PPRuNe Forums - Helicopter Rotor Blades Will Straight Up Kill You!

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Helicopter Rotor Blades Will Straight Up Kill You!

Single fatality of a ground crew man during a Battery Cart Start of a helicopter.....sad story.

https://www.baynews9.com/fl/tampa/ne...DoXndib9biVsTE

Quote:

BROOKSVILLE, Fla. — A man was killed Thursday afternoon when he was decapitated by a helicopter's rotor blade near Brooksville-Tampa Bay Regional Airport, according to the Hernando County Sheriff's Office.

Salvatore Disi, 62, killed instantly
No foul play suspected
Incident still under investigation

Deputies responded Thursday afternoon to Flight Path Drive in Brooksville. Once at the scene, investigators learned that Salvatore Disi, 62, was one of two men working on jumpstarting a helicopter using a power cart when the accident occurred.

For some unknown reason, the helicopter reportedly jerked upward while the men were working on it. When it came back down, the helicopter's main rotor blades struck Disi in the head, killing him instantly.

The incident remains under investigation.

As of this afternoon, other agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration, were being contacted in reference to the incident, Hernando Sheriff Al Nienhuis said.

No further information has been released.

More news here including footage of the helicopter involved

https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/...t-sheriff-says

Bit more to this than reported I think. That is some pretty serious damage to the end of those blades? Did they hit something else first?

Bell 230, that has very low blade clearance on the front. From the damage I'd say it hit the power cart (battery in the nose, you park it close). Curious on the comment that it lifted and then came down, if indeed that is accurate. Bit like the S92 and 412, when parked the elastomerics on the grips will put pitch on the blades so that the collective creeps up. You lower it on spool-up as soon as you have some hydraulics. We were always hyper aware of blade tip path especially unloading passengers, and I'm sure there are previous instances of similar fatalities on that model helicopter (the gruesome anecdote was part of our training)`. Problem was made worse if the autopilots weren't disengaged and the system drove the pitch full forward.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RVDT (Post 10357987)

Bit more to this than reported I think. That is some pretty serious damage to the end of those blades? Did they hit something else first?

I was being told about this earlier today and the story given was that the aircraft had suddenly jumped into a hover and then came back hard again, resulting in the blades hitting the GPU with the victim in the 'line of fire'. Not sure where they got that detail from but it appears to match the evidence.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 212man (Post 10358028)

Was there no one in the pilot's seat?

Helicopter was "Jump started" eh?? Mmmm.

Anyone who commences rotors running with no-one at the controls, is inviting trouble IMO.
A sad case of ignorance is bliss I guess. Atleast he didn't feel much pain.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robbiee (Post 10358044)

Was there no one in the pilot's seat?

Or the seat slid back....

The News Copter's video does seem to show some positive pitch angle on the mishap helicopter's blades....most noticeable looking at the root end of the blades....or so it appears to my old tired eyes.

Perhaps not related: did the machine have a rotor brake?

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnDixson (Post 10358156)

Perhaps not related: did the machine have a rotor brake?

All 230s have rotor brakes but need to be off for start.
I'm hearing pilot got out after start to unplug/move APU cart. There are unfortunately eye witnesses.

Strange there is nothing on the NTSB website, are they not investigating this?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raffles S.A. (Post 10440585)

Strange there is nothing on the NTSB website, are they not investigating this?

FYI: the NTSB normally is not involved with incidents/accidents unless the aircraft is loaded with the intent to fly. In this case, the 222 was in an uncontrolled movement area and was in the process of starting not flying.