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"Wealthy businessman attacked a helicopter"
Trial in progress, so we need to be aware about making comments.
From the 'Daily Mail' Tycoon 'clung onto helicopter as it took off in rage over debris blown at his car' | Mail Online 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 http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/...97_233x423.jpg 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. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/...23_468x331.jpg 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. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/...05_468x286.jpg 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. |
He Needs Locking Up !!!!
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The building used to be a mental hospital, seems they may have left a former patient in when they developed it!
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How can someone become that wealthy without the idea of writing down the registration and taking pictures of the damage instead of trying to kill everyone onboard?
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Millionaire tycoon? Trabant? :uhoh:
http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/500/trabant.jpg Cheers Whirls |
Try posting L a n d R o v e r without the gaps.
Danny's sense of humour :p |
Ah I see ... even so ....
http://www.4x4offroads.com/image-fil...on-wagon-1.jpg I thought all millionaires had dirty, muddy, scratched ones :ok: Cheers Whirls |
So you want to be a helicopter pilot....
I was parked in the road with rotors turning waiting for my patient to be packaged up by the medical crew at an accident scene. A luni-tune driving a pick-up truck raced right under the turning blades and came within about two feet of our Bell 407. There are all kinds out there. Must have been in a hurry. Glad I was on high skids.
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note to roptorboater, patinets in psychiatric hospital do not generally behave in that type of aggressive manner however clowns with temper issues frequently do.
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A couple of weekends ago I saw a tractor being driven dangerously close to Merlin that had touched down in a nearby field, because a Chinook had landed at a helipad and the downdraft had blown some hay in the air....The driver was complaining about losing "£400" of hay ..I wondered whether he was reported and will turn up in court.
I didn't hear the reaction of the crew but I would have been seriously worried. |
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. |
yes neptunus rex, and a reprimand for missing the nob particularly as his rotros were already turning!
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I thought I recognised this story, this is a few months old now. It's listed in the "Safety Data Occurence Listing" recorded between 19 FEB and 16 MAR 2010 if anyone was interested.
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As a side note on the article, do they actually instruct British journalist to include the house price of every person involved in a newspaper article? – “angry man w/ £1m house attacks helicopter of man with £1.2m house”
WTF? The worst one I ever saw was in a story about a father who accidentally backed over and killed his two year old son in their driveway. The London paper even managed to include in the story “neighbours said 2yr old Johnny loved his family’s £450,000 semi-detached home” DAMN, it’s like the old Harry Enfield comedy skit “I am considerably richer than yoouuww” |
Guilty
Houshang Jafari has been found guilty at Crown Court and will be sentenced on August 3rd.
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?" |
I'm wondering if the pilot was completely blameless. I'm thinking would I try to take off, laden with fuel and passengers and a mad man frolicking around under the rotor disk?
I suggest it was the pilot who put the aircraft at risk by not shutting down and dealing with the problem. |
Chopjock,
Not sure if I would have shut down..... but he was definitely to blame for not stepping out and flattening the fat bastard.... Money :yuk: |
So the pilot elects to close down and Mr Jafari loses his life through a blade strike ..then what.
He was right to continue the take off. |
Good call......
.....decision to take off - ie try and remove the hazard (as it would seem that the culprit was too heavy to move quickly)
not all Jetbangers have rotorbrakes remember and I'm sure a decapitation would have made a bigger splash over the newspapers (sorry!) |
Anyone who wants to approach a running helicopter and get even close to the rotor disc... you don't need to look any further than that for someone to blame. He created a situation where it was dangerous to shut down and dangerous to depart.
Who trains for such an eventuality in the first place? Can you tell me where there is an SOP for this one, dealing with some lunatic under the running rotor? You shut down and perhaps he gets his head chopped off or you lift off and perhaps he makes the whole plot tip over so that the pilot was lucky to get away with no serious injuries or damage. (I bet in the States there would be at least one lawyer specialising in mental trauma all over that rich guy like a rash so let's see what comes of this next.) We depend on people exercising common sense in the vicinity of aircraft and this rich guy did just the opposite, seemingly losing it and deciding "Right! I will have him!" because of his Chelsea Tractor being littered with grass. This week a helicopter, next week a bulldozer? It might be doing him a big favour to give him a quiet spell "inside" to think things over, get a reality check so to speak. |
chuks
He created a situation where it was dangerous to shut down and dangerous to depart. However, if the worst should happen in each case, which would be the lesser of the two evils? 1) Pilot shuts down and lunatic risks getting whacked in the head with a rotor blade. Unlikely though because he was banging on the door. 2) Pilot attempts to take off, lunatic holds on to skid, heli rolls over and rotor blades go everwhere, possibly hitting lunatic anyway and breaking back into the cabin area.:eek: I still say the pilot panicked and put the aircraft at more risk by taking off. |
I gotta vote with chopjock on this one.
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There was probably a reasonable expectation that if the occupants remained there they would get the s--t kicked out of them by the aggressive, raging lunatic. Departing would seem like a far better option and I don't think anyone would predict that the fat b-----d would try to hang on to the skids. I hope the judge passes a meaningful sentence that demonstrates that endangering the safety of an aircraft is not a trivial matter.
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And following Chopjock's option 2, during the run-down the lunatic does not stay close to the chopper door. Tragic end ensues - AAIb investigation into a fatality - press comment - etc, etc.
Why do we think that he "must" stay close to the body of the machine - nothing else he did was logical. I think this one is "damned if you do, damned if you don't" The pilot made a decision (I think that's what he was there for) and it proved to be the right decision in that case because no-one got hurt. What would have happened had he shut down is pure armchair speculation. |
Speciality!
"What would have happened, had he shut down, is pure armchair speculation" - is of course Chop Jocs speciality!
Guilty verdict was recorded at the end of the case! Tigerfish |
I think you could draw a parallel between this and the Long Marston Autogyro fatality!
The circumstances (and aircraft) are not identical, but the options chosen by both pilots were similar (or would have been had the Autogyro managed to get airborne). I'm not sure what the CAA licence issues are with the Autogyro pilot but a court of his peers cleared him! |
I had an incident very similar to this happen to me in the 47.
We arrived at a pub high up on the moors here, landed 50m away from the car park, as you all know the 47 takes 5 minutes to cool down, running at 2300 engine rpm, so there we are sat and a girl climbs over the stone wall and starts running directly towards us with her hands waving in the air, first thourght was that there was someting wrong - fire etc behind us, but it became obvious that she wasn't going to stop, so there I am half flying speed, girl about 15m away at this stage hand about the height of the rotor disk, no time to throttle up and tale off, no rotor brake so the blades would take 2 to 3 mins to stop, half way through the cool down routine. What to do..? Both passenger and me waving frantically at the girl, my decision was to pull back on the cyclic to raise the disk as much, prime the passenger to cut the mags while I attempted to undo my harness so I could rugby tackle her to the ground... as it happened she looked up about a foot from the edge of the disk and then promptly sat on the ground, by this time engine was cut, passenger hanging onto the cyclic, me half way out of the door... Turned out she was blind drunk... thorght it was fun, so we had a little chat with her and her drunk mates after and I showd them just how close it had got. I had only around 150 hours at this stage, still to this day I am not sure what I did was correct, but when you have to react quickly there may not be time to mull over the possibilities... my thourght was that if the engine was throttled up and I had attempted to lift off, I would then be possibly guilty of flying into her? So cut the engine to remove that possibility but upon reflection should I have attempted to get out - where would I have been with no piolt at the controls (passenger - wife has 56 hours on a 44) So not sure if I was/did the wrong thing, anyway chaps, food for thourght Sorry about the thread drift. Kev. |
The pilot made a decision (I think that's what he was there for) and it proved to be the right decision in that case because no-one got hurt. |
This rich man needs to get a couple of teeth knocked out! :} He prob thinks his money will make him get away, no matter how stupid his actions are. Hopefully the law will prevail this time!
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Good news :)
Houshang Jafari has been sentenced to 12 months :)
That should bring him down a peg or two. I have to admit that I am pleased with the sentence ! From BBC Bristol; BBC News - Angry car owner jailed for grabbing helicopter Angry car owner jailed for grabbing helicopter http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/image...003_de27-1.jpg An eyewitness took pictures of the incident last March A man has been sentenced to a year in prison for endangering the safety of an aircraft after he grabbed a helicopter as it took off in Bristol. Bristol Crown Court was told Houshang Jafari, 58, became "extremely angry" after the helicopter landed near his flat, causing debris to hit his car. The court heard how Jafari grabbed one of its skid bars as the pilot tried to take off with four passengers on board. The pilot managed to take off safely despite Jafari's actions last March. Dr Mark Blockland, who was in charge of the helicopter, was credited in court for using his "considerable skill" to allow it to take off safely despite it lurching violently. Sentencing Jafari, Judge Michael Roach said it was a "deliberate and much more a reckless and dangerous act" and despite the fact he was a business and family man, he had "no choice" other than to send him to prison for a year. |
One year inside
The law does indeed prevail
Angry car owner jailed for grabbing helicopter Obviously I won't copy the text of the story here as that would be breaking copyright. |
Close?
I am not a helicopter pilot but unless it was an emergency (or medevac or similar) isn't that helicopter a bit too close to the buildings for comfort? I know it is possible and lawful but it caused a nuisance to a member of the public which could have been avoided if the helicopter had arrived a bit further away from the residences. All pilots should try to avoid unecessary disturbance to the non flying public. That is why we avoid built up areas on takeoff etc. Not that I have any sympathy with the man found guilty as he could have caused the deaths of five people by his actions.
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Good job Mr. Jafatty has plenty of £££'s in the bank....
I don't normally subscribe to the "Where there's blame there's a claim" routine, but in this case, where his actions directly resulted in the pilot not flying since the incident, ( whether through fear of repetition, loss of confidence, or whatever, and whatever people may think about the strength of Dr. Blockland's character ) then maybe the pilot's legal team should make application to relieve the w****r of some of his dosh ( he won't need { much of } it inside anyway), to help pay for licence renewal, and some Compo for the mental anguish/any loss of earnings etc. As for the question of whether the pilot should have attempted take off or not, individual character will of course play a major part - not everyone is as big and brave as Chopjock, who would have stayed on the ground with passengers screaming for him to take off - Assuming a successful shutdown without decapitation - what then ? - This is him when he's NOT raging mad : http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d1...11/Jafatty.jpg .... Would he be interested in a reasoned debate over the dangers of approaching a departing aircraft, compared with the huge inconvenience of having to clean a bit of dust off a beat up old Landrover? - :ugh: Chopjock - do you really fancy taking him on :confused: http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d1.../Coconutty.jpg |
Originally Posted by oscarisapc
I am not a helicopter pilot but unless it was an emergency (or medevac or similar) isn't that helicopter a bit too close to the buildings for comfort?
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Chopjock - do you really fancy taking him on not everyone is as big and brave as Chopjock, who would have stayed on the ground with passengers screaming for him to take off - |
Hi,
I'm a local resident with an interest in the outcome of this trial. I know one of the witnesses who saw the incident involving Jafari. He is a controversial character whose conviction for this offence and 12 month custodial sentence will bring a sense of relief to residents. I also attended much of Jafari's trial. The safety issues regarding the suitability of the landing site for a private helicopter, and the associated risks, were comprehensively dealt with in evidence by Keith Thomas of the CAA (acting as an expert) who is himself an experienced helicopter pilot. The photo in the BBC news report was one of a series of photos of the incident taken by a resident and used in evidence. It gives a misleading impression of the proximity of the aircraft to the Dower House and nearby trees. The Green is a large open area of lawn. My recollection of the expert evidence is that landing a private helicopter on the Green in front of the Dower House was a bit of a grey area. It is technically a "congested" landing site but Mr Thomas said it did not require CAA prior permission; it was a matter of judgement for a pilot with the experience of Dr Mark Blokland, although he personally would not have made a landing approach over the Dower House itself. He also did not say Dr Blokland was at fault for taking off when threatened by Jafari. Witnesses said they thought Jafari also appeared to seek to open the pilot's door. Jafari's own sworn testimony at the trial included a statement to the effect that he had been a passenger in a helicopter about 200 times. He really ought to have known better. |
Left skid up his right nostril and haul on that collective:D:D:D
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So in summary the judge got it about right. A rarity for Ppruners (at least on Jetblast that is).
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So,
Angry resident wants to talk to noisy pilot. Pilot ignores him. Now the even angrier resident approaches helicopter and knocks on the door. "Hey I want a word with you, don't ignore me" Pilot suddenly, without warning lifts into the hover, almost knocking over resident, causing him to hold on to the skids. Resident goes to jail for a year and the pilot gets off scot free. Is this how we should deal with complaints? Hell police state or what.:eek: |
So, Angry resident wants to talk to noisy pilot. Pilot ignores him. Now the even angrier resident approaches helicopter and knocks on the door. "Hey I want a word with you, don't ignore me" Pilot suddenly, without warning lifts into the hover, almost knocking over resident, causing him to hold on to the skids. Resident goes to jail for a year and the pilot gets off scot free. Which part of kicking helicopter/throwing an object as it communicates a calm sense of 'wanting to talk' to you? How do you know he wasn't saying, 'I am going to grab you and pull from from the helicopter', or, 'Get out now, I am going to kick the **** out of you'? |
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