Helicopter Check Ride Part 9 Tail Rotors Can Kill You

Aug 14, 2017

Helicopter Check Ride Part 9 Tail Rotors Can Kill You

Chapter 9: Safety Notice SN-17

SN-17 NEVER EXIT HELICOPTER WITH ENGINE RUNNING

        If you are one of those people that think accidents only happen to the other person, I am here to tell you that is the wrong state of mind to have. They can happen to anybody! They can even happen on a beautiful day when everything is going exactly as planned.

 This brings us to a very important topic I want to cover; never exit the helicopter with the engine running. One of our members just sent me an email today. He was upset, and said, "I just lost a friend and one of my instructors because he left the helicopter while the engine was running. Please teach your students to never leave the helicopter until the engine is out and the blades come to a full stop!"

      I am going to give you three reasons:

 Robinson's Safety Notice Number 17: Never Exit the Helicopter with the Engine Running

 When a helicopter is running and it is unattended, anything can happen. The collective can creep up, the pitch and the throttle increase, and the helicopter can lift up and/or roll out of control. This can get people hurt or killed.

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Helicopter Check Ride Part 9 Tail Rotors Can Kill You

Overconfidence:

 People get brave, and cocky, and think nothing bad is going to happen to them. Then all hell breaks loose and it is happening to you.

 Robinson's Safety Notice Number 23: Walking into Tail Rotor Can Be Fatal

      I know a fellow CFI that this happened to. He landed and somebody came walking up, walked into the tail rotor.

      Another example is of a mechanic I know. Very experienced, and a great mechanic that is sent all over the world to work on helicopters. One day he was doing some tracking, the blades spinning, and he turned to pick up a tool. When he turned around, there was the tail rotor right in his face. He almost goofed, and he knew better, he was trained better, and he still almost did it.

      A third instance happened right here in Indiana a few years ago. It was a crew member on an aircraft. The crew member was trained, and they knew better. They landed at a helipad, and it is a helipad I have landed at many times. This person exited the aircraft, got hit in the head with the main rotor, and was fatally wounded.

      For five years, I flew helicopter EMS, and I worked for a great company called Omni Flight Helicopters. We were not allowed to exit the aircraft until the blades were done moving. We were not kids, we were not students; we were experienced pilots, and they did not allow us to get out with the blades moving.

Helicopter Check Ride Part 9 Tail Rotors Can Kill You

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