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RotorDompteur
24th Apr 2007, 11:32
I am trying to get a overview of the regulations involved in doing parachute operations from a helicopter.

The knotty problem seems to be a paragraph in our national regulations stating that, besides all the other requirements, "The aircraft must be airworthy and may only be used for parachute jumping if stated in the Pilots Flight Manual"

Naturally the helicopter needs to be airworthy - but how many Flight Manuals specifically states that the helicopter may be used for parachute operations...?
I have heard that the above is true for the AS350 Flight Manual - but are there others...?


RD

Hidden Agenda
24th Apr 2007, 11:58
Perhaps the way to go, when you have decided which kind of helicopter you want to use for parachuting, is to write a Flight Manual Supplement for parachuting, have it approved by the airworthiness section of your regulatory authority and insert it in your Flight Manual. That should meet the requirement.

SASless
24th Apr 2007, 13:28
Mind you best remember to tell the jumpers to shut the door on the way out.:ok:

Hughes500
24th Apr 2007, 14:17
If in UK you can get a CAA supplement for the type of helicopter, just ask and they will produce. Mine was free for a 500, but dont quote me in case there is a large bill comonig from 10 years ago

Darren999
24th Apr 2007, 22:14
We used Jet rangers for a while to jump from supplied by a very good company at Goodwood.The owner there will give you all the info you want... I cleared the Pilots with my Display Team licence.We used Twin Squirrels also... Hope that helps..
Darren

Cyclic Hotline
25th Apr 2007, 00:32
NTSB Identification: FTW96LA110 .
The docket is stored in the Docket Management System (DMS). Please contact Records Management Division (http://www.ntsb.gov/info/sources.htm#pib)
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, February 03, 1996 in CUSHING, OK
Probable Cause Approval Date: 7/17/1996
Aircraft: Bell 206B, registration: N2184Z
Injuries: 1 Serious, 1 Uninjured.
After one of a group of five parachutists decided not to jump from the helicopter, he failed to deactivate a safety device designed to open his reserve parachute at a preset altitude.

As the helicopter descended through approximately 1,000 feet AGL, the reserve opened automatically and the parachutist was pulled from the helicopter. The parachute snagged on the skids of the helicopter and did not inflate fully. The parachutist was injured during his subsequent hard landing.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:

The inadvertent deployment of the passenger's parachute as a result of his failure to follow proper procedures and deactivate the automatic opening device on the parachute.

Full Narrative...........

On February 3, 1996, at 1530 central standard time, a Bell 206B, N2184Z, was descending near Cushing, Oklahoma, when the reserve parachute of a passenger deployed inside the helicopter. The helicopter was not damaged. The passenger sustained serious injury and the commercial pilot was not injured. The helicopter was being operated by Corporate Helicopters, Inc., under Title 14 CFR Part 91 on a local parachuting flight when the accident occurred. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed.

According to statements provided by the pilot and the injured passenger, the helicopter departed Cushing Municipal Airport with five parachutists on board and climbed to 3,000 feet AGL. Four of the parachutists exited the aircraft while the fifth remained on board, choosing not to jump because he felt his hands were "too cold" to deploy his pilot chute. The remaining parachutist did not deactivate a safety device designed to automatically open his reserve parachute at a preset altitude. As the helicopter descended through approximately 1,000 feet AGL, the reserve opened automatically and the parachutist was pulled from the helicopter. The reserve canopy was ripped when it snagged on the skids of the helicopter and did not inflate fully. The parachutist "impacted the ground" and sustained a broken right femur.