http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2006-06/02/content_4635748.htm
http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2006-06/02/content_4635748_1.htm
(It’s on the official Xin Hua news site, so it must be true.)
29 May 2006:
A PLAN East Sea Fleet helo had main rotor blade trouble and made emergency landing, in southeastern China.
At 09:21, a flight of three heloes took off, flown by group commander Liu, wing commander Wu, and squadron commander Ni.
After 10 minutes of formation flying, at 500′ ASL, they arrived in the designated area.
At 09:32, Wu’s number two began to shake, he and his crew heard an ear-piercing noise, and it became hard to maintain control.
Number three reported debris fell from the main rotor of number two.
Wu asked number one and was authorised to leave the formation and RTB.
Although hard to control and may crash-land anytime, Wu decided to not ditch the helo.
To avoid flying over city and civilian areas, it didn’t fly straight to home base, and flew along the coast.
At 09:48, three klicks from home base, with runway in sight, it descended faster and shook harder.
At 09:50, it landed on runway. 18 minutes after the trouble began.
(IMO: Instead of RTB, it could’ve flown to the nearest clearing and landed, to minmise the danger to it, its crew, and the fellow citizens on the ground.
For example, the JGSDF has tens of designated landing zones in parks, &c, outside their bases, marked in their maps and briefed to their rotorheads. OTOH, the US heloes in Japan just land in the first beach/construction site/golf course/parking lot/school yard/whatever they see, when they are not crashing into universities.)
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