My God, how often does this happen?

Several years ago, and executive from an insurance company was killed during the Indy 500 when he was struck by the main rotor of the company helicopter he had just arrived in.

 

Could this have been the tail rotor? I'm not a helicopter type but I suppose that it hinges on what type of chopper and how low the main rotor is when it is at idle. Bad incident.

 

Sadly, they're not uncommon. I did a quick Google search and found two incidents in the past two months. Even slow-moving blades have enough momentum to kill.

 

I remember a story from maybe 10 years ago where a Latin American pop star got off a helicopter and was waving arms in the air at the fans who were gathered. Chop chop off go the hands.

In all seriousness watching prop/rotor arcs and intake danger areas is a HUGE thing in the military. Doesn't matter if the engines are off and the plane is in the hanger you build the habit pattern so it's absolutely locked into your brain.

 

I was scared **** when I had to de-bus from the two turning CH-46 Chinook. The helicopter CC did not have to repeat the method on how to walk away from the ramp.

 

I read in the newspaper years ago, the California Highway Patrol helicopter spotted trouble down in a remote area on a highway. The pilot set the bird down to help. What he couldn't gauge was the rise of the shoulder up to the road. And if you can already guess what happened next, as he walked up, the main rotor blade took out a small section of the back of his head, died instantly.

It's difficult to believe as most main rotors are high, any of the turbine rotaries are past 6 feet high. As Mark said, it pays to be careful every single time.

VietNam - My dad was stationed at an Air Force Base and recalled witnessing a gruesome accident. The South Vietnamese Army were operating Chinook's in and out of the base. One day, a Chinook came in for landing and the rotor wash swept up a one of the SVA ground crew standing too close up into the main rotors. Sliced him in half.

 

Some years back I remember a helicopter incident where they had to make a forced landing, on of the passengers jumped out of the chopper after it had landed-he jumped up that was the end of him. Think it was in the Carmel Monterey area in CA, they we visiting a RE development site.

 

A few years ago I was driving along in the country and my passenger fired off a paralysing back-door blast with their trouser-trumpet, and to let the resultant odour out I opened my window while we were moving along at speed.
Immediately my hat blew off and headed for the window. Instinctively my hand shot up to grab it, and whilst I was successful in saving the hat, I broke my finger by bashing it into the window frame. It bloody hurt!

The point is, sometimes the instinctive reaction can have your hands etc. shooting upwards before you've had time to think.
If there happens to be a helicopter blade spinning above you at that time, it probably won't end well.

.

 

Happens often unfortunately, but usually to people unfamiliar with aircraft. I see owner/pilots giving rides and switching passengers without shutting down. Seems silly to walk into a prop, but if you don't know any better it can happen in an instant.

 

Holy cow...that looked surreal since it was a film set, but what a terrible way to go. After seeing that clip, I read more about the accident and apparently those two children that died as well were not legally allowed to be on set (children can't be working on film sets at night per law back then and they were paid under the table).

 

This is exactly what happened to Al Holbert of IMSA driver/ team owner fame... In his plane, door pops open during ascent, instinctively reaches to close and wind blows his arm into the prop. Died of blood loss while trying to land. Just terrible.

I spoke with Kevin Doran about the incident years ago, in hindsight they wished he had a door net like racecars have....



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First a chinook is a ch-47, phrogs ch-46's aft rotor is 16 feet at the tip cap it can not drop enough while turning to hit you but the front rotor can. Wind can cause this but usually it's on shut down that The danger is there, fwd rotor is at 11 feet but it can droop lower. Especially if the droop stops fail.

 

Depends what kind of chopper/where you are in relation to the helicopter. I have plenty of room when I go underneath the rotor disc, but I always duck. You never know if a part may fail, the pilot may knock the cyclic, or a freak gust of wind may whip up. When we do safety briefings, we make sure to let people know that walking in the 3-9 o'clock area of the aircraft is strictly prohibited and that hands must remain no higher than their head. We make sure that they take the hats off, as well.

This death is sad, but the pilot broke a golden rule that any veteran pilot should have stamped into his memory. RIP.

 

You might reach the prop with your hand if you stretch. Even though you talked to Kevin I think it was determined his injuries happened during the crash. There wasn't enough time to die from blood loss in the air either. But, you can fly the plane with the door open, that in itself doesn't cause a loss of control in the Aerostar.

 

we had a 'near-miss' on a crew a-star working in northern Canada, the bird was shut down, and rotor was slowed right down, but still turning, crew man thought was safer being engine off, and rotor 'appeared' slowly turning, but didn't realize that the rotors droop, and do so at the slower rotation speed, the blade tips were lower as a result, he was wearing hardhat still (which usually must be removed and carried on/off board), blade tip hit his hard hat, and gave him the warning needed to immediately back off his approach - could have been a more serious incident!

 

Bloody things try to kill you while you are flying and even when they are shut off. Hats off to rotary pilots.

 

When I was a new member of a flight line crew I made the mistake of saluting a lieutenant and got a royal chewing out. " You DO NOT salute anybody on the flight line when there are engines running and rotating props!"
One of the kids lost part of his left ear pulling the chocks one day. He yanked on it, fell backwards and somehow only lost some cartilage instead of his shoulder. That was a hard one to figure out.