The Cargo Hook

 

         
Boeing CH-47 Center Cargo Hook on 90-00183.

         
Above and below, the Boeing CH-47 Center Cargo Hook.

          Trivia:    What do you suppose that hole in the Cargo Hook Beam is for?
               (It's the big yellow thing shown above that supports the cargo hook.)
               Email us and let us know what you think.

 

 

         
The Center Cargo Hook on Chinook 90-00183.

 

 

         
The Forward Cargo Hook on Chinook 90-00183.

         
The Boeing CH-47D Forward Cargo Hook installed on 90-00183.

 

 

         

 

 

          The Dangers of Slinging It

 

 

         
An improperly handled center cargo hook.

         
   The wrong way to handle a CH-47 Center Cargo Hook - it will rotate even further up and forward, but will damage the manual release cable which can lead to lost loads and disastrous consequences.

 

 

             What you don't know about the center cargo hook can cause your forward and aft hooks to open...

 

 

          Issue Number One:

 

          - You may not be using it quite right ! -

 

             In the Chinook community there have been several Class B accidents involving the center cargo hook when the forward and aft hooks are being used for tandem load operations. Some crewmembers are rotating the center cargo hook up inside the aircraft to allow better viewing of both the forward and aft hooks. This action has caused two different problems resulting in tandem loads being jettisoned.

   The first problem occurred when the center cargo hook was rotated up inside the aircraft and placed on the floor out of the way, with the manual release handle in the UP position in accordance with the Operators Manual. As the center cargo hook was lowered back into its normal position it made contact with the manual release handle, causing both forward and aft hooks to open, jettisoning the external load.

   The second problem occurred when the manual release cable was stretched when the center hook was rotated up into the aircraft and placed on the floor. This action caused the cable to separate from the crimped end of the cable housing, and as the manual release handle was lowered into its normal position the cable didn't reset itself into the cable housing. Without the crimped end of the cable actually being "crimped", this caused the forward and aft cargo hooks to inadvertently release the external load.

   Rotating the center cargo hook up into the aircraft onto the floor is not authorized. The hook may be rotated to allow for load hook-up and/or inspection, but should never be rotated past vertical.

 

 

          Issue Number Two:

 

          - Problems in the Overhead. -

 

         
         
         

 

             A combination of problems discovered inside the cockpit overhead console in recent years has yielded some interesting surprises. Be it water intrusion from multiple sources, or wires chaffing on nearby components, several lost loads have resulted from the inadvertent opening of the cargo hooks, quite to the crew's astonishment.

 

 

         

 

 

          - Something to help out the Crew -

 

             Get your hands on some Plexiglas and manufacture a cover for your center cargo hook hole. It protects the crewmember while calling a load. Really useful in dusty, sandy or snowy environments.

 

         
Center Cargo Hook Hole Plexiglas Cover.

 

          Click-N-Go Here for a larger photograph (1025 x 808 - 423 Kb).

 

 

         

 

 

          - How Does It Work? -

 

 

         
CH-47 Center Cargo Hook in the closed position.

 

         
CH-47 Center Cargo Hook in the Hydraulically (Normal Operation) opened position.

 

         
CH-47 Center Cargo Hook in the Emergency Release position.

 

 

 

 

          Related Sites

 

          Sling Loads

 

 

          The CH-47 - 40 years old and still circling the world.

         

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