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Rotor strikes account for more than 6 percent of helicopter accidents

It has been brought to my attention that I must better define what I mean by 'rotor strikes'. In this article I am referring to rotor contact with stationary obstacles such as hangers, fueling sign posts, trees, etc.

There are an alarming number of rotor strike accidents most of which occur upon landing or departure. I often wonder what it is that makes landing so close to something, so important to some pilots. Unfortunately we won't be able to ask many of these pilots, because in many cases, their attempted landings or departures killed them.

I have observed some pilots landing extremely close to fueling stations where there is a rather tall sign, and certainly this sign is high enough and strong enough to take the helicopter to the ground. In most cases, rotor strikes end with fatalities and serious injuries. It would seem that this is the result of off-airport landings, however these accidents (1 and 2) were both at airports as were many others.

Often pilots become overconfident, complacent, and in many cases, just plain cocky. They begin to land in completely inappropriate places, and very close to buildings as indicated above. I have begun to think that these pilots think that if the rotor does hit something, they will be able to recover and reposition, and this will not be the case. I know it is not pleasant to roll the helicopter on those ground wheels, but that is a part of flying.

It is hard to convince an overconfident pilot that he or she is taking inappropriate risks. Statistics show that most accident pilots have fewer than 400 hours, with the largest number of accidents occurring by pilots with less than 300 hours total time. This is not always the case, but a guide. Pilots with more experience are usually wiser, and won't take the risks that inexperienced pilots will.

Many rotor strike accidents are the result of the pilot failing to allow sufficient clear area for the tail rotor and as a result the tail rotor is destroyed resulting in a hard landing or crash. These accidents have ranged from vegetation strikes, to fences etc.

Pilots must remember that during a rotor strike with a stationary object, a loss of control will certainly occur. Even if the strike does not cause rotor separation from the aircraft, the rotor will be knocked out of balance in its plane of rotation, and the results will likely be disastrous.

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Last modified: 01/19/08