Originally Posted by
EESDL
206L Hudson
Reliable
Ok. Looking at past accident summaries on ASN, it was surprising how many examples of helicopters being taken out by bird strikes there were. In some cases birds impacted with pitch links which unsurprisingly creates a massive upset. In at least one 206L case in Australia (VH-ZMF), a bird strike is suggested to have startled the pilot resulting in an in-flight break-up.
Makes a case for polycarbonate windscreens and better protected pitch links. I wonder what protection the rotor head cowling on HX50 might offer against a bird strike?