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Anyone have any good near death flying incidents?

 

I once flew over a lake in bad weather trying to get up a valley. I kept getting lower and lower until I looked out the chin bubble and saw waves moving very fast past my feet. I slowed down, flew to the shoreline, and slowly hover taxiied the rest of the way up the valley. Taught me to never fly in the middle of any body of water when the weather gets crappy. I know we still need to fly over large expanses of water sometimes but watch your altimeter and keep the finger handy on those pop outs.

 

PS-It's even worse when the water is glass still.

 

Along this water subject: Here's some cold water survival info:

_

 

Survival in cold water depends on many factors.  The temperature of the water is only one.  Others include body size, fat, and activity in the water.  Large people cool slower than small people.   Fat people cool slower that thin people.  Children cool faster than adults.

 

By swimming or treading water, a person will cool about 35 percent faster than if remaining still.  Down-proofing - the technique of staying afloat, facedown, with lungs full of air, and raising the head every 10 to 15 seconds for a breath- conserves energy, but also results in rapid heat loss through the head and neck.  This technique reduces survival time by nearly one-half in cold water.

 

An average person, wearing light clothing and a personal floatation device (PFD), may survive 2 1/2 to 3 hours in 50° F water by remaining still.  This survival time can be increased considerably by getting as far out of the water as possible and covering the head.  Getting into or onto anything that floats can save a life.

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Guest Rob L. Rouser

Yea, just last night actually.  There I was, it was cold and dark and I couldn't see a thing.  Dispatch was calling whether I could go to xyz when it was 200 ft and 1/2 mile.  I was right on the razor's edge, balancing, straining, praying.  I reached down deep, deep, deep into my experience and pulled out a "NO".  I hung up the phone and rolled over, slipping effortlessly back to sleep.

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Never know if it could have been deadly, but I hit a wire 2 years ago in a 206 that broke one pitch change link off about 3 inches from the blade. Should have lost control and went over I think. My best guess is that there was a small mark where the short piece of the link may have flipped around and lodged against the head. What is the cliche about someone watching out for fools.

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Similar story....have a friend that was flying along doing some of his brand of law enforcement one night in a place somewhere south of Key West.  He was about 800'AGL when he flew into a big kite at the end of some sport-fishing line.  The kite was black and was put there by some fun loving chaps that drive very fast boats.  Of course the line wrapped around the PC links and when the slack ran out it sqeezed breaking one off.  He was in a 206 so about now he is fresh out of luck.  Dont ask me how but he manages to get it down in some local back yard next to a clothesline (where he later hung his shorts after washing them) without hitting a thing.

My hats off to you old son.....

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  • 3 weeks later...

1987. After a heavy snowfall, I was landing at a company fuel cache in a H500D on fixed floats. The fuel pad was adjacent to a gas and propane station / restaurant, and the guy owned a hardware store next door. I approached the pad in a high hover to blow the snow away, using the building for reference. As I started the descent to the pad, a white line crept up my windscreen and I froze.

 

Dude had strung an intercom line from the gas station to the hardware store.

 

I mentioned it to him... ???

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Winter. Lots of snow. Visibility not good. Approaching to land in a 214B. Guy on the ground acting as marshaller.

Suddenly an arched line appears in the snow.

 

What happened was the the guy on the ground had been blown over by the downwash from the 214 and was on his back in the snow while the crew was thinking that he was standing upright.

 

The line in the snow?

From the main rotor blades......

 

Happy ending thanks to a quick thinking pic  :;):

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Nardoo,

 

This wouldn't happen to have been a gentleman with the initials SH in a place starting with a C, would it?  I saw the photos, he did do an amazing job getting it down as well as he did.

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  • 3 weeks later...

There right now.  Colleague collected about 100' of fishing line on the tailrotor about a month ago, didn't notice anything until after landing.  We saw over half a dozen of them in less than 5 mins. the other day.  No harm meant, just a local tradition during the period February-April.  I'll probably feel otherwise if Steve's fate befalls me too...

 

We've adjusted our minimum altitudes during this time I can tell you.

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  • 1 year later...
Guest crapduster
I was following my employer one morning in the fog, we were both in 206's it was really bad, I could not see forward at all only down through the chin glass. He was calling out to me on the radio landmarkes so that I would not run into the back of him. Then he called and said, there is a big set of cross-country wires coming up, I knew I would hit them. Instead of  going lower, I did something really stupid, I just slowed way down. When I did this it sucked the fog down underneth me, and the lights went out. I could see nothing, I was just waiting for the impact, knowing I was just seconds from death. The next thing I saw was an 18 wheeler underneath me, forgo't to mention following interstate. I landed on a turn around between the four lanes to get my nerve back to carry on and looked back and behind me was the set of cross-country wires. I don't know if I wen't over, under, or between them. Then my legs turned to jello. Fog will kill you.
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Guest crapduster
My boss come back after that and I kept visual on him and flew like that until we reached our destination. I know what you are getting at, I am 46 years old now and don't take chances like I used to. I am not afraid of dieing, it's just you are gone so long!
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I was in the middle of my PPL check ride with a FAA examiner at CBF in Iowa. The check ride could have been going alittle better, I was definitely sweating ( it's not a check ride if you are not sweating). We were using 17, a grass runway, that intersects with 13-31, a 4100ft concrete runway. The fixed wings were using 13 that day and the patteren was full so there had been alot of radio traffic. The examiner wasn't real happy with my quick stops and had decided to move on to autos. As I started to takeoff from 17 and not getting any response on the radio from any fixedwings, I assumed all was clear. We were at 40kts and 40ft about to cross 13 and thank GOD I was looking for traffic to my right. An experimental was rolling down 13 ( no radio ). I think I said something like "o sh@t, there's an airplane coming. I preformed the best quick stop of my life.

I had the same examiner for my Comm. check ride and he was still talking about it.

It's nice to get lucky once in awhile.

Fly Safe,

FarmBoy

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  • 4 months later...

My dumb ass was flying over a marine layer when we spotted a tiny hole.  I decided to descend through it, so I gave forward cyclic to increase airspeed as I began the descent.  I noticed a considerable amount of vibration and looked down to see the KIAS pegged (waaay past Vne).  I immediately pulled aft cyclic and overshot the hole.  When I lost visibility, I focused on the artificial horizon, and neglected my other instruments.  After a few seconds, the R22 got extremely quiet.  I glanced at the tachometer to see the rotor RPM pegged (120% at least).  I pulled collective and gave forward cyclic which quickly returned the RPM to normal.  Just then we descended through the bottom of the marine layer and regained visibility.  Luckily the ship was already scheduled for it's 100 hour check-up after the flight.

 

Did I mention I was in a robbie and only had 70 something hours logged?  I must say, it was a learning experience.

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Many Years ago as a 500hr Robbie pilot i was returning in company with another robbie to our home base late one afternoon, we'd been at a fair all day doing joyflights etc, it was getting late in the afternoon, we had both had enough and besides the weather was begining to look rather nasty from the south!

By the time we had packed up and got Airbourne it was blowing dogs off chains!!Low cloud and poor flying conditions, Well after speaking with ATC we decided we would take a chance at getting through the Gorge!,,

Well the Viz was Poor and so i slowed up to about 25 kts, just about then i was hit side on from my right - Huge Gust - The aircraft beggins to rotate to the right!! Fu#k i apply left pedal

and forward Cyclic in an attempt to gain forward airspeed.....

The aircraft does not respond and i begin to decend - Fu^k i'm only 100AGL over the dense tree's and rainforest- I hear the Low RPM horn! The aircraft wont respond to control imputs as i lower the collective and apply forward Cyclic.This is Going to Hurt i say to myself!

I tell my male pax to brace and i wake up in the wreakage.Wow am i dead ??

My pax walked away from the Helicopter while i remained trapped for sometime, the battery master was still on and fuel dripping into the cabin and onto my head and back.. Pheeeww i thought it was blood. i turn the battery master off! now the forrest was silent...i found myself sitting in the well underneith the now colapsed seat..my feet caught up in the pedals, most of the perspex gone and importantly the Fire Exting was laying some 20 feet ahead of me were it had shot out of its craddle.

 

Umm i thought and shouted to my passenger! quick get the yellow fire extinguiser and if it catches fire! Fu&%ing hit me over the head and knock me out! i'm not going to Burn Alive.

 

Man it was quiet! the canopy was closing over and getting dark!!

 

I remember my mobile phone and make a series of phone calls as we then await to be rescued!

I guess it was some 45minutes later when i receive a mobile phone call from the Resue bell 412 Helicopter!! We can't find you!

::pray::  I can hear them but can't see them as i guide them closer by referance to sound.

Their above us as i catch sight of the Rescue Crewman! Wow thats a long way up! we had crashed through the tree tops and had fell approx 90ft to the ground!

 

I attempted to free myself from the wrecked machine as my paz was winched into the B412.

 

Jeezz i was in pain i hurt my back and i knew it!! i was eventually winched into the Rescue Helo and given Morphine as we few got clearance to transit direct to the Hospital Heli-Pad.

 

That was many years ago, these days i fly bigger machines and thank my guardian angel that i survived and can still walk.

 

::rotorhead::

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That's a harrowing story, and it's certainly great that you got out alive, but I have to ask where the guy in the other Robbie went. Maybe the Wx was such that he couldn't come back, but geez, did he even check on ya?
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  • 2 weeks later...

This happened before most of you were born and it wasn’t in a helicopter it was in a PBY.  I was awakened after about four hours sleep and told to go to the flight line where we serviced our P-Boat and took off for Buffalo, New York.  A tug had exploded and sank on lake Erie near Buffalo.  We were accompanied by an Air Force SAR B-17 from Selfridge Field, Michigan.  When we got on station it was totally obscured by fog but we kept on looking for any sign of the Satchem.  We were on station for about ten hours plus the four or five hours it took to get there.  I had been manning the flight engineers panel for the total time.  By that time the B-17 had returned to its’ base and we kept on searching.  We landed to refuel and I was replaced at the panel and I immediately hit the sack in one of the four bunks.

 

I was exhausted and completely oblivious to what transpired on the way back to the base.  We started to pick up ice and the wing and tail warmers were turned on but they were almost useless.  The props started to ice up and the anti icing pump was turned on.  About fifteen minutes later it caught fire and the APU gas tank was nearby. This took place about five feet away from my head. This pilot rang the bailout bell two times and with the third ring we would go over the side.  When the pump was turned off the ice started building up on the props knocking them out-of balance.  This caused large chunks of ice to break off and hit the fuselage and in the process it broke the navigators window letting in freezing air.  The heaters couldn’t keep up and everybody was freezing.  Meanwhile the wings were loading up with ice, as was the tail.

 

Luckily for all we made it back to the base.  I was awakened and told to get out and open the hangar doors and turn on the lights.  Instead of pulling the P-boat in backwards the pilots were going to taxi straight into the hangar.  When I turned on the lights I almost crapped.  Main antennae were hanging over the tail trailing the aircraft, the left side of the aircraft was severely pocked marked, and the aforementioned navigators’ window was broken out.  Inside the fire almost got to the APU fuel tank that had about 5 gallons of 115/145-octane gas.  The pilots told us that in another five minutes we would have crashed.  The wings and tail were covered in ice.

 

It is for that reason I can’t fall asleep an airplane

 

 

:unclesam:  ::2thumbsat:: This is Pierre.  He is back in Quebec City as is his geologist girl friend.

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  • 3 years later...
  • 2 months later...
<font color='#000000'>Similar story....have a friend that was flying along doing some of his brand of law enforcement one night in a place somewhere south of Key West. He was about 800'AGL when he flew into a big kite at the end of some sport-fishing line. The kite was black and was put there by some fun loving chaps that drive very fast boats. Of course the line wrapped around the PC links and when the slack ran out it sqeezed breaking one off. He was in a 206 so about now he is fresh out of luck. Dont ask me how but he manages to get it down in some local back yard next to a clothesline (where he later hung his shorts after washing them) without hitting a thing.

My hats off to you old son.....</font>

 

 

Oh man do I know about kite lines...

Fishing line & Rotorhead

While flying a afternoon traffic watch the aircraft no doubt crossed the line and wrapped it up

(I always wonder what the person who was holding on to the line, did when the remainder spooled out at supersonic speeds)

any way after landing it became quite clear just how fortune truly was on our side that day

 

 

Years ago back when I was newly minted and thought I knew it all about flying a helo and the local area...

(newly minted = dumb enough to kill ones self quickly)

 

I took a friend up for a quick flight, it was his first time and thought we would have some fun too!

Cows were known to graze the local area and when you chase a cow in a helicopter they kinda panic and run along at full speed their tail vertical in the air (and often shitting themselves all the while too!)

Well even though I knew the area very well, it never factored that the local utility just might come out and string a line across any given area at any given time.

 

Low level and the bovine running at break neck speed suddenly I see this utility pole and the wire at the same moment, directly in front of me as it would just happen to be. Lotsa aft cyclic and even more collective and the seat cushion sucked between my cheeks I know I just missed that damn wire! and with unknown amounts of luck didn't kill my passenger nor myself.

Since then I never take a area of operations for granted...never & I don't chase cows anymore either!

 

P.S. Sorry no pics of the cows running and crapping

Edited by Bell206Pilot
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  • 4 months later...

I was spraying canal ditches in so. florida one winter with a bell 47. It was cold that morning, after wiping the dew off the bubble and ringing the rags out over and over, my hands were very cold.

I put out maby 3 loads, on the next, I got out and held my hands in front of the exhaust to warm them up.

Big mistake, When your body is cold, you dont warm it to fast.

My hands were numb, I went back out with the next load and when I pushed forward on the toggle switch, to turn the spray on, the cyclic left my hand.

I was suddenly pointed at the ground, blades maby 10 feet of the ground, my first thought was I am going to crash.

When I grabbed the cyclic, it was in front of my left knee.

I pulled back on the stick so fast it stalled the hyd. out, got very stiff like no power stearing, but got control, and level.

Went back and got another load, what a rush that was.

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206...great pix's. Very lucky indeed, a kite line took out a Huey last year and killed all on board.

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