Most people have a skeleton in a closet somewhere, and I have a couple too.
I once dismounted from a big Bell whilst it was running and walked around the nose to check the positioning of the left hand skid prior to shutting down…and the machine ‘moved on me’. I had just reached the nose of the helicopter when it started to pivot around the back of the left skid. The rocky terrain, the C of G shift when I got out, and probably a small gust of wind, were enough to start the whole sequence that ended up with the machine leaving its landing gear and squatting on its belly, in some unpleasant countryside hundreds of kilometers from anywhere.
That was many years ago. Every now and again, whenever I want to ‘beat myself up’, I take out the pictures to revisit the scene of the crime.
Have I ever dismounted rotors turning since then? You bet! Sometimes, after very careful consideration and with all things are considered (at least twice), I have decided it to be by far the best option… sometimes there is just no other viable option. However I am resigned to the fact that this is only as long as nothing goes wrong!! Otherwise it will be the worst decision I have ever made, as the company and the regulators will always determine that there was a better way.
If you can, shut down. If you can’t, look for a better place to land, move to somewhere where you can shutdown.
If, in your opinion, it is essential to dismount whilst the rotors are still turning be prepared to face the consequences, as it can go horribly wrong!!!