EwanWhoesarmy, I found this in a back issue of TC's Aviation Safety Vortex:
Are Helmets a Good Investment?
You Bet They Are!
All hazards were identified in a thorough reconnaissance of the job site prior to landing and the identified hazards were again reviewed on the ground before starting the work. The sky was clear, wind calm, temperature 12°C and humidity 32%.
The spray job was in a rectangular 40-acre field with a power line on the west side running north and south and a row of mature trees on the north and south sides running east and west. A barbed wire fence surrounded the entire field.
The field was seeded to corn and the crop was about three inches high. The circumference of the field is bordered by a 30- to 40- ft. strip of barley. The chemical used that day was MCPA and we were using an ultra-low-volume application.
All equipment was tested before starting the work and both the helicopter and spray gear were operating as expected.
I flew one orientation pass from south to north (the longest side of the rectangular field), noting the power line, which was about 50 ft. away on my left. I turned right, away from the power line, and started to apply the product to the field. I had made three passes when I realised that I did not have enough product to do another full pass.
Because of the trees at either end of the field, I decided to spray a headland pass to give me more room to pull up at the treed end of the field. I figured I had enough product remaining to do one headland pass before heading back to refill.
I pulled up and flew out of the field to determine how best to approach the headland pass. Flying to the west would bring me too close to the power line at a high rate of speed, so I decided to fly away from the power line. I manoeuvred into position with the power line behind me. I had settled into what I thought was a stable hover but, as I moved slowly forward, I heard a loud bang and the helicopter started spinning violently. I closed the throttle and prepared for impact.
When all the parts stopped moving, I found myself partway outside the cockpit door opening (both doors had been removed) restrained by my seat belt. The top of the door frame had landed on the temple area of the left side of my head with enough impact force to dent the top of the very rigid door frame. I was firmly pinned under the machine between the door frame and the ground. I undid the chin strap and slid out of the helmet with little effort, as the helmet did not deform or compress enough to trap my head. There was a large black impact mark on the helmet but no visible damage. There is no doubt in my mind that my helmet saved me from serious injury and quite probably death.
When I originally considered purchasing a helmet, I was somewhat deterred by the price. It didn’t take me long to figure out that it was the prudent thing to do and now of course, I’m glad I made the choice—the right choice—to buy one.
We have a rigid policy in our company—no one will ride in or fly our helicopter without a helmet. We provide a generic style for our passengers to wear. We will not hire pilots unless they have and agree to wear proper head protection. I discussed this policy with another operator and he indicated that he felt he couldn’t legally force his pilots to wear helmets—something to do with their freedom of choice. Be that as it may, we remain resolved in our decision that it is our freedom of choice that helmets are mandatory if aircrew want to work with us.
Helmets save lives. In this pilot’s opinion, there is no acceptable substitute.
John Baswick
Cheers, OffshoreIgor
