I personnally know - from hand shaking/exchanging a few words to friendship - 26 pilots who died in helo accidents, 4 in the military and 22 in civilian, over a period of 32 years.
Apart from the military in wartime, any other profession that has the same stats ?
During a visit of Sheel offshore rigs with my ops manager, the field manager told us, pointing at the chopper on the deck "This is
what will kill me." Seeing disbelief on our face, he further explained that according to a Shell safety survey in transportation, helicopters are the fist cause of fatality for the company field executives, well before ground transportation. That was shortly after the North Sea accident when a S76 lost a blade.
There is not a single time when connecting to the Rotorhead forum when I do not see accident reports.
I do think flying helo is a little bit more dangerous than a desk job. I recently retired and am now riding bike, just to keep the thrill.
Cheers
ATN