On 30/03/2013 12:52, bert wrote:
In message , Nightjar
writes
On 29/03/2013 13:10, bert wrote:
In message
,
harry writes
On Mar 28, 8:23 pm, bert ] wrote:
...
Yes I wonder what the legal position would be if a civilian SAR
crewman
was forced to make the awful decision to abandon his winchman to
save
the aircraft. Sea Kings have a hydraulically operated axe next to the
cable for this purpose. It's not something which happens very often
but
it is not unknown. Maybe civilian pilots would stay further away from
such risky situations.
--
bert

It is there to cut the cable if it gets snagged on some ground thing
like a tree.
Not for "abandoning the winchman".

Same difference if he happens to be on the end of it

Not really. He will still be attached to something, even if it is the
superstructure of a sinking ship, and can be rescued, probably by the
Lifeboat if that has happened.

Colin Bignell

They don't have life boats at the bottom of mountainous cliff faces,
which was the location of the last misfortune - that I am aware of.

Indeed, but I did specify the condition that he was attached to the
superstructure of a sinking ship. For an inland cliff face it would be
the mountain rescue team instead or, if close enough to one of their
bases, the Coastguard cliff rescue team.

Colin Bignell