Fuel Spill and Near Miss!

The Squirrel that came into view was slinging a load and it seemed to be having a hell of a bad time with the load to be honest. The load was fuel drums hanging off a thirty meter sling and appeared to be a little uncooperative as they swung around and backwards and forwards. With each swing it seemed to get worse for the helicopter and appeared as though the 700 odd kilos under the helicopter were doing the driving. Precariously it kept rocking as the helicopter jolted around attempting to get the load under control.

Below is the site where the drums hit, you can see how smashed up they are!

It got to the point where the pilot feared for his own safety and jettisoned the load while some couple of hundred meters in the air almost instantly stabilising the helicopter back into control and a sigh of relief could be felt by all concerned as the 600 litres of SAB (special Antarctic Blend) sailed through the air unaccompanied by the helicopter. Looking on in total bewilderment we watched as the drums burst on impact with the ground and exploded fuel and drums lids in three different directions. Lids went flying over 50 metres from the impact site and the drums were literally flattened to the ground just like a tin can that has been jumped on after the ends are removed. The tangled mess of drums and sling cables was still almost as fast as it was airborne. This is really not something that I hope to ever see again out on a bushwalk!

 

 Above is a close up of what the fuel looks likem when it is floating on the surface of the water. Below you can see what the large booms look like when they are employed onto the surface of the water. These are fuel absorbant and float where the fuel is likely to gather.