Nearly had hand cut off

[spraypilot]

A great way to remove bugs, dirt, and spray buildup on leading edge of m/r blades is to lock controls down with heli. running and shoot water into the blades with a garden hose, been doing it for years. One day I was doing this standing out towards tips of blades(where its most important) and had the garden hose nozzel slightly above my head, when it felt like someone was patting the top of my head with there hand. I looked over at the Bell 47 (not with tall skids) and the cyclic was way to the left, I had locked the collective, but did not friction the cyclic. I tell you the blades had to be very close to chopping my rt. hand off. I still clean my blades the same way there is not enough time to hand wash blades after flying 15 hrs. and got to be back in the air at daylight, but now EVERY TIME before getting out of the heli I friction controls down and then before I open the door I double check them again.

[arotrhd]

D'ja fill out & send in the ASRS form? For everyone's benefit...

 

-WATCH FOR THE WIRES-

[RockyMountainPilot]

In my 22 years of flying, I still haven't found a good enough reason to get out of a running aircraft in which I was PIC.

[azbirdman]

Hey Rocky. You must just be too picky, since wanting to lose a hand (or more) should be a good enough reason...that or totalling a 206 before the 'fall' of Jerry's kids; surely contributory . Now, where did I see that: minimum pilot crew=1??? Rules are for wimps; must have imagined it, doh!

(the preceding has been a test of the OMFG warning system/no kittens were harmed during testing)

[spraypilot]

In my 22 years of flying, I still haven't found a good enough reason to get out of a running aircraft in which I was PIC.

I'm really not trying to be a smartass but , mabey thats becouse you are not an ag pilot. When I am spraying w/ a 47 I get out every hour and leave it running and put fuel in for two reasons. 1: you cannot trust the groundcrew (crackheads) and 2: you cannot trust the fuel guage on a 47. I go by the baffels in the fuel tank. Also sometime I get out and take a piss or, talk to a farmer or, stretch my legs while I'm waiting for my truck to show up. Now when I'm spraying w/ an oh-58 I do trust the fuel guage but I still get out and piss once in a while and leave it running, Im not going to shut down for that. I hope that I haven't affended you that is not my intentions here and if you are a rocky mountain pilot I have the utmost respect for you. I started spraying when I was a kid, 22 years old I am now 51 I have never crashed a heli. (that was my fault) so its not like I have a problem making good decisions. It is my hopes that someday in one of my post that, mabey some pilot can learn something from me, something that almost cost me my life or a hand. My reason for the post was to get pilots to DOUBLE CHECK things. Surley you can agree that to double check is safer. Sorry for calling you surley.

[rotormandan]

I'm really not trying to be a smartass but , mabey thats becouse you are not an ag pilot. When I am spraying w/ a 47 I get out every hour and leave it running and put fuel in for two reasons. 1: you cannot trust the groundcrew (crackheads) and 2: you cannot trust the fuel guage on a 47. I go by the baffels in the fuel tank. Also sometime I get out and take a piss or, talk to a farmer or, stretch my legs while I'm waiting for my truck to show up. Now when I'm spraying w/ an oh-58 I do trust the fuel guage but I still get out and piss once in a while and leave it running, Im not going to shut down for that. I hope that I haven't affended you that is not my intentions here and if you are a rocky mountain pilot I have the utmost respect for you. I started spraying when I was a kid, 22 years old I am now 51 I have never crashed a heli. (that was my fault) so its not like I have a problem making good decisions. It is my hopes that someday in one of my post that, mabey some pilot can learn something from me, something that almost cost me my life or a hand. My reason for the post was to get pilots to DOUBLE CHECK things. Surley you can agree that to double check is safer. Sorry for calling you surley.

 

 

I just started as a loader/driver for an ag company with some rookie ag flying. The pilots all do the same here. They use a 206 and they'll leave it running on top of the truck to take a phone call, piss, mess with the spray nozzles, etc, etc. At least there's not much wind when sparying. Having your hand almost choped off is definately a good way to remember to double check every time. I think doing that would be easier and safer then switching up your whole routine.

[FauxZ]

I'm only been on the utility scene for a little under 6 months, not counting the 3 months of cherry drying. As with Ag, getting out of a running machine is pretty much expected. Fueling, stretching, bio break, whatever.

 

That said, I'm still not a big fan, and it's one of the first things I bring up to my crew when I start my hitch. I do feel it can be done safely, though there is a increased risk. I also feel that people who have been doing it for many years can start to get complacent. I ask my ground crew to help me as much as is practical to minimize the times I must exit the helicopter, and when I do exit, I try to stay as close as possible.

 

I flew with a guy who crashed a ship because of something that is very easy to do while getting out (though he wasn't at the time.) He had just set down on a small dirt pad and wanted to ensure the skids were where he wanted them. He took his left hand to the cyclic, and used his right had to open the door and lean out to examine the rear of the skids. When he did this, his helmet cord wrapped around the collective and raised it full up. The helicopter rolled into the ground and was destroyed.

 

While exiting the helicopter, before you even start to shift out of the seat, police the area. Hell make a checklist in your head if that helps. Headset wires secure/unplugged, seat belts free and out of the way, frictions on, loose clothing (baggy, cargo pants, loops) secure. Then, plan your exit, and execute it slowly. Always have a firm hand hold/foot hold before exiting. Repeat the process for getting back in. Getting out or in on a wet flight step could really ruin your day if you're not careful.

[jfcorey]

In my 22 years of flying, I still haven't found a good enough reason to get out of a running aircraft in which I was PIC.

 

 

I'm not an AG pilot but I'm with you on this one. I don't trust frictions and locks when the price of failure is so high. All so you can "play with the hose"?

[volition]

I'm not an AG pilot but I'm with you on this one. I don't trust frictions and locks when the price of failure is so high. All so you can "play with the hose"?

 

Agree!

[Parafiddle]

O.K. - newbie question (not a helicopter pilot - yet!): Wouldn't it be easy to just disengage the rotor system, get it stopped with gentle application of the rotor brake, leave the engine idling, and then exit the helicopter? Does it take much time for the rotor to slow down (and then speed back up once your business outside the helicopter is complete)? I know from experience with turbine engines that they need to be cooled down (run at idle for a couple of minutes) to prevent damage to them before they are shut down so not shutting down the engine on a turbine ship in order to take a leak makes sense to me. However, it seems like the risk incurred by having a rotor turning with nobody at the controls seems to outweigh any time-saving benefit of leaving the rotor turning. This is especially true when you consider the possible catastrophic outcome of a wind gust or other event that could affect the stability of the rotor disk without a person at the controls to deal with the situation. I realize from previous posts that this is a pretty common practice. However, is it a safe practice? Not trying to cast stones, just trying to learn safe practices for my future career. Can anybody enlighten me?

[Gomer Pylot]

That might be possible in some recips, depending on what the RFM says, but it's not possible in most turbines. The blade can stop over the exhaust, not a good thing, and most rotor brakes won't hold with the engine running. Few are approved for use while the engine is running, and none that I know of allow stopping the rotor with it running.

[Parafiddle]

Gomer,

Thanks for the insight. I was thinking you could just disengage the rotor system and slow it down to a halt with the brake. Didn't think about the blade stopping over the exhaust. I figured there was a reason it wasn't done but didn't know the details. Grasshopper is duly enlightened.

[rotormandan]

O.K. - newbie question (not a helicopter pilot - yet!): Wouldn't it be easy to just disengage the rotor system, get it stopped with gentle application of the rotor brake,

 

 

All of the spray ships(that's not really alot) I've seen don't have rotor brakes in them. After they shut down the pilots just get out and let the blades wind down on their own. Usually we're not anywhere people are so there's not much worry about people walking into anything.

Edited December 1, 2009 by rotormandan

[Gomer Pylot]

That's funny because none of the guys I work with trust the frictions either, so they just don't use them when they get out.

Remind me to stay the hell away from WA.