Air Accident Brief--Midair Collision Northwest of Ponyville
Air Accident Brief--Midair Collision Northwest of Ponyville
Admiral Biscuit
Accident No: AAB-PZ-04-1003 A.N.M.M.
Accident Type: Midair collision
Location: One mile NW of Ponyville
Date and Time: 82nd day of Spring, 1003, about ½ hour after sunset
Vehicle 1: Pedal-powered helicopter
Vehicle 2: Pegasus-pulled cargo wagon
Injuries: 2 uninjured, 1 minor, 1 serious
Accident Description
Just before sunset, the pedal-powered helicopter departed from Ponyville for a brief air tour of Ponyville, with the pilot as the sole occupant. It took a northward course from the pilot's residence, heading in the general direction of the accident site.
Meanwhile, a pegasus-pulled moving van was unloading a cloudowner's belongings at her residence. Due to rain earlier in the day, they had gotten a late start, and were still unloading the wagon. Upon finishing, the crew secured the cargo doors on the wagon, then set a course back to Ponyville, where they intended to leave the wagon overnight.
Shortly after the wagon's departure, it was struck by the helicopter. The helicopter's main rotor struck the left rear wheel of the wagon and suffered catastrophic rotor damage, causing it to plummet uncontrollably to the ground, striking several clouds on the way down.
The pilot was able to evacuate her craft and parachuted to safety, although she suffered some minor injuries from flying debris and the hasty evacuation of her stricken craft.
The two-pony team pulling the moving van were uninjured in the collision; their supervisor, who was behind and below them, was struck by a large piece of debris torn free in the collision, and fell, unconscious, to a nearby cloud.
Wreckage Information
The investigating team recovered the remains of the helicopter. Due to the extensive collision damage, it was unable to be determined if the mechanical systems were operative at the time of the accident; however, close laboratory examination of the critical mechanical systems revealed no evidence of pre-existing damage to the flight controls. The fractured rotor blades showed damage consistent with striking an object, and no defects were found in the airframe. Navigation lanterns were found with the wreckage.
The wagon was impounded and inspected on the ground; aside from the loss of half of one of its wheels, it was undamaged. The navigation lanterns were found, stowed, in a forward compartment on the wagon.
Helicopter Pilot
The helicopter pilot stated that she was experienced with her helicopter. Although it was of her own design, she claimed that she had flown it hundreds of times with no problems, and her neighbors corroborated that statement, indicating that she typically flew once a day if the weather was clear. She stated that she would not fly if she knew storms were scheduled.
She stated that she had gotten a full night's sleep before the accident, and described her health as 'excellent.' She did not take any medications and was not being treated for any illnesses.
On the day of the accident, she got up shortly after sunrise, and spent most of the day working on her farm. She said that she ate a late lunch, since she intended to go flying before dark. About a half-hour before her departure, she said that she got her helicopter out of her barn and said that she inspected it and carefully lubricated all the moving parts. Her last task before flight was to place her navigation lanterns.
Haul Pegasi
The two haul pegasi were both mares who lived in a cloud apartment southwest of Ponyville. They stated that they went to the Supervisor's house to pick up the wagon, and then towed it on hoof to a spot near the work site, since it was raining at the time. They said that the supervisor did not like to load or unload the wagon in the rain, due to the risk of its contents being damaged, and due to the possibility of static discharge.
They both napped in a tree until the rain stopped, then fastened themselves to the wagon and went to the first work site, which was a cloud apartment northwest of the city.
They stated that they had just left their second work site and were intending to return home when the accident occurred. The left-side mare stated that she was unaware of the collision before it occurred; the right-side mare stated that she had looked back just before the accident and saw the helicopter, but that the collision happened before she could give warning.
Neither of the haul pegasi were aware that the wagon had navigation lights aboard, nor did they understand the purpose of the hooks on the corners and roof peak.
Supervisor
The supervisor said that he was at the work site when the haul pegasi arrived with the wagon. He had three more pegasi with him that he had hired to help load and unload the wagon at both jobsites. None of them were present when the accident occurred.
He stated that he had left his place of business early in order to find pegasi who would help him after the scheduled rain, and to finalize arrangements with the cloudowner. He saw the helicopter about ten minutes before the collision and pointed it out to his temporary workers; after that, he did not pay attention to it.
When asked about the lack of navigation lights on the wagon, he said he never used them because they were “dumb,” and because he felt that “any competent pegasus would see the wagon and not run into it.”
Emergency Response
After the collision, the haul team reported seeing the sole occupant of the helicopter leap from her aircraft and parachute to safety, but they could not locate the supervisor. Not wanting to be hampered in their search by the wagon, they flew it to the ground and then unhitched from it, before resuming their search. They located the supervisor, unconscious, on a cloud.
Meanwhile, the cloudowner had called for help, and when the pegasus rescue brigade arrived, they quickly located the haul team, who had been attending the injured supervisor.
The pilot and a local farmer both put out small fires around the wreckage of her aircraft—caused by the navigation lanterns—and then the pilot walked to Ponyville to seek medical treatment for her minor injuries.
Exclusions
The weather at the time was clear, although visibility was diminished due to nightfall. Both the wagon and the helicopter were in good mechanical condition. The haul team was familiar with their equipment, and noted no exceptions during the day. Likewise, the pilot was familiar with her craft and reported no mechanical problems before the collision. Nopony reported falling ill, and nopony had any known pre-existing medical conditions which might have contributed to the accident. The rescue attempt was timely and effective.
Discussion
As the number of aircraft increase, so too does the potential for accidents. All airponies—whether they are flying by means of their own wings or some making—must exercise caution when airborne, making sure that the environment around them is safe to fly in. Extra caution must be taken when visibility is limited for any reason.
It is for that reason that the board has recommended time and time again the establishment of aerial zones. The sky is not the exclusive province of the pegasi any more; behaving like it is only increases the probability of a tragic accident. While in this case, nopony was fatally injured, if the helicopter had struck the front of the wagon or had the pilot not been wearing a parachute, this accident could have ended far differently.
The board also notes that the moving company in question has a spotty safety record; besides the supervisor's apparent disdain for navigation lights, he has also been cited in the past for accidentally dropping cargo on ponies on the ground. The board must once again state that falling objects not only pose a risk for pegasi, but also for ponies on the ground.
Probable Cause
The accident was caused by the supervisor failing to place navigation lights on his wagon, as required by law. Contributing to the accident were the pilot's decision to fly close to a cloudhome near dusk, and the haul team's lack of awareness of the requirement for navigation lights.
Recommendations
The board reiterates that it is required for all airborne equipment to display navigation lights from one hour before sunset to one hour after sunrise.
The board recommends that all airborne machines should stay at least a thousand feet away from any cloud structure whenever possible.
The board recommends that all aerodromes have a clear-air requirement above them, with a half-mile radius in all directions. This will help ensure the safety of pilots and pegasi.
Stats
Page generated in 0.034 seconds
Total duration
1,073 users online
1,880,816 hits today, 2,561,572 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Welp, it reads just like an NTSB report.
But what was the executive finding?
img00.deviantart.net/9b98/i/2014/341/e/a/scootaloo_flys_a_huey_by_hillbe-d891l3o.jpg
6578434
The briefs don't always have an Executive Finding, just a probable cause (and I changed one of my headings to reflect that). I printed a copy of HAB-0219 Motorcoach run-off-the-road as an exemplar report for structure.
Glad it felt like a NTSB brief (for better or worse).
6578475
I don't think I'd trust Scoots to fly a helicopter.
Incidentally, have you read Scootaloo buys a Jetpack?
Welp that's probably cause for him to get fired if it's anything like traffic standards here in the states.
And I thought for a while that the helicopter pilot was Pinkie Pie...
What would the investigators make of her, I wonder?
...i have a feeling the report and its actions will cause more confusion:
C'mon Clear Skies, you know i can't fly if Cloudy Skies is around! Oh? It meant the weather? Ok, but i still need Air Clearance......What?!
Gosh, half a mile radius for all aircraft? At the low speeds they would be traveling that's a little excessive, no?
Why does a flying wagon have wheels? I guess you can use it only the ground as well but I'd have thought most of them would be one use or the other.
6578559
He owns the company, so he's safe from being fired.
One thing that isn't well covered in the show is how Equestria's civil courts work. Although it isn't in the report (because it isn't the kind of detail the NTSB covers in their reports), he did have to pay restitution to Cherry Berry for her helicopter, since his inaction caused the accident.
6578854
Given all the other monsters and magic in Equestria, they might have some very interesting accident reports, with rather unusual findings.
6578913
img08.deviantart.net/a263/i/2015/115/7/b/just_a_thought_by_filpapersoul-d8r284a.png
An interesting detail to put in a story would be if the ponies have some way of distinguishing between a pony name and something else that sounds the same. My thought would be that they could use body language to convey 'this is a pony's name.'
6579185
Better to be safe than sorry. Especially if you have student pilots experimenting. Especially since the ponies seem to have some rudimentary commercial aviation, as well as well-intentioned but probably not expert hobbyists.
6579293
So it can be pulled on the ground when it's not needed in the air. As I recall, all the flying wagons we've seen thus far have had wheels.
6585100
Actually, yeah, for fun.
That read absolutely like a genuine accident report. Well done!
6665035
Thanks!
Wait, not Pinkie? O.o You got me.
9161907
It’s canon that Cherry Berry has a pedal-powered helicopter, and (I think) that it had lights on it.
derpicdn.net/img/view/2014/4/5/593430__safe_screencap_cherry+berry_twilight+sparkle_testing+testing+1-dash-2-dash-3_alicorn_all+new_animated_aviator+hat_debate+in+the+comments_female.gif
Cherry Berry, with her ballon and helicopter, has the heart of a pegasus.
11384549
Yes, she does.
Ooooh. I was sure it was Pinkie
I'm not 100% on the FiM series, is Cherry Berry a known aviator or could this report be from the Changeling Space Program universe?
11456040
Cherry Berry is a known aviator (aviatrix if you wanna be fancy [that's a female aviator]). She's got a pedal-powered helicopter in canon:
derpicdn.net/img/view/2018/10/11/1853674.gif
And she's also often piloting the hot air balloon or else towing it around.
derpicdn.net/img/view/2018/4/15/1708396.gif
Also, I totally published a story about Cherry Berry as a pilot before Kris Overstreet did
- MLP: FiM
- Slice of Life
Cherry Berry's first flight attempt