Cyclone response, roof plant and debris, Townsville
Emergency removal of failed roof plant and delivery of temporary generators 36 hours after a category three crossing.
PA-2440 · Townsville industrial precinct · 2023-02-04
The constraint
Why this lift needed a helicopter
Access roads were cut by floodwater and debris for more than a week.
Failed rooftop units were a falling hazard over an occupied loading dock.
Cold storage tenants needed temporary generation inside 48 hours or lose stock.
The lift
How it was flown
- Load weight
- 620 kg
- Aircraft
- AS350
- Line length
- 45 m
- Crew
- 8
- Exclusion zone
- 80 m
- Lift cycles
- 26
- Operations were flown from a staging area at the airport under a coordinated airspace plan.
- Damaged units were secured and flown to a ground laydown for assessment and disposal.
- Generators and fuel cells were placed beside each cold store, exactly where they were needed.
- Twelve cycles across a single flying day, 36 hours after the crossing.
The numbers
Time, cost and disruption
- Helicopter time on site
- 5.1 hrs
- Flight time
- 3.6 hrs
- Crane alternative
- Roads impassable · no crane access for 9 days
- Road closures
- 0
On site
Photos
Also filed
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