Chopper Pilot Nearly Becomes Eligible for Darwin Award

[Matt Molnar]

Chopper Pilot Nearly Becomes Eligible for Darwin Award

A Florida helicopter pilot somehow went home with only a broken arm after attempting an extraordinarily stupid maneuver with his Robinson R-22 (reg N324GS) and failing miserably.

NTSB Report:
According to the pilot, he landed in order to examine his helicopter due to the intermittent illumination of a warning light. After landing, he reduced the throttle to "70 percent," exited the helicopter, and began a visual inspection as the helicopter continued to run. During the inspection, the helicopter initiated a takeoff, which the pilot could not arrest from outside the cockpit. The helicopter climbed to approximately 150 feet altitude and flew about 1,800 feet before it descended and collided with water. The pilot was seriously injured during the takeoff, and the helicopter was substantially damaged during collision with the water. The pilot stated that he failed to secure the collective control, and added, "There was nothing wrong with the helicopter."

[hiss srq]

Idiot...............

[lijk604]

...The pilot stated that he failed to secure the collective control, and added, "There was nothing wrong with the helicopter."

...however, there was something amiss with the pilot.

[cancidas]

why would you leave the engines running and get out of the damn cockpit? this guy ought to lose his lisence, or at least be forced to be re-trained. you never, never get out of the cockpit with an engine running anywhere above idle and blades not in flat pitch, and even that's pushing the edge of the smart envelope.

[Gerard]

why would you leave the engines running and get out of the damn cockpit? this guy ought to lose his lisence, or at least be forced to be re-trained. you never, never get out of the cockpit with an engine running anywhere above idle and blades not in flat pitch, and even that's pushing the edge of the smart envelope.

Seeing that this was an R-22 I wonder how experienced the pilot was.
Probably not much..... :oops:

[Nick]

And these are the people flying instead of me?