PAX takes over controls after PIC passes out

[Rotor George]

You Tube

[treadigraph]

So... what happened to the pilot? Did he survive?

[Helicodger Pilot]

Apparently the pilot also survived per this report:
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-sta...hawaii-sandbar
but there's no details as to what the "medical emergency" was that caused him to lose conciousness. The young lady pax did a remarkable job of making a survivable landing and her fiancé' in the back seat should get credit for a great coaching job.
Curiosity remains unsatisfied...

[Robbiee]

Just goes to show, anyone can handle a Robbie!

[Bell_ringer]

That's good going considering she knew nothing about helicopters and without duals had to use the pilots side cyclic.

[Ascend Charlie]

Centre prong, next to her right knee.

The pilot couldn't have slumped too much or she wouldn't be able to pull back against his weight?

[Vertical Freedom]

I'd be going unconscious too; driving them thar plasticky Flimsicopters The miracle is......they all survived

[Nigel Osborn]

Skippy the kangaroo landed the helicopter when the pilot, Tony Bonner, passed out!

[Vertical Freedom]

Originally Posted by Nigel Osborn

Skippy the kangaroo landed the helicopter when the pilot, Tony Bonner, passed out!

Aye Nigel.......truly Skip did but then She was flying the 'Queen of the Sky' - the Bell47...... a Real Helicopter

[RMK]

Great result; I've never heard of a similar event for helicopters (whereas there are loads of PAX lands the plane stories). It would be interesting to hear more about what she actually did ("I reached over and pulled the handle"). Pretty amazing for someone with no understanding/training of helicopters.

I'm curious why the pilot sat her in the right-hand seat for a tour flight - that seems odd

.…however, sitting right seat was very lucky in this instance. As the helicopter rolled onto the left side (likely they would have been yawing to the right without any pedal input for trim), if she would have been in the left seat, she would have had the unconscious pilot on top of her and her boyfriend in back with dislocated arm not able help lift him off.

[aa777888]

Originally Posted by RMK

Great result; I've never heard of a similar event for helicopters (whereas there are loads of PAX lands the plane stories). It would be interesting to hear more about what she actually did ("I reached over and pulled the handle"). Pretty amazing for someone with no understanding/training of helicopters.

I'm curious why the pilot sat her in the right-hand seat for a tour flight - that seems odd

.…however, sitting right seat was very lucky in this instance. As the helicopter rolled onto the left side (likely they would have been yawing to the right without any pedal input for trim), if she would have been in the left seat, she would have had the unconscious pilot on top of her and her boyfriend in back with dislocated arm not able help lift him off.

The helicopter was being flown from the right seat and the passenger was in the left seat. The helicopter did roll onto its left side, and the pilot did fall on top of her.

https://wgntv.com/2018/10/24/suburban-woman-helps-land-helicopter-survives-crash-after-pilot-passes-out/

[Bell_ringer]

Originally Posted by RMK

Great result; I've never heard of a similar event for helicopters (whereas there are loads of PAX lands the plane stories). It would be interesting to hear more about what she actually did ("I reached over and pulled the handle"). Pretty amazing for someone with no understanding/training of helicopters.

I'm curious why the pilot sat her in the right-hand seat for a tour flight - that seems odd

.…however, sitting right seat was very lucky in this instance. As the helicopter rolled onto the left side (likely they would have been yawing to the right without any pedal input for trim), if she would have been in the left seat, she would have had the unconscious pilot on top of her and her boyfriend in back with dislocated arm not able help lift him off.

Selfie image. Flipped perspective

[RMK]

Yes, now notice the small mole to left of her nose (in video) is on the right side in the still photo.

[MikeNYC]

Originally Posted by RMK

Great result; I've never heard of a similar event for helicopters (whereas there are loads of PAX lands the plane stories). It would be interesting to hear more about what she actually did ("I reached over and pulled the handle"). Pretty amazing for someone with no understanding/training of helicopters.

A colleague of mine (aerial filmer, not a pilot) brought an AStar in for a controlled crash a few years back after the pilot became unconscious mid-flight in a remote area. The machine was totaled but all aboard survived. My colleague had extensive leg surgery to be able to walk again., but it's still a miracle. He had spent a lot of time in helicopters but had no flight experience.

https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.a...14LA272&akey=1

[Two's in]

Oh no! The truth about flying a helicopter is finally revealed...

Seriously, that was a great job to get it down and allow all 3 of them to "walk" away.

[evil7]

So you all believe this BS story they are trying to sell? Their „first ever“ helicopter flight and she lands the aircraft with the pilot „slumped over the controls“? Sounds very fishy to me��

[GrayHorizonsHeli]

i'm happy they survived, but it was still a crash. She didn't land it, and gravity always wins. It was coming down one way or another.
there's no telling if her actions helped by any degree.

Faced with the same situation, I would sure as hell would make my own attempt at self preservation. I've been around helicopters for 30yrs. Not sure I would even be successful under the circumstances

[500AGL]

It maybe that it was going down under auto , with no control input , and fortuitously she happened to pull the collective up at the right instant to effect a flare and cushion the crash ! Got lucky

[Thomas coupling]

MikeNYC - I think you'll find that your colleague, didn't actually "bring it in" perse. He/she may have attempted to pull this or push that control but I can guarantee you that there is ZERO chance of controlling a helicopter from the other seat / cross cockpit / without any training or experience. The accident report briefly suggests your colleagues hands were in the vicinity of the controls while the rear crew person attempted to pull the slumped pilot off the controls.
Consider reality - your colleague(s) were mere passengers en route to a crash, which miraculously - they survived.
I'll go as far as to guarantee that in this Robo crash too - the "pax" made genuine gestures to try something...anything to alleviate the situation, but yet again everyone wants it to look like something it isn't, which is intervention on a controlled scale and recovering from an impossible situation.
Looking at the photo, I would even go as far as to suggest the helo became uncontrollable...relatively close to the ground, looking at the amount of damage to the cab.
Smell the coffee guys - 'mission impossible'.........
{Bit like the standard headline news: Pilot fought valiantly to divert the aircraft from the built up area, saving dozens of lives, in so doing - yeah, right!].

[Robbiee]

Ha! Like the dude said, secret's out now, choppers aren't that difficult to fly, we're nothing special.

,...and she didn't even mast bump it, but then, only "experienced" pilots ever do that with Robbo!

aaaaahhh ha ha haaaaaaa