"Wealthy businessman attacked a helicopter"

[coldair]

Trial in progress, so we need to be aware about making comments.

From the 'Daily Mail'
Tycoon 'clung onto helicopter as it took off in rage over debris blown at his car' | Mail Online (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1292985/Tycoon-clung-helicopter-took-rage-debris-blown-car.html)


Thursday, Jul 08 2010
Passengers in terror as 'furious tycoon clung to helicopter that blew debris over his Land Rover'


By Daily Mail Reporter (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=y&authornamef=Daily+Mail+Reporter)
Last updated at 10:56 AM on 8th July 2010


http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/07/08/article-1292985-0A59DB89000005DC-297_233x423.jpg
Accused: Houshang Jafari leaves Bristol Court yesterday


A wealthy businessman attacked a helicopter in a rage and tried to hang on to it as it took off laden with passengers outside his £1 million flat, a court heard yesterday.
Houshang Jafari, 59, was allegedly angry the private Jet Ranger blew debris over his Land Rover as it landed in the extensive gardens in a converted manor house.
He 'stormed' towards the chopper and tried to open the pilot's door before he kicked the aircraft, threw a green bag at the windscreen and held on to the skid bar.
Pilot Mark Blokland and his four passengers feared for their lives after heavily-built Jafari pulled at the helicopter's undercarriage causing it to pitch to one side.
He allegedly put the pilot and his passengers in 'catastrophic danger' as the helicopter tried to take off from Dower House in Bristol.
Jafari yesterday denied one count of endangering the safety of an aircraft at Bristol Crown Court.
The court heard Mr Blokland hired the helicopter to take wife Tammy and two friends, who also had a £1.2million flat in Dower House, out for lunch.
James Patrick, prosecuting, said: 'For some reason he was extremely angry, some would say livid.
'He had in his hands a green carrier bag which he then threw towards the helicopter. If that had gone into the rotor it could have been catastrophic.
'The helicopter could have spun out of control if the carrier bag had gone into the engine.
'Mr Blokland saw Mr Jafari coming towards him, his face twisted with anger. He kicked at the front of the aircraft and tried the pilot's door.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/07/08/article-1292985-0A5D6956000005DC-623_468x331.jpg
The helicopter landed in the grounds of Dower House, Bristol, where Mr Jafari has a £1million flat

'The people in the aircraft were terrified. He just about had enough rotor speed to take off and so they began to rise.
'To lose control of a helicopter at that stage could be extremely dangerous.
'Mr Jafari was causing the helicopter to tilt to a hugely dangerous angle. Fortunately Mr Blokland managed to keep control and he took off.'
The court heard Mr Blokland flew the Jet Ranger helicopter to Dower House with his wife Tammy on March 21, 2009, to pick up business partner Simon Clarke and his wife Lisa Hale.
Mr Clarke had met other residents of the building to ensure there were no problems with the landing but, the court heard, not everyone had been informed.
The experienced helicopter pilot circled the area twice at 1,000 feet before he landed outside Dower House and kept the rotor blades spinning at 'idle' speed while the couple boarded.
After collecting his passengers, Mr Blokland saw a man approach the aircraft. He raised his left hand and shooed him away but the man kept on moving towards the pilot's hatch.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/07/08/article-1292985-0033A33A00000258-505_468x286.jpg
A jet Ranger helicopter similar to the one which Mr Jafari allegedly attacked during a confrontation near his £1million home

The court heard Mr Blokland could not power the helicopter down, as the blades may have taken the man's head off.
He allegedly threw a bag at the helicopter, which hit the 'bubble' or canopy of the aircraft and 'felt like ten tons', Mr Blokland said.
Mr Blokland told the court: 'I still clearly remember the male coming towards me. The face was of no expression and of increasing determination to approach the helicopter.
'I realised the individual was not of a friendly nature and as a pilot I felt threatened.
'He came storming to the helicopter and flung something at the bubble, that's the canopy. It felt pretty big - it felt like ten tons.
'The mood was hysterical. The individual was now clearly extremely aggressive. He came around the pilot's side door and I was really scared.
'The blades were nearly at speed - it could have been catastrophic. He was around at the door, I didn't want to see if he was going to open it.
'I lifted up - it immediately banked aggressively onto the right hand side.'
The passengers of Jet Ranger were 'terrified' as Jafari allegedly tried to hold on to the right skip bar of the helicopter.
Mr Blokland managed to recover the craft, but had to set it down in a neighbouring field to check his instruments and allow the frightened passengers to calm down and compose themselves before they continued on to their destination.
He later called the Civil Aviation Authority and the police to report the incident and Mr Jafari was arrested.
Mr Blokland, who had five hundred hours of flight time before the incident, told the court that he has not flown any aircraft since that day.
He told the court he haD lost all confidence and that his pilot's license has
subsequently lapsed.

The trial continues.

[JTobias]

He Needs Locking Up !!!!

[rotorboater]

The building used to be a mental hospital, seems they may have left a former patient in when they developed it!

[Tal66]

How can someone become that wealthy without the idea of writing down the registration and taking pictures of the damage instead of trying to kill everyone onboard?

[Whirlygig]

Millionaire tycoon? Trabant? :uhoh:

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/500/trabant.jpg

Cheers

Whirls

[Senior Pilot]

Try posting L a n d R o v e r without the gaps.

Danny's sense of humour :p

[Whirlygig]

Ah I see ... even so ....

http://www.4x4offroads.com/image-files/2000-land-rover-defender-110-county-station-wagon-1.jpg

I thought all millionaires had dirty, muddy, scratched ones :ok:

Cheers

Whirls

[fly911]

I was parked in the road with rotors turning waiting for my patient to be packaged up by the medical crew at an accident scene. A luni-tune driving a pick-up truck raced right under the turning blades and came within about two feet of our Bell 407. There are all kinds out there. Must have been in a hurry. Glad I was on high skids.

[bolkow]

note to roptorboater, patinets in psychiatric hospital do not generally behave in that type of aggressive manner however clowns with temper issues frequently do.

[heli1]

A couple of weekends ago I saw a tractor being driven dangerously close to Merlin that had touched down in a nearby field, because a Chinook had landed at a helipad and the downdraft had blown some hay in the air....The driver was complaining about losing "£400" of hay ..I wondered whether he was reported and will turn up in court.
I didn't hear the reaction of the crew but I would have been seriously worried.

[Neptunus Rex]

Mr Blokland, who had five hundred hours of flight time before the incident, told the court that he has not flown any aircraft since that day.
He told the court he haD lost all confidence and that his pilot's license has
subsequently lapsed.Poor dear. Needs a couple of years flying the North Sea to make a man out of him.

[bolkow]

yes neptunus rex, and a reprimand for missing the nob particularly as his rotros were already turning!

[MSmith]

I thought I recognised this story, this is a few months old now. It's listed in the "Safety Data Occurence Listing" recorded between 19 FEB and 16 MAR 2010 if anyone was interested.

[RMK]

As a side note on the article, do they actually instruct British journalist to include the house price of every person involved in a newspaper article? – “angry man w/ £1m house attacks helicopter of man with £1.2m house”

WTF?

The worst one I ever saw was in a story about a father who accidentally backed over and killed his two year old son in their driveway. The London paper even managed to include in the story “neighbours said 2yr old Johnny loved his family’s £450,000 semi-detached home”

DAMN, it’s like the old Harry Enfield comedy skit “I am considerably richer than yoouuww”

[coldair]

Houshang Jafari has been found guilty at Crown Court and will be sentenced on August 3rd.



A BUSINESSMAN has been convicted of grabbing a helicopter as it took off from outside his luxury home and now faces a maximum five years in prison.

Houshang Jafari, pictured, was "livid" when the chopper landed outside his £1.2million apartment at the Dower House in Stoke Park, Bristol Crown Court heard.

People on board the aircraft told a jury how he kicked the helicopter's nose before grabbing one of its skid bars as it lifted off, causing it to lurch to the right before the pilot was able to gain control and fly away.

Jafari, 58, denied endangering the safety of an aircraft in March last year but a jury found him guilty.

Judge Michael Roach adjourned sentence until August 3, and told the court: "The report ordered doesn't mean there won't be a prison sentence. He (Jafari) has to expect the likelihood is that there will be one."

Jafari was given bail on condition he cooperate with the making of the report. He declined to comment as he left court.

Passenger Elizabeth Hale told the jury Jafari had walked towards the aircraft, stood in front of it and started hitting its nose with a plastic bag.

She said: "At that point I realised he was angry. The bag was definitely hitting the helicopter. I think I was looking at my partner at that point. It was just the way he was looking at us, it was really intimidating."

Miss Hale described how Jafari kicked the helicopter with the sole of his foot and, petrified, she shouted for them to leave. She said the pilot started to take off when Jafari jumped up and grabbed one of its skids.

She said: "He clung on to the skid and we lurched to the right. It was a bit of a blur after that. I started to cry. Mark (the pilot) stabilised it and we took off and were up in the air.

"We looked for a field nearby and landed just to compose ourselves.

"I think I was saying I thought I was going to die. I said I didn't want to get in and I wish I hadn't."

Her partner, Simon Clarke, said: "I saw Jafari come out of the house and come towards the helicopter with his fists clenched and gritted teeth.

"He got about three feet from the helicopter and then started waving his arms in a brushing away movement."

Mr Clarke said Jafari had a blue plastic bag, which he threw at the helicopter's nose and it landed on the ground.

He told the jury: "He became more irate, shouting 'Go away, go away!' You could lip read. He kicked out at the helicopter, at the nose, and he kicked out twice. He started shouting and walked round to the pilot's side door."

Mr Clarke said Jafari made a grab for the door as the helicopter lifted off.

He said: "Everyone was fearing what would happen next. My girlfriend was screaming 'Take off, take off!' The helicopter twisted to the right quite violently. That's when I really did fear for my life."

Jafari told the jury: "I walked to the side (of the helicopter). I made no contact with it at all. The rotor blades are really going fast, there was a lot of wind. I took a full step back, lifted on to my tip-toes and I lifted both my hands up. I said: 'Where the hell are you going?'

"I made no contact with it in any way as I am a fat man, my foot doesn't come up – how can I kick it?"


This is Bristol (http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/news/Businessman-grabbed-helicopter-face-jail-term/article-2407570-detail/article.html)

[chopjock]

I'm wondering if the pilot was completely blameless. I'm thinking would I try to take off, laden with fuel and passengers and a mad man frolicking around under the rotor disk?
I suggest it was the pilot who put the aircraft at risk by not shutting down and dealing with the problem.

[griffothefog]

Chopjock,

Not sure if I would have shut down..... but he was definitely to blame for not stepping out and flattening the fat bastard.... Money :yuk:

[heli1]

So the pilot elects to close down and Mr Jafari loses his life through a blade strike ..then what.
He was right to continue the take off.

[EESDL]

.....decision to take off - ie try and remove the hazard (as it would seem that the culprit was too heavy to move quickly)
not all Jetbangers have rotorbrakes remember and I'm sure a decapitation would have made a bigger splash over the newspapers (sorry!)

[chuks]

Anyone who wants to approach a running helicopter and get even close to the rotor disc... you don't need to look any further than that for someone to blame. He created a situation where it was dangerous to shut down and dangerous to depart.

Who trains for such an eventuality in the first place? Can you tell me where there is an SOP for this one, dealing with some lunatic under the running rotor? You shut down and perhaps he gets his head chopped off or you lift off and perhaps he makes the whole plot tip over so that the pilot was lucky to get away with no serious injuries or damage. (I bet in the States there would be at least one lawyer specialising in mental trauma all over that rich guy like a rash so let's see what comes of this next.)

We depend on people exercising common sense in the vicinity of aircraft and this rich guy did just the opposite, seemingly losing it and deciding "Right! I will have him!" because of his Chelsea Tractor being littered with grass.

This week a helicopter, next week a bulldozer? It might be doing him a big favour to give him a quiet spell "inside" to think things over, get a reality check so to speak.

[chopjock]

chuks
He created a situation where it was dangerous to shut down and dangerous to depart.
Agreed.

However, if the worst should happen in each case, which would be the lesser of the two evils?
1) Pilot shuts down and lunatic risks getting whacked in the head with a rotor blade. Unlikely though because he was banging on the door.
2) Pilot attempts to take off, lunatic holds on to skid, heli rolls over and rotor blades go everwhere, possibly hitting lunatic anyway and breaking back into the cabin area.:eek:

I still say the pilot panicked and put the aircraft at more risk by taking off.

[fly911]

I gotta vote with chopjock on this one.

[Torque Tonight]

There was probably a reasonable expectation that if the occupants remained there they would get the s--t kicked out of them by the aggressive, raging lunatic. Departing would seem like a far better option and I don't think anyone would predict that the fat b-----d would try to hang on to the skids. I hope the judge passes a meaningful sentence that demonstrates that endangering the safety of an aircraft is not a trivial matter.

[John R81]

And following Chopjock's option 2, during the run-down the lunatic does not stay close to the chopper door. Tragic end ensues - AAIb investigation into a fatality - press comment - etc, etc.

Why do we think that he "must" stay close to the body of the machine - nothing else he did was logical.

I think this one is "damned if you do, damned if you don't"

The pilot made a decision (I think that's what he was there for) and it proved to be the right decision in that case because no-one got hurt. What would have happened had he shut down is pure armchair speculation.

[tigerfish]

"What would have happened, had he shut down, is pure armchair speculation" - is of course Chop Jocs speciality!

Guilty verdict was recorded at the end of the case!

Tigerfish

[handysnaks]

I think you could draw a parallel between this and the Long Marston Autogyro fatality!

The circumstances (and aircraft) are not identical, but the options chosen by both pilots were similar (or would have been had the Autogyro managed to get airborne).

I'm not sure what the CAA licence issues are with the Autogyro pilot but a court of his peers cleared him!

[kevin_mayes]

I had an incident very similar to this happen to me in the 47.

We arrived at a pub high up on the moors here, landed 50m away from the car park, as you all know the 47 takes 5 minutes to cool down, running at 2300 engine rpm, so there we are sat and a girl climbs over the stone wall and starts running directly towards us with her hands waving in the air, first thourght was that there was someting wrong - fire etc behind us, but it became obvious that she wasn't going to stop, so there I am half flying speed, girl about 15m away at this stage hand about the height of the rotor disk, no time to throttle up and tale off, no rotor brake so the blades would take 2 to 3 mins to stop, half way through the cool down routine. What to do..? Both passenger and me waving frantically at the girl, my decision was to pull back on the cyclic to raise the disk as much, prime the passenger to cut the mags while I attempted to undo my harness so I could rugby tackle her to the ground... as it happened she looked up about a foot from the edge of the disk and then promptly sat on the ground, by this time engine was cut, passenger hanging onto the cyclic, me half way out of the door...

Turned out she was blind drunk... thorght it was fun, so we had a little chat with her and her drunk mates after and I showd them just how close it had got.

I had only around 150 hours at this stage, still to this day I am not sure what I did was correct, but when you have to react quickly there may not be time to mull over the possibilities... my thourght was that if the engine was throttled up and I had attempted to lift off, I would then be possibly guilty of flying into her? So cut the engine to remove that possibility but upon reflection should I have attempted to get out - where would I have been with no piolt at the controls (passenger - wife has 56 hours on a 44)

So not sure if I was/did the wrong thing, anyway chaps, food for thourght

Sorry about the thread drift.

Kev.

[stickysunrise]

The pilot made a decision (I think that's what he was there for) and it proved to be the right decision in that case because no-one got hurt.

Agree John R81 & EESDL. Get back in the hot seat, Mr Blokland! Sounds like Neptunus Rex has a job for you in the Hebrides, don't think there are many cranky millionaires protecting their Trabants up there, either :ok:

[Soave_Pilot]

This rich man needs to get a couple of teeth knocked out! :} He prob thinks his money will make him get away, no matter how stupid his actions are. Hopefully the law will prevail this time!

[coldair]

Houshang Jafari has been sentenced to 12 months :)

That should bring him down a peg or two. I have to admit that I am pleased with the sentence !

From BBC Bristol;

BBC News - Angry car owner jailed for grabbing helicopter (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-10851311?print=true)





Angry car owner jailed for grabbing helicopter

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/48589000/jpg/_48589264_jex_9003_de27-1.jpg

An eyewitness took pictures of the incident last March
A man has been sentenced to a year in prison for endangering the safety of an aircraft after he grabbed a helicopter as it took off in Bristol.
Bristol Crown Court was told Houshang Jafari, 58, became "extremely angry" after the helicopter landed near his flat, causing debris to hit his car.
The court heard how Jafari grabbed one of its skid bars as the pilot tried to take off with four passengers on board.
The pilot managed to take off safely despite Jafari's actions last March.
Dr Mark Blockland, who was in charge of the helicopter, was credited in court for using his "considerable skill" to allow it to take off safely despite it lurching violently.
Sentencing Jafari, Judge Michael Roach said it was a "deliberate and much more a reckless and dangerous act" and despite the fact he was a business and family man, he had "no choice" other than to send him to prison for a year.

[helihub]

The law does indeed prevail

Angry car owner jailed for grabbing helicopter (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-10851311)

Obviously I won't copy the text of the story here as that would be breaking copyright.

[oscarisapc]

I am not a helicopter pilot but unless it was an emergency (or medevac or similar) isn't that helicopter a bit too close to the buildings for comfort? I know it is possible and lawful but it caused a nuisance to a member of the public which could have been avoided if the helicopter had arrived a bit further away from the residences. All pilots should try to avoid unecessary disturbance to the non flying public. That is why we avoid built up areas on takeoff etc. Not that I have any sympathy with the man found guilty as he could have caused the deaths of five people by his actions.

[Coconutty]

Good job Mr. Jafatty has plenty of £££'s in the bank....

I don't normally subscribe to the "Where there's blame there's a claim" routine, but in this case, where his actions directly resulted in the pilot not flying since the incident, ( whether through fear of repetition, loss of confidence, or whatever, and whatever people may think about the strength of Dr. Blockland's character ) then maybe the pilot's legal team should make application to relieve the w****r of some of his dosh ( he won't need { much of } it inside anyway), to help pay for licence renewal, and some Compo for the mental anguish/any loss of earnings etc.

As for the question of whether the pilot should have attempted take off or not, individual character will of course play a major part - not everyone is as big and brave as Chopjock, who would have stayed on the ground with passengers screaming for him to take off -

Assuming a successful shutdown without decapitation - what then ? -

This is him when he's NOT raging mad :
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d129/coconut11/Jafatty.jpg

.... Would he be interested in a reasoned debate over the dangers of approaching a departing aircraft, compared with the huge inconvenience of having to clean a bit of dust off a beat up old Landrover? - :ugh:

Chopjock - do you really fancy taking him on :confused:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d129/coconut11/Coconutty.jpg

[Senior Pilot]

I am not a helicopter pilot but unless it was an emergency (or medevac or similar) isn't that helicopter a bit too close to the buildings for comfort?

No, it is not :rolleyes:

[chopjock]

Chopjock - do you really fancy taking him onI am not an aggressive individual and if I was facing a similar situation I would like to think I would not panic. To me that would suggest it is either safe to lift or not. I would certainly not jump into the hover with a lunatic banging on the door or swinging off the skids.
not everyone is as big and brave as Chopjock, who would have stayed on the ground with passengers screaming for him to take off - With regards to the pax demanding I take off, well I do what I think is safe as I am in command, not them.

[Vobiscum]

Hi,

I'm a local resident with an interest in the outcome of this trial. I know one of the witnesses who saw the incident involving Jafari. He is a controversial character whose conviction for this offence and 12 month custodial sentence will bring a sense of relief to residents.

I also attended much of Jafari's trial. The safety issues regarding the suitability of the landing site for a private helicopter, and the associated risks, were comprehensively dealt with in evidence by Keith Thomas of the CAA (acting as an expert) who is himself an experienced helicopter pilot.

The photo in the BBC news report was one of a series of photos of the incident taken by a resident and used in evidence. It gives a misleading impression of the proximity of the aircraft to the Dower House and nearby trees. The Green is a large open area of lawn. My recollection of the expert evidence is that landing a private helicopter on the Green in front of the Dower House was a bit of a grey area. It is technically a "congested" landing site but Mr Thomas said it did not require CAA prior permission; it was a matter of judgement for a pilot with the experience of Dr Mark Blokland, although he personally would not have made a landing approach over the Dower House itself. He also did not say Dr Blokland was at fault for taking off when threatened by Jafari. Witnesses said they thought Jafari also appeared to seek to open the pilot's door.

Jafari's own sworn testimony at the trial included a statement to the effect that he had been a passenger in a helicopter about 200 times.

He really ought to have known better.

[rogerk]

Left skid up his right nostril and haul on that collective:D:D:D

[HKPAX]

So in summary the judge got it about right. A rarity for Ppruners (at least on Jetblast that is).

[chopjock]

So,
Angry resident wants to talk to noisy pilot. Pilot ignores him. Now the even angrier resident approaches helicopter and knocks on the door. "Hey I want a word with you, don't ignore me"
Pilot suddenly, without warning lifts into the hover, almost knocking over resident, causing him to hold on to the skids.
Resident goes to jail for a year and the pilot gets off scot free.
Is this how we should deal with complaints?
Hell police state or what.:eek:

[Ewan Whosearmy]

So,
Angry resident wants to talk to noisy pilot. Pilot ignores him. Now the even angrier resident approaches helicopter and knocks on the door. "Hey I want a word with you, don't ignore me"
Pilot suddenly, without warning lifts into the hover, almost knocking over resident, causing him to hold on to the skids.
Resident goes to jail for a year and the pilot gets off scot free.

Were you there? How do you know what he said to the pilot?

Which part of kicking helicopter/throwing an object as it communicates a calm sense of 'wanting to talk' to you?

How do you know he wasn't saying, 'I am going to grab you and pull from from the helicopter', or, 'Get out now, I am going to kick the **** out of you'?

[BoeingMEL]

..I've followed this case quite closely in recent months (I had a drunken loony try to launch his rucksack into the turning rotors of my 206 in France many years ago)... and I've tried to view the case from as many intelligent angles as possible. Have to report though I can't get anywhere near your opinion!
Ah well. :ugh: bm

[Plain Torque]

When they say an accident is a chain of events I think it is extremely fortuitous that a serious accident, including fatalities, didn't occur at the end of this one. Retrospect is a fine thing and I wonder if there were lots of times when the chain could have been broken earlier? Certainly the easiest would have been if Jafari had taken the registration and followed the lawful complaints procedure, he is so very lucky he didn't get killed or even worse. :eek:

In defence to chopjock though at no time did he say "he was there" or mention the words "calm sense". I think he was just speculating and it is being taken out of context. I think it is good to discuss things with an open mind - see the big picture as my Uncle used to say! I could see a lot of people reacting the way chopjock described? Unfortunately we are a spectrum and this man is towards the far end of the spectrum... problem is there are some that are even further over than him!!! I guess as pilots we should be prepared to deal with people like this either on the ground or in the back of our aircraft. Anyone got any ideas how I might plan for that one?

PT

PS I can't believe it made the national 6 o'clock news, then again it was followed by a story on snails, must have been a slow day for news. (no pun intended of course)

[Ewan Whosearmy]

In defence to chopjock though at no time did he say "he was there" or mention the words "calm sense". I think he was just speculating and it is being taken out of context

1) Talking is by definition a calm and deliberate action. Enraged shouting, which the eyewitnesses attest to, is not

2) His speculation is way off base, as the guilty verdict and sentencing today have demonstrated. This man was, the court found, irate and clearly not wanting to have a cosy little chat :ugh:

[JTobias]

The :mad: got what he deserved!

Joel :ugh:

[John R81]

I can see where Chopjock is coming from.

As an ex-Tax Inspector I know used to say about formulating his opinion in tax investigation cases he ran:

"You don't want to pay no attention to facts....... Slows you down!"



He wasn't very good at his job, though.

And he did seem to get a lot of complaints.

Many of which were upheld.

Hence the "ex-" element of my story.

[chopjock]

I wonder what the pilot will do the next time when he is sat in with rotors running and someone approaches him waving their arms and trying to gain his attention, perhaps even trying to open the door to tell him something, like his engine is on fire and instead he just panics and takes off.
Yes, just speculating...

[swordfling]

Further speculation, but what if the pilot hadn't lifted, and this lunatic had got to the door and tried to pull the pilot out, rotors running? Could get messy I suspect.

I think most people would be able to tell the difference between an angry loony and someone genuinely warning you of a problem.

[coldair]

From the Daily Mail;

Tycoon Houshang Jafari jailed for grabbing helicopter laden with passengers | Mail Online (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1300009/Tycoon-Houshang-Jafari-jailed-grabbing-helicopter-laden-passengers.html)
Jail for air-rage tycoon who grabbed helicopter laden with passengers as it tried to take off


By Luke Salkeld (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=y&authornamef=Luke+Salkeld)
Last updated at 5:42 PM on 3rd August 2010



It's easy to understand the frustration caused by a noisy helicopter landing outside one's manor house.
But the lawn of a 16th century Grade II listed building is a dangerous place to get air rage.
Furious that the rotas were blowing debris on to his nearby Land Rover, Houshang Jafari stormed up to the helicopter, kicked it, and threw a plastic bag full of bones at the spinning blades.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/08/03/article-1300009-0AACC88B000005DC-81_634x322.jpg Caught on camera: The moment the furious tycoon, circled, grabbed the helicopter as it attempted to take off


Then, as the aircraft full of terrified passengers took off, the 22 stone businessman hung onto its landing bars, causing it to tip over in mid air.
The court heard he had put the pilot and his passengers at risk of 'catastrophic consequences' as the helicopter tried to take off from Dower House in Bristol.
Jafari, 58, was 'livid' when the private Jet Ranger landed outside his £1.2million flat on land shared by the other residents of the converted former hospital.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/08/03/article-1300009-0AABCA8C000005DC-864_306x423.jpg Jailed: Houshang Jafari arrives at Bristol Crown Court today for sentencing

He tried to open the pilot's door, lashing out at the side of aircraft, and then threw a plastic bag full of chicken bones towards the rotor - which could have become caught up in the engine, causing the helicopter to spin out of control.
Yesterday he wiped a tear from his eye as he was jailed for a year for endangering the safety of an aircraft.
The millionaire property developer had claimed during his trial that he was too fat to have caused any trouble.
He told the court:'I made no contact with [the helicopter] at all. The rotor blades are really going fast, there was a lot of wind.
'I took a full step back, lifted on to my tip-toes and I lifted both my hands up. I said: 'Where the hell are you going?'
'I made no contact with it in any way. I am a fat man, my foot doesn't come up – how can I kick it?'
But one of the passengers, said she thought she was going to die as a result of Jafari's outburst.
The pilot Mark Blokland had flown the helicopter to Dower House with his wife Tammy to pick up his business partner Simon Clarke and his partner Elizabeth Hale.
Mr Clarke had met with other residents of the building to ensure there were no problems with the landing but had not informed everyone of the helicopter's arrival.
Dr Blokland, who has more than 400 hours of flying experience, circled the area twice at 1,000ft before he landed and kept the rotor blades spinning at 'idle' speed while the couple boarded.
Suddenly Jafari appeared and threw a green plastic bag full of chicken bones he had been feeding his dogs at the helicopter before kicking it with the sole of his foot.
As the helicopter began to lift off Jafari then clung on to the chopper's undercarriage forcing it to bank 'aggressively' to the right hand side, terrifying the passengers and witnesses to the scene.
The helicopter 'rocked from side to side' and witnesses thought it would crash.
Miss Hale told the jury: 'He clung on to the skid and we lurched to the right.
'It was a bit of a blur after that. I started to cry. I think I was saying I thought I was going to die.'
The court heard Mr Blokland could not power the helicopter down, as the blades may have taken the Jafari's head off, but eventually managed to recover the aircraft and set it down in a nearby field.
Mr Blokland, a chiropractor, has not flown since the incident in May last year.


He told the court he had lost all confidence and that his pilot's license has subsequently lapsed.
After the incident Mr Blokland called the Civil Aviation Authority and the police to report the incident and Mr Jafari was arrested.
He was later convicted of one count of endangering an aircraft at a trial in July.
Yesterday Judge Michael Roach told Jafari at Bristol Crown Court: 'Grabbing the right hand skid on take off was very dangerous and was liable to destabilise the aircraft which had only risen six feet off the ground.
'You physically interfered with a helicopter on take off. In my judgement your behaviour was deliberate and reckless.'
He added: 'You are an intelligent, resourceful man who on this particular occasion let your temper get the better of you and you acted in a dangerous manner.
'In my judgement the case is too serious to justify a suspended sentence.'
He also ordered Jafari to pay £2,800 in costs, saying: 'There is no reason, it seems to me, why the public should bear the expense of this case.'

[Bell 206]

over the years doing numerous short scenic flights at various shows and events, I have had a few things thrown at the helicopter - scoccer balls, PVC piping, drinking glasses, rocks, sober people running out to abuse the pilot. In my opinion the safest option it to remove the cause of it all - the helicopter with moving rotors! how can it be unsafe to remove the running helicopter? in my experience, people that are angry often dont think rationally and they will be the one who gets hurt - who is resonsible then?? event coordinators? air craft owner/company? PIC?

:ugh::mad:

i certianly dont want to be the pilot sitting at the controls when a mad person comes up and looses an arm or gets decapitated!

[Coconutty]

I think all that needs to be said about Choppies speculation has been said - But I still wonder what he would actually have done if it had been him .... :bored:

Line drawn under that one ----------------------------------------------------------

But moving back to the "chain of events", there's an interesting comment from one of the other residents to speculate over, that might have indicated such a probem could have arisen.

Apparantly at least some of the other residents have had prior dealings with him :He is a controversial character whose conviction for this offence and 12 month custodial sentence will bring a sense of relief to residents.
So - You're planning on being picked up by a helicopter that is going to land outside shared accommodation where a "Controversial Character" also lives.

For some reason other residents, but not this character, are informed of the plan - Why was that ?

Was it because whoever had to tell him feared the response they might receive, and just decided to carry on regardless without telling him ?

Why wasn't he informed in writing with a suitably worded note through his letter box ?

Maybe if he HAD been informed in advance he wouldn't have been so mad on the day, or maybe he would have made his objections known in advance so that an alternative plan could have been made to everyone's satisfaction.

Maybe previous dealings with him have resulted in the other residents (justifiably) avoiding him, which has added fuel to his anger when something happens that he hasn't been told about - particularly when he finds out that everyone else knew about it ?

There you go - Speculation AND hindsight :ok:

In no way am I condoning Jafari, just looking at it from a slightly different angle of "How do you deal with a bad tempered, irresponsible, unreasonable, angry, dangerous and potentially violent resident" :confused:

Yes, yes, I know - Of course there was no REQUIREMENT to tell him - the pilot had permission to land, and did so quite lawfully, and why should such an idiot have to be pandered to etc ? -

Simple - because he IS an idiot and the sensible ones amongst us have a responsibility to mitigate for people like him and thus minimse the potential risk to everyone else.

Jafari definitely got what he deserved though and should count himself lucky to be alive.

He should have got an extra 6 months just for turning up in front of the Judge wearing that shirt :yuk: !

And another 6 for feeding his dogs with chicken bones := !
( No prizes for guessing what breed his dogs are :bored: )

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d129/coconut11/Coconutty.jpg

[chopjock]

If the pilot had shut down, he risked a shouting at and perhaps a black eye. The resident was standing at the door, so was not at risk of decapitation. There would have been very little or no risk to the aircraft on the ground, the safest place for it.
Since the pilot panicked and lifted, effectively placing the skids in the face of the resident, I would say the resident probably instinctively put his hands out to push the skids away. The risk to the aircraft has now increased because of pilot action.
He should have known better, it was his responsibility.

[S76Heavy]

The moron should never have been that close to the helicopter.

Perhaps he is used to bully everybody, but this is an expensive and dangerous piece of hardware with bits moving very fast.

Like someone said earlier, he could have taken the registration and called the police.

There is no way we can mitigate for all the idiots on this planet who think they are above the law, be it the law of the land or the laws of nature.

The pilot complied with the law, informed residents and did his best to be neighbourly.

If the offender really is a millionaire who has flown on helicopters, he should have known better than to throw something at a tail rotor. Besides, since when has throwing stuff at other people or objects been acceptable? He got mad over a bit of dust on his car..then tries to fling chicken bones at a helicopter?

12 months serves this guy right. And I certainly would not have waited for an idiot who already had demonstrated severe lack of common sense to come and open my door.

[Coconutty]

Where did coldairs post go ?

Possibily another indication of character is that he is pretentious enough to call himself a "Lord" ! :\

Of course some people are just naturally ignorant, arrogant and obnoxious,
and no matter how reasonable you try and be with them,
they will rarely change their own blinkered views - will they Chop ?

Earl - Thanks for the suggestion but I don't really fancy being an MP -
Where would I find the time to fill in all those Expenses claims ? ;)

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d129/coconut11/Coconutty.jpg

[coldair]

S76Heav said, "Perhaps he is used to bully everybody" .

A bit of thread drift here but should anyone be interested the 'gentleman' :yuk: seems to have a bit of history of bullying.

Google 'destructionofgrovewood' for more info.

p.s. He calls himself 'Lord Houshang Jafari' :bored:

[jeepys]

In response to Vobiscum's post and the representation of the CAA's Keith Thomas in court I have a question regarding the 'congested area' rule.

If this was technically a congested area why did the pilot not need permission from the CAA?

Looking at the ANO's definition of a 'congested area' I dare say it could be argued that all small villages and even a collection of say four houses with fields all around could be seen as a congested area!

Can anyone shed any light on this or perhaps give any case studies?

Thanks.

J

[Yellow & Blue Baron]

I think it must be quite unbalancing to have someone grab onto your skid while attempting to make the take-off! Especially if the grabbing has not been previously agreed between the pilot and the grabber.

Does anyone remember the poor pilot who, apart from having the linen-wrapped dead body of Murtaza Bhutto (son of former Pakistan Prime Minister Ali Bhutto) layed out next to him, was forced to carry uninvited 'non paying' passengers?

I think (overall) he managed the situation fairly well.

http://www.wikimir.com/local--files/murtaza-bhutto/murtaza_bhutto_funeral_helicopter.jpg

Pakistani registered Bell 206 Jet Ranger III lifts from the road outside Karachi's Mideast Hospital (which had been closed for the landing) on Saturday 22nd September 1996. On board is the deceased body of the son of former Prime Minister Ali Bhutto. Several mourners did not wish to let go of the late Murtaza Bhutto and held on to the helicopter - one of the 'non-fare-paying passengers' remained attached to the helicopter and which forced the pilot to land at nearby Bagh Ibn-e-Qasim where the 'passenger' eventually let go and the Jet Ranger contined to Murtaza's burial location in Larkano.

YBB
http://www.icelandexpress.is/is/upload/images/iceland_express/destinations/swedish-flag-67x.jpg

[Hell Man]

Yellow

I do remember when this incident happened (and seeing the reports). In terms of dealing with the dynamics of imbalance during take-off I think the Pakastani pilot did a very good job. As I remember it there were a bunch of whackers trying to get a hold of the bird and, as you mentioned, one ended up flying off with it!

I'm not sure if the Limey pilot in this thread would have been up to it (he may have fainted ;)). Try taking repeated small arms fire .. continuing to land (otherwise your pals are dead meat) ... loading up and taking off while still taking hits! This was in a UH1, tail boom, engine bay area, main cabin, pilot (my) door, belly and fuel tank all punctured! But, we kept on f***ing flying!!!

HM

http://www.airguitar.com.au/Devil%20Skull_small2.jpg

ps: what did I tell you about posting juvenile icons and avatars after your signature!!!!

[Coconutty]

HM : For actions under fire - :D, but hardly a comparison to this incident.

Neither really is the Pakistan incident, where the "Hangers On" were trying to prevent departure of the cargo,
rather than an obvious aggression targetted at the pilot ?

As a member of the Armed forces you would be expected to get stuck in -
Good on you - Your Country really does need you :ok:

Not everyone is of the same 'robust' character though, and in THIS case,
( based purely on information posted here and other News reports ),
I am of the opinion that Capt. Blokland's decision not to engage the enemy
was the right one, for him, at that moment in time, in those circumstances.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d129/coconut11/Coconutty.jpg

[mfriskel]

Jafari was obviously a nutbag. Was the chicken bones some kind of a voodoo curse?
What the folks here who want to remain professional pilots need to get out of this is something quit different. Helicopter pilots are our own worse enemy. If you look at the pictures that were taken, the pilot landed in a quite large "garden" of an English mansion. There was a lot of room, and this guy chose to land close to the parked vehicles when he could have landed just a wee bit further and not peppered the guy's vehicles with debris. This hapens more than it should. More car glass and paint gets damaged by helicopters than you can imagine, and most of it is because the pilot chose poorly. Remember that most folks on the ground don't spend their days thinking about the effects of rotorwash, but helicopter pilots should think about that. I have seen many a pilot, military and civil, who have no regard for their rotorwash at airports or anywhere else. I have seen aircraft damaged or just turned in their parking spots by a pilot who chose to hover at a high hover by them instead of either getting as close to the ground (minumum power) as they could, or air-taxi past to land in a clear area.
We cause our own troubles, from damaging property to creating a nuissance with our noise or just scaring people, and that makes a bad name for all of us. It also gets local legislation made against helicopter operations.
Always respect your rotorwash, be mindful of the noise your machine produces, and if you like screwing around as much as I do, be smart and don't do it were you will piss people off!
Another thing to remember is- we spend a lot of time thinking about the spinning parts of our machinery and all the other aspects of helicopter flight. Most people on the ground don't give any of that a thought, and are therefore oblivious to the hazards. It is part of our responsibility when we bring our machinary somewhere to take due precautions to protect ourselves and the oblivious folks around us. Sometimes this is impossible because there are a lot of people out there who are more stupid than we can imagine- but we still must take due precaution. I flew HEMS in Qatar, and you just can't imagine what people might do- even with police standing by or medical crew marshalling bystanders till the rotors stop or start. The public can find ways to bypass your best plans and defences.

Mark

[OvertHawk]

Chop-jock... With due respect, you're wrong here.

Lets say that the Pilot had elected not to take off... He's now on the ground in the presence of a large bloke behaving in a deranged manner who has already screamed abuse at the Pilot and physically attacked the helicopter.

Are we to suppose that he is going to stand quietly beside the helicopter whilst the pilot shuts it down in a safe manner? Or would the pilot be forgiven for thinking that the lout could quite easily open the door and attacked or grabbed the pilot whilst he's at the controls. Anyone care to consider the consequences of having the pilot dragged out of the helicopter whilst the blades are still turning at speed???

I have little doubt that in the same situation i would have carried out the same action. I have on several occasions in my career taken such action to avoid "numpties". When you're on the ground with the blades at less than "fly" you are powerless to take any immediate action to protect the helicopter or the "numpty".

Good job Pilot, CAA and Judge!
OH

[Coconutty]

Well said, but .....

... if you like screwing around as much as I do, be smart and don't do it were you will piss people off!

.... and don't tell the wife :E

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d129/coconut11/Coconutty.jpg

[JimBall]

A look at the site using Multimap's Birds Eye View for BS16 1ZS is educational.

It would appear that the pilot chose not to land where there was a stack of open space on the south side of the house, but in a tiny confined area on the north side. Definitely a congested area - and definitely causing way more nuisance than if he had chosen south side. Using Google Earth, it seems likely that he had less than 200m to lift with 4 POB in a JetRanger surrounded by housing.

Utter madness.

[fly911]

I would never second guess the actions of the pilot in a case like this. The guy was mad that you stoned his car. I think he was upset. Hitting the nose of the ship with a gym bag doesn't equate to trying to destroy the helicopter. He wasn't trying to put his fist through the door window, just open the door. I'm belted in. So let him open the door. I'm guessing he's looking for an apology. So I apologize. If he gets violent, I stick my ball point pen in his eye and he stagers into the tail rotor. (Just kidding). I don't know. My gut says that I would try to calm things down. As long as my pax are inside the ship, they are pretty safe. I'd rather have someone try to destroy my ship on the ground than in the air. Then that might just be me. I guess you had to be there.

[tigerfish]

Jim,
I am sorry but you are wrong. I live very close to that location and what appears on a map is very different to reality. The House itself is built on the top of what is really a cliff. The land to the south is 30 or 40 feet below the house which stands out as a landmark over the nearby M32. The rest of that land is steeply sloping until you get to the bottom which is a long way from the house. THEN you would have to work your way around the side of the fortress like building to gain access to the flat landscaped area to the North of the House. There is simply no access from the south and the apparent grassland that appears on the map is way outside the slope limits of any helicopter.

I have no knowledge of any of the participants and really no interest in the affair but your scenario was so far off beam that it had to be answered.

Tigerfish

[Whirlygig]

Like this?

Panoramio - Photo of DSC00206 (http://www.panoramio.com/photo/502646)

Cheers

Whirls

[Coconutty]

The safety issues regarding the suitability of the landing site for a private helicopter, and the associated risks, were comprehensively dealt with in evidence by Keith Thomas of the CAA (acting as an expert) who is himself an experienced helicopter pilot.
There may, or may not still be unanswered questions about whether this was a "Congested area" or not
- I wasn't at Court so I don't know what was said about that,
but I find it quite surreal that someone else ( who obviously wasn't there either ),
can categorically state such facts based purely on the imagery provided
by Google Earth, and Multimap - we all know how bang up to date their data is !

Bottom line(s) ; Jafari - Tw@ - Guilty - Got what he deserved.
Pilot : No doubt lessons learnt but did what he thought was right at the time,
and does not appear to have been criticised by the Judge who DID know all the facts !
Organiser : Could have done better !

Case closed ?

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d129/coconut11/Coconutty.jpg

[ecureilx]

Not to stir it up .. how about this ????

http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/pakflood_08_11/p10_24584647.jpg (http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/pakflood_08_11/p10_24584647.jpg)

[tabdy]

Flight is generally the safest option when threatened and so it is in an aircraft. The last thing you want is a hysterical person yanking open the pilots door and grabbing the collective or beating hell out of the pilot. The pilot should have realised what was going to happen more quickly and taken off regardless of any pre take-off checks. A shout of "hang on tight" to the pax would have been enough, then up and away, if only to a high hover.

[mfriskel]

A .45 barrel opening in Jafari's face might have settled him down a bit if he tried to yank the door open and accost the pilot or pax. I realize that is not an option in the UK, but it is here! They are not called "peacemaker" and "equalizer" for nothing. :=

[Bladecrack]

Flight is generally the safest option when threatened and so it is in an aircraft. The last thing you want is a hysterical person yanking open the pilots door and grabbing the collective or beating hell out of the pilot. The pilot should have realised what was going to happen more quickly and taken off regardless of any pre take-off checks. A shout of "hang on tight" to the pax would have been enough, then up and away, if only to a high hover.

What planet are you on? So most of you seem to agree that the pilot did the right thing on this occasion by continuing take off whilst being threatened by some loudmouth halfwit, but had the outcome been different and he had crashed and killed all on board that would still be ok because the nasty man was shouting at him? :rolleyes:

I think he was lucky this time. The pilot was being harassed by one fat moron waving his arms about throwing bags of rubbish, not a dozen armed men! Solution - close throttle, fuel off, rotor brake on, jump out, put fat mans lights out, jump in and continue with flight... :cool: Perfectly legitimate self defence.

[Heliport]

Chopjock: Since the pilot panicked and lifted, effectively placing the skids in the face of the resident, I would say the resident probably instinctively put his hands out to push the skids away.

Jafari: 'I made no contact with [the helicopter] at all. The rotor blades are really going fast, there was a lot of wind.
'I took a full step back, lifted on to my tip-toes and I lifted both my hands up. I said: 'Where the hell are you going?' 'I made no contact with it in any way.'

Jury: Guilty.
ie We were told to consider all the evidence and that we must not convict unless we were sure Jafari is guilty.
We considered all the evidence and we are sure the prosecution witnesses were telling the truth and Jafari was lying.

Chopjock: Hell police state or what. :eek:
ie I wasn't in court so I didn't hear any of the evidence but I know better than the jury.

:rolleyes:


.

[chopjock]

Heliport

Quote:
Hell police state or what. http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/src:www.pprune.org/get/images/smilies/eek.gif

ie I wasn't in court so I didn't hear any of the evidence but I know better than the jury.

Or what I really meant was getting sentenced to 12 months in prison for having an arguement with a rude pilot, which would never have happened if the pilot had reacted responsibly.
No one was hurt, was that really worth a year in prison? You get less for GBH.
I don't agree with what the looney did, but the pilot could have handled things better.

[Bladecrack]

The sentence was severe but had Jafari's actions caused the helicopter to crash there could have been fatalities. I think the court have sent out a clear message that endangering an aircraft is a serious offence with severe consequences if prosecuted and convicted. :ok:

[chopjock]

Bladecrack
The sentence was severe but had Jafari's actions caused the helicopter to crash there could have been fatalities.

Yes I do see your point. I wonder though if it is likely a crash would occure if the helicopter had remained on the ground with the engine shut down?

[Senior Pilot]

chopjock,

Your repetitious argument is becoming tedious :ugh: You have been replied to graciously by many Rotorheads (now including Heliport) yet you are fast approaching the status of trolling for effect, rather than contributing constructively to the thread.

Enough is enough. No more :=

[Bladecrack]

I think the safest course of action was to shut down, which might also have calmed Jafari down, and have a "quiet word in his ear". I'm not criticising the pilot as he was clearly scared and panicked and did what he thought was best to diffuse the situation at the time, I'm just saying I would have probably done things differently.

I have had a couple of similar experiences although things didn't get quite as extreme as in this case.

1st incident - landed in a farmer's field (from whom my pax had agreed landing permission) behind a couple of other helicopters who had already just landed WITHOUT permission. Farm worker starts running towards helicopters waving arms, clearly not happy about helicopters in the field. On this occasion I did take off again in sequence, however the man did not approach under the rotor disc or throw anything at the aircraft.

2nd incident - landed at a job site and during rundown a teenager appears in my 2 o'clock with a large rock in hand ready to launch. Luckily my ground crewman intervened before I got as far as jumping out to tackle the little lout, but I am quite sure had there been no groundcrew there and I had tried to take off again he would have lobbed the rock at me with possibly tragic consequences...

[jetranger206]

All i can say is, there has never been pills for dumb people!:ugh::=:D

[Cylinder Head]

I assume that the pilot had reasonable concern that if Jafari had managed to open his door, he could have yanked the cyclic and possibly rolled the helicopter over with catastrophic consequences.

However, why was it necessary for a private pilot to do a rotors running pick up in the first place. Why not arrive & shut down - then any disagreement could have been handled on the ground. The pilot could have loaded and briefed his passengers fully - as he is required to do by law - before firing up and lifting. Just a thought!

[Coconutty]

... why was it necessary for a private pilot to do a rotors running pick up in the first place ... Did he ?

The pilot could have loaded and briefed his passengers fully - as he is required to do by law - before firing up and lifting.Didn't he ?

:confused:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d129/coconut11/Coconutty.jpg

[Yellow & Blue Baron]

Ecureilx - Do you have any details of that photo, when, where and what is going on?

Looks like the underside of a very dirty J series Puma (330)!

YBB
http://www.icelandexpress.is/is/upload/images/iceland_express/destinations/swedish-flag-67x.jpg

[ShyTorque]

I've had this happen to me twice.

The first time was in an RAF Puma during a VIP trip on a military exercise. We had just dropped off the passengers rotors running when a labourer working in an adjacent field ran to the open cabin door.

The second was when a suspected criminal ran at the aircraft as I was landing.

On neither occasion did it seem sensible to attempt an aircraft shutdown, just the opposite in fact.

The fact that the chap involved in the case in this topic was waving his arms around put him in grave danger and I think the pilot was entirely correct in lifting off for that reason alone.

[Bladecrack]

This was not a military aircraft or crew and obviously in each case a judgement call has to be made at the time, but I think I would feel happier knowing that even if I ended up with a black eye, or took a pasting my pax were not put in grave danger, than having to explain to their relatives or a court why I took off and put their lives in danger cos some idiot decided to hang on to the skids... That said, if half a dozen angry looking armed men are approaching I wouldn't be shutting down for a chat... :E

[ShyTorque]

This was not a military aircraft or crew

So what difference do you think that makes? The second time I was flying a civil registered aircraft on a civilian licence.

There is probably far more danger from the cyclic being grabbed by some nutcase than having him hang on the skids. If the disc tilted enough to remove his arms or head, what would folk have said then? Almost certainly that the pilot should have raised the lever, lifted off and put the miscreant out of danger below the aircraft.. :hmm:

[Bladecrack]

Shytorque,

Firstly I would have thought a Puma crew (of 3 or 4?) would be able to defend themselves from an irate farmer, surely they deal with tougher situations in warzones? Secondly, the average non flying member of the public has no idea what the controls in a helicopter actually do, and it's a bit extreme to assume an angry man will open the door and suddenly grab the conrols! What is there to stop any idiot walking into a rotor any time we land in a public place, whether they are angry at the helicopter pilot or not? Most normal people have the common sense not to do that, the same as most normal people have the common sense to look both ways for traffic before crossing the road...

[ShyTorque]

RAF Pumas originally had a crew of two, not 3 or 4.

But you miss the point; We dealt with the situation but there would have been no time to shut down the aircraft before the angry man might have unwittingly killed himself. Instead, he was given a kick in the chest by the crewman, levelling him to the ground. Turned out he was a local imbecile.

Nor was there time in the second instance to shut down the aircraft; I took a rapid decision to move the aircraft from the scene of a possibly impending accident.

Perhaps you have never had to deal with the "angry man" scenario yourself. Things can happen fast and unpredictably so.

surely they deal with tougher situations in warzones?

Yes, he might have got shot.

[Bladecrack]

I have described my experiences earlier in the thread, post 78 refers...

In the situation you describe the action you took worked out for the best, and happily no one was injured. Im simply saying I can't agree with you that a snap decision to suddenly take off when a pilot feels threatened will, in the majority of cases, and in this one in particular, be the right one... :hmm:

[ShyTorque]

The man in this case was a threat to himself and to the safety of the aircraft and those on board. The court came to the same conclusion.

[EjectEject]

End of story - Hopefully.

[ecureilx]

YBB: it is from the Pictures of Pakistan Flood Relief effort ..

Continuing Pakistani floods - The Big Picture - Boston.com (http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/08/continuing_pakistani_floods.html)

Look for the pic # 9 and # 10.

Quite a picture they have there ..

Thread drift - while working with some Russian crew, the crew once mentioned that had the difficult task for keeping a perimeter around the Mi-17, though when the craft is lifting off - with the perimeter disappearing - atleast once they had to come down to drop off a man who decided to take a impromptu lift in the landing gear struts ... when they landed in a paddy and asked him what he was thinking he had said that he wanted a lift "up the road" -

[chuks]

If you read the testimony of the perpetrator, he said, if I understood it correctly, that he didn't touch the helicopter but merely raised up on his toes with his arms straight up, as one does standing under the blade disc. Now all that is needed is simply to back up a bit, when disaster is guaranteed...

Is there any point to continuing to second-guess the actions of the pilot? Some here seem to think that a rotor brake is some marvelous device that you use to just stop (Eeerk!) the rotors "just like that," when really it still takes some time for motion to cease. To have some angry loon poised on tip-toe under a slowing, drooping main rotor... that doesn't sound like a real smart idea to me.

Given that no one was injured I think we can just take it as read that the pilot took a course of action that was essentially correct in coping with a person who was being criminally foolish. Otherwise the judge would have come to a different verdict. I cannot see how a pilot could have anything much to say against the action this pilot took; sometimes we really do have to take sides.

[212man]

Well said Chuks - glad to see that your prolonged exposure to 'real pilots' has been of benefit!

[chopjock]

ShyTorque
There is probably far more danger from the cyclic being grabbed by some nutcase than having him hang on the skids. If the disc tilted enough to remove his arms or head, what would folk have said then?

With gracious respect to all of you,(and no repetitious arguement here) I really can not see how the rotor disc can chop off someone's arms or head when they are reaching in and grabbing hold of the cyclic. :confused:
Or have I got hold of the wrong end of the stick:)

[XV666]

Anyone who is a qualified helicopter pilot would see the danger in a testosterone fuelled nutcase wrenching open the pilot's door and grabbing the controls. Does it have to be described in minute detail?

If ShyTorque's description doesn't tick all of chopjock's boxes for exactitude, I think that the troll is here for effect, not for rational discussion :hmm:

[Flying Lawyer]

chopjock

I'm having difficulty deciding whether you mean what you write or simply hope to provoke reactions.
I realise that, like me, you're a PPL but can you really not see the catastrophic consequences (for him and/or those in the helicopter) which might easily have resulted from this man's idiotic behaviour? :confused:

It's all very well to say the pilot should have dealt with the threat to the helicopter in a different way.
Perhaps you would have reacted differently.
And perhaps the outcome would also have been very different.
What we do know is that what this pilot did worked. :ok:

[212man]

Having had the dubious pleasure of having not one, but more like twenty one people decide to clamber into my aircraft, through every opening possible, I can vouch that getting airborne is the best option if possible. In my case, it was not possible to do so safely and I was then left with the safety of everyone around the aircraft literally in my hands. Firstly as the co-pilot was dragged out, smacking the cyclic as he went, then with a bunch of various individuals climbing through my window, across the centre pedestal and over my back, who were more concerned with restraining my arms as they thought I would try and escape! :ugh: The prospect of the cyclic being exercised through it's full range, whilst running, and a bunch of people fighting under the disc did not fill me with delight :uhoh: Luckily I was able to free my arm long enough to pull the T-Handles and turn off the battery, then back to the controls for the run down - which being unable to use the rotor brake took an age!

At least I got a free holiday out of it.......:\

So, I would say that getting airborne - if safely possible - is by far the best option. People grabbing you whilst at the controls is no fun.

[Anthony Supplebottom]

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/09/04/article-2198045-14D3820C000005DC-938_634x524.jpg

I just can't understand why this poor chap's wife is being so unreasonable - I mean what is wrong with women these days????

Skid Grabber featured on Pprune shocked by unreasonable wife (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2198045/Muslim-lord-divorce-battle-wife-relationship-live-pregnant-mistress-claims-affair-Sharia-law.html).

:E

[Helinut]

Even more serious, he feeds chicken bones to his dogs (according to the report).

Surely he should know that chicken bones can injure dogs. Someone should report him to the RSPCA. :E

[Aucky]

Muslim 'lord' in divorce battle with wife over relationship with live-in pregnant mistress he claims is not an affair because of Sharia law | Mail Online (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2198045/Muslim-lord-divorce-battle-wife-relationship-live-pregnant-mistress-claims-affair-Sharia-law.html)

If you were a millionaire property developer, who was being a bit naughty with a younger mistress wouldn't you find a..... erm...... better looking one....? :}