintenance crew in charge of checking the lubrication pump and flow system discovered the presence of metal chips in the sump of the transmission gearbox. The presence of these chips was hindering adequate oil flow and was the cause of the instrumentation alarm. Obviously, the presence of these metal shavings was indicative of damage to mechanical parts of the chopper. They may lead to a sudden crash. According to a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board, the Duke Life Flight helicopter that crashed Oct. 16, 2000 had undergone a transmission overhaul just three days and 3.5 flight hours prior to the accident.
And despite a warning light indicating low transmission oil pressure, a mechanic, employed by Corporate Jets, Inc. of Pittsburgh, cleared the helicopter for takeoff. About one minute after takeoff and 1.3 miles from its initial location at Alamance Regional Medical Center, the helicopter-a sevenyear-old Euro copter Twin star-crashed through some branches hit the ground and burst into flames. Rolls Royce the manufacturer of bell-430 helicopter engines also admitted that low transmission oil pressure is one of the reasons for helicopter crashes around the world. To prevent this problem Rolls Royce suggested some safety measures. It says “If any oil is leaking from the transmission side of the Top Fan Drive Pulley or if the pulley can be made to move or rock in/out or in a horizontal or vertical plane, DO NOT FLY THE HELICOPTER UNTIL THE CAUSE HAS BEEN DETERMINED. WE REPEAT – Do not fly the CHOPPER! It may be that the fan drive gear or its support bearings are stuffed. CHECK THE ENGINE OIL PRESSURE FILTER FOR MAGNETIC METAL CONTAMINATION.
The transmission oil pressure indicator light goes on if transmission oil pressure is inadequate and when the transmission is static. When the engine is started, the light should go out within 35 seconds after the cranking cycle is started. If the light goes on during operation, stop the engine immediately, observing the proper procedures described in the section “Normal Procedures”. While on flying, if the transmission oil pressure indicator light goes on first reduce the speed and try to rectify the snag with the help of emergency checklist or with the Flight Manual. If problem persists try to have safe landing as early as possible.” Here our ill fated bell-430 Chopper Co- pilot tries to rectify the snag with the help of flight manual. They don’t have the facility of safe landing because they are flying over a densely forest and inclement weather conditions. If the pilots did not try to rectify that snag , Tyagi Committee may also blame for their inaction. In spite of their timely action the committee blamed them of wasting time by searching flight manuals and ignoring the bad weather. Apparently the report was evasive, diverting and conflicting. While more care has to be taken in the case of YSR’s security at least enough has not been done about his death.
Reliance and YSR
The YSR Congress party is taking full advantage of the recent Comptroller and Auditor General’s report indicting the Reliance Industries Limited for resorting to major irregularities in gas exploration in the off shore of Krishna-Godavari basin in Bay of Bengal. YSRCP official spokesman Ambati Rambabu asserted that what the CAG had pointed out in its report now was already raised by former Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy way back in 2007 in his letter to the Centre. “People are suspecting that it was because YSR was questioning the Reliance scandal, the latter had hatched a conspiracy to eliminate him,” he said. Rambabu demanded a full-fledged probe into a probable link between the Reliance scandal and YSR’s death in a helicopter crash. “Several doubts were raised in the past on the alleged role of Ambanis in YSR’s death. But the Centre did not bother to inquire into that and tried to hush up the case under pressure from Reliance,” he alleged.
Tyagi’s report has ruled out the sabotage theory, then why didn’t they concentrate further on technical snag that was detected? What could be the reasons of that sudden technical snag? Was the Visual Flight Rules disobeyed? The last but not least is that the details in cockpit voice recorder aren’t produced till date! Actually, a TV channel tried to convey what was recorded in cockpit recorder just a few days after YSR’s chopper crash. It has mentioned that YSR shouted loudly and also scolded pilot ….but after a while there was no scrolling on the channel. What is the reason behind that? Is some one or some government department asked them to stop that programme . Why YSR scolds pilot? That is another doubt. Why Central government is keeping mum and down playing on these conspiracy theories? Why AP Government is not revealing CBI report that was submitted on elicopter’s crash? If it is really due to bad weather and malfunction of helicopter, Central government should order an enquiry with two independent international aviation expert consultancies to bring the reality in front 1.2 billion people of India.
Cockpit voice recorder-Flight data recorder
Cockpit voice recorder (CVR), often referred to as a “black box”, is flight recorder used to record the audio environment in the flight deck of an aircraft or helecoptor for the purpose of investigation of accidents and incidents. This is typically achieved by recording the signals of the microphones and earphones of the pilots headsets and of an area microphone in the roof of the cockpit. A standard CVR is capable of recording 4 channels of audio data for a period of 2 hours. The original requirement was for a CVR to record for 30 minutes, but this has been found to be insufficient in many cases, significant parts of the audio data needed for a subsequent investigation having occurred more than 30 minutes before the end of the recording.
flight data recorder (FDR) (also ADR, for accident data recorder) is an electronic device employed to record any instructions sent to any electronic systems on an aircraft. It is a device used to record aircraft performance parameters. Most FDRs record approximately 17–25 hours worth of data in a continuous loop. The exterior of the FDR is coated with heatresistant bright orange paint for high visibility in wreckage, and the unit is usually mounted in the aircraft’s empennage (tail section), where it is more likely to survive a severe crash. Following an accident, the recovery of the FDR is usually a high priority for the investigating body, as analysis of the recorded parameters can often detect and identify causes or contributing factors.
