Mark Huber is an aviation industry veteran who has worked in the flight training, aircraft sales, aircraft component, and airport development businesses. He has flight time in more than 50 different and diverse aircraft, including helicopters, aerobatic aircraft, vintage warbirds, jet fighters, business jets and turboprops, and transport-category aircraft. He has jumped out of several of these—on purpose—with a parachute. His defense and aviation journalism has been published in a variety of national and international periodicals.

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Mark Huber

The FAA has issued a Safety Alert for Operators (SAFO) reminding helicopter operators about the importance of using checklists and performing stabilized hover checks before departure (SAFO 16016). The FAA notes that a review of accidents/incidents over the last five years involving helicopter loss of control (LOC) immediately after liftoff while light on the skids/gear suggests issues caused by missed checklist items. "Several recent helicopter&nbsp;accidents have occurred as a result of pilots not bringing the helicopter to a stabilized hover before initiating takeoff. Rather, pilots elected to take off immediately and rapidly from the ground. In some cases this has led to a LOC where the result was either an incident or an accident resulting in significant damage to the helicopter and/or fatalities to those on&nbsp;board," the FAA noted.

 


Pilots in these accidents/incidents typically proceeded with takeoffs even though there were early indicators or anomalies that should have suggested aborting the takeoff as soon as the helicopter became light on the gear, according to the agency. In these cases, the FAA data suggests a disregard for proper procedure and lack of judgment on the part of the accident pilots.

 


"Post-accident analysis indicated that the accident sequence began with indications that were evident when the helicopter was light on the skids, yet the pilot elected not to abort the takeoff by reducing collective. Instead, the pilot continued pulling in collective (or continued manipulating the controls), resulting in a complete LOC. In many of these accidents the helicopter was not properly configured for flight, either because a checklist item was missed, or because a checklist was not used at all by the pilot.

 


"In other instances, pilots have attempted to perform either maximum-performance or confined-area takeoffs without completing a hover power and systems check. One accident resulted from a pilot attempting to take off from the surface without completing a hover power check. As the aircraft lifted from the rooftop helipad and over the edge of the rooftop, the aircraft lost power and crashed into a parking lot below. It was discovered that one of the two engines was in the 'fly' position but the other was still in the idle position. If a hover check was performed before takeoff, this accident could have been prevented."

 


The FAA is making five recommendations in the SAFO:

 


<ul>
<li>Take off from an area sufficiently large for the capabilities of the aircraft and ensure that the area is free and clear of debris.</li>


<li>Always use the appropriate checklist to ensure the helicopter is properly configured for takeoff.</li>


<li>Unless precluded by brownout etc., always hover check before takeoff. If taking off from the surface, hover check, land and then depart.</li>


<li>On vertical takeoffs, raise to hover altitude (two to three feet) with minimal lateral/longitudinal movement while maintaining a constant heading. If the helicopter does not appear stabilized during the initial collective pull, abort the takeoff by smoothly reducing collective.</li>


<li>Review the FAA Helicopter Flying Handbook, chapters 9 (Vertical Takeoff to Hover) and 10 (Advanced Flight Maneuvers).</li>

</ul>

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