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Thursday, Jul 08 2010
Passengers in terror as 'furious tycoon clung to helicopter that blew debris over his Land Rover'


By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 10:56 AM on 8th July 2010


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Accused: Houshang Jafari leaves Bristol Court yesterday


A wealthy businessman attacked a helicopter in a rage and tried to hang on to it as it took off laden with passengers outside his £1 million flat, a court heard yesterday.
Houshang Jafari, 59, was allegedly angry the private Jet Ranger blew debris over his Land Rover as it landed in the extensive gardens in a converted manor house.
He 'stormed' towards the chopper and tried to open the pilot's door before he kicked the aircraft, threw a green bag at the windscreen and held on to the skid bar.
Pilot Mark Blokland and his four passengers feared for their lives after heavily-built Jafari pulled at the helicopter's undercarriage causing it to pitch to one side.
He allegedly put the pilot and his passengers in 'catastrophic danger' as the helicopter tried to take off from Dower House in Bristol.
Jafari yesterday denied one count of endangering the safety of an aircraft at Bristol Crown Court.
The court heard Mr Blokland hired the helicopter to take wife Tammy and two friends, who also had a £1.2million flat in Dower House, out for lunch.
James Patrick, prosecuting, said: 'For some reason he was extremely angry, some would say livid.
'He had in his hands a green carrier bag which he then threw towards the helicopter. If that had gone into the rotor it could have been catastrophic.
'The helicopter could have spun out of control if the carrier bag had gone into the engine.
'Mr Blokland saw Mr Jafari coming towards him, his face twisted with anger. He kicked at the front of the aircraft and tried the pilot's door.

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The helicopter landed in the grounds of Dower House, Bristol, where Mr Jafari has a £1million flat

'The people in the aircraft were terrified. He just about had enough rotor speed to take off and so they began to rise.
'To lose control of a helicopter at that stage could be extremely dangerous.
'Mr Jafari was causing the helicopter to tilt to a hugely dangerous angle. Fortunately Mr Blokland managed to keep control and he took off.'
The court heard Mr Blokland flew the Jet Ranger helicopter to Dower House with his wife Tammy on March 21, 2009, to pick up business partner Simon Clarke and his wife Lisa Hale.
Mr Clarke had met other residents of the building to ensure there were no problems with the landing but, the court heard, not everyone had been informed.
The experienced helicopter pilot circled the area twice at 1,000 feet before he landed outside Dower House and kept the rotor blades spinning at 'idle' speed while the couple boarded.
After collecting his passengers, Mr Blokland saw a man approach the aircraft. He raised his left hand and shooed him away but the man kept on moving towards the pilot's hatch.

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A jet Ranger helicopter similar to the one which Mr Jafari allegedly attacked during a confrontation near his £1million home

The court heard Mr Blokland could not power the helicopter down, as the blades may have taken the man's head off.
He allegedly threw a bag at the helicopter, which hit the 'bubble' or canopy of the aircraft and 'felt like ten tons', Mr Blokland said.
Mr Blokland told the court: 'I still clearly remember the male coming towards me. The face was of no expression and of increasing determination to approach the helicopter.
'I realised the individual was not of a friendly nature and as a pilot I felt threatened.
'He came storming to the helicopter and flung something at the bubble, that's the canopy. It felt pretty big - it felt like ten tons.
'The mood was hysterical. The individual was now clearly extremely aggressive. He came around the pilot's side door and I was really scared.
'The blades were nearly at speed - it could have been catastrophic. He was around at the door, I didn't want to see if he was going to open it.
'I lifted up - it immediately banked aggressively onto the right hand side.'
The passengers of Jet Ranger were 'terrified' as Jafari allegedly tried to hold on to the right skip bar of the helicopter.
Mr Blokland managed to recover the craft, but had to set it down in a neighbouring field to check his instruments and allow the frightened passengers to calm down and compose themselves before they continued on to their destination.
He later called the Civil Aviation Authority and the police to report the incident and Mr Jafari was arrested.
Mr Blokland, who had five hundred hours of flight time before the incident, told the court that he has not flown any aircraft since that day.
He told the court he haD lost all confidence and that his pilot's license has
subsequently lapsed.

The trial continues.

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Mr Blokland, who had five hundred hours of flight time before the incident, told the court that he has not flown any aircraft since that day.
He told the court he haD lost all confidence and that his pilot's license has
subsequently lapsed.

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A BUSINESSMAN has been convicted of grabbing a helicopter as it took off from outside his luxury home and now faces a maximum five years in prison.

Houshang Jafari, pictured, was "livid" when the chopper landed outside his £1.2million apartment at the Dower House in Stoke Park, Bristol Crown Court heard.

People on board the aircraft told a jury how he kicked the helicopter's nose before grabbing one of its skid bars as it lifted off, causing it to lurch to the right before the pilot was able to gain control and fly away.

Jafari, 58, denied endangering the safety of an aircraft in March last year but a jury found him guilty.

Judge Michael Roach adjourned sentence until August 3, and told the court: "The report ordered doesn't mean there won't be a prison sentence. He (Jafari) has to expect the likelihood is that there will be one."

Jafari was given bail on condition he cooperate with the making of the report. He declined to comment as he left court.

Passenger Elizabeth Hale told the jury Jafari had walked towards the aircraft, stood in front of it and started hitting its nose with a plastic bag.

She said: "At that point I realised he was angry. The bag was definitely hitting the helicopter. I think I was looking at my partner at that point. It was just the way he was looking at us, it was really intimidating."

Miss Hale described how Jafari kicked the helicopter with the sole of his foot and, petrified, she shouted for them to leave. She said the pilot started to take off when Jafari jumped up and grabbed one of its skids.

She said: "He clung on to the skid and we lurched to the right. It was a bit of a blur after that. I started to cry. Mark (the pilot) stabilised it and we took off and were up in the air.

"We looked for a field nearby and landed just to compose ourselves.

"I think I was saying I thought I was going to die. I said I didn't want to get in and I wish I hadn't."

Her partner, Simon Clarke, said: "I saw Jafari come out of the house and come towards the helicopter with his fists clenched and gritted teeth.

"He got about three feet from the helicopter and then started waving his arms in a brushing away movement."

Mr Clarke said Jafari had a blue plastic bag, which he threw at the helicopter's nose and it landed on the ground.

He told the jury: "He became more irate, shouting 'Go away, go away!' You could lip read. He kicked out at the helicopter, at the nose, and he kicked out twice. He started shouting and walked round to the pilot's side door."

Mr Clarke said Jafari made a grab for the door as the helicopter lifted off.

He said: "Everyone was fearing what would happen next. My girlfriend was screaming 'Take off, take off!' The helicopter twisted to the right quite violently. That's when I really did fear for my life."

Jafari told the jury: "I walked to the side (of the helicopter). I made no contact with it at all. The rotor blades are really going fast, there was a lot of wind. I took a full step back, lifted on to my tip-toes and I lifted both my hands up. I said: 'Where the hell are you going?'

"I made no contact with it in any way as I am a fat man, my foot doesn't come up – how can I kick it?"

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