This happened yesterday in Guatemala
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Joined: Feb 2002
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From: N20,W99
This happened yesterday in Guatemala
This happened in Guatemala yesterday,
A 16 y.o. boy that belonged to a very popular (in Latin America) singing group had just landed in a B407, and as he was getting out of the helicopter with his other group members he decided to wave to the crowd of fans that was waiting there for the group.
The result was 4 completely severed fingers, 500 screaming girls looking at the blood squirt out of his hand, and 4 other group members who inmediately went looking for the fingers that had landed in . . . . . . . . you guessed it, in the crowd of girls!
PS: Please don't start talking about legal implications to the pilot for not briefing passengers, we all know it should be done, but in this part of the world flying is just different, not so many rules.
A 16 y.o. boy that belonged to a very popular (in Latin America) singing group had just landed in a B407, and as he was getting out of the helicopter with his other group members he decided to wave to the crowd of fans that was waiting there for the group.
The result was 4 completely severed fingers, 500 screaming girls looking at the blood squirt out of his hand, and 4 other group members who inmediately went looking for the fingers that had landed in . . . . . . . . you guessed it, in the crowd of girls!
PS: Please don't start talking about legal implications to the pilot for not briefing passengers, we all know it should be done, but in this part of the world flying is just different, not so many rules.
Joined: Jul 1999
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From: 58-33N. 00-18W. Peterborough UK
I don't believe this. Even on low skids a 407, from ground to rotor disc, is over 10 feet. Unless this kid is over 7 feet tall then he still has all his fingers. And if he was standing on the step then all he'd get is fair old thump, nothing like you'd need to chop fingers off.
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Joined: Feb 2002
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From: N20,W99
Update
Since the day before yesterday the kid has gotten the fingers reattached, initially only three had been so, but a fourth showed up on a roof bldg. Latest versions say he jumped as he waved, and the helicopter had just shut down the engine.
Still seems high but anything can happen, sloping ground, incorrectly positioned cyclic, etc.
A few years ago a pax was hit in the head by the rotor of a AS365 Dauphin, now that is high.
Still seems high but anything can happen, sloping ground, incorrectly positioned cyclic, etc.
A few years ago a pax was hit in the head by the rotor of a AS365 Dauphin, now that is high.
Joined: Jul 2002
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From: Somewhere, Over the Rainbow
Reminds me of 2 semi-similar instances.
Don't recall where, but a 412 was taking off with a cabinful of Skydivers. Pilot did a pedal turn, and the tail rotor went right into a photographer snapping pictures of god knows what.
Second one comes from a friend of mine that was a lifer in the Marines. Back in the 70's-80's, he says a helo (unsure of type) brought in Santa Clause to a crowd of hundreds of young children. Helicopter landed, and as it shut down, the Santa came out, stood up on some form of the helicopter, and gave a big wave... off went the fingers and hand.
It boggles the mind as to how some people can reach the rotors on some of these aircraft. I still don't understand why non-trained people don't crouch as they approach hot helos like they did on MASH. Common sense, peoples...
Mike
Don't recall where, but a 412 was taking off with a cabinful of Skydivers. Pilot did a pedal turn, and the tail rotor went right into a photographer snapping pictures of god knows what.
Second one comes from a friend of mine that was a lifer in the Marines. Back in the 70's-80's, he says a helo (unsure of type) brought in Santa Clause to a crowd of hundreds of young children. Helicopter landed, and as it shut down, the Santa came out, stood up on some form of the helicopter, and gave a big wave... off went the fingers and hand.
It boggles the mind as to how some people can reach the rotors on some of these aircraft. I still don't understand why non-trained people don't crouch as they approach hot helos like they did on MASH. Common sense, peoples...
Mike
Joined: Oct 2000
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TwinHueyMan wrote:
It wasn't quite that simple.
It happened on 2Aug2002 in Rantoul, Illinois, USA. Although the American NTSB report says that the photographer was struck by the tail rotor, it is not certain that it happened that way.
Think about the physics of it. How is any blade (tail rotor or otherwise) of a hovering 412 going to hit anyone on the ground?
It is well known and well publicized that the pilot of the 412 gave incomparable "thrill rides" to the skydivers. There were even some websites that had incriminating pictures (since taken down) of the pilot doing some outrageous things. Even the organizers' official website touted the thrill ride.
The pilot knew the photographer was there. He intentionally made his take-off run at him. Somehow, during his turn-about-a-photographer, one of the 412's blades struck and killed him. The pilot was hailed as a hero for getting the aircraft down safely(!) after the "accident." But this was no accident.
As upset as he must have been, the distraught pilot did the right thing...and continued flying skydivers for the rest of the weekend. What a guy.
We've all done "Santa drops." And we've all probably held our breath as Santa exited the ship. But we're not totally without recourse. Personally, I lean the cyclic away from the departing Santa.
Don't recall where, but a 412 was taking off with a cabinful of Skydivers. Pilot did a pedal turn, and the tail rotor went right into a photographer snapping pictures of god knows what.
It wasn't quite that simple.
It happened on 2Aug2002 in Rantoul, Illinois, USA. Although the American NTSB report says that the photographer was struck by the tail rotor, it is not certain that it happened that way.
Think about the physics of it. How is any blade (tail rotor or otherwise) of a hovering 412 going to hit anyone on the ground?
It is well known and well publicized that the pilot of the 412 gave incomparable "thrill rides" to the skydivers. There were even some websites that had incriminating pictures (since taken down) of the pilot doing some outrageous things. Even the organizers' official website touted the thrill ride.
The pilot knew the photographer was there. He intentionally made his take-off run at him. Somehow, during his turn-about-a-photographer, one of the 412's blades struck and killed him. The pilot was hailed as a hero for getting the aircraft down safely(!) after the "accident." But this was no accident.
As upset as he must have been, the distraught pilot did the right thing...and continued flying skydivers for the rest of the weekend. What a guy.
We've all done "Santa drops." And we've all probably held our breath as Santa exited the ship. But we're not totally without recourse. Personally, I lean the cyclic away from the departing Santa.