Not long ago I was watching the air field waiting for a flight and happened to see my own flight abort a landing due to what appeared to be fairly reckless antics by SAR helicopter crews in training.
I watched the loaded passenger jet swerve, climb and go to full throttle on a landing approach to avoid a helicopter ascending into the approach.
It was a very close call and I was shocked at how routinely the situation was treated by everyone involved.
The flight delay was half an hour.
It was not reported in the news, but I was able to find official documentation of the incident.
A few weeks later one of the helicopter crews wrecked there.
That made it to the news, but I'm still a bit in disbelief that the ostensibly safety regulatory apparatus is this dysfunctional.
It's only pure chance that the recklessness of the helicopters operating there only got themselves killed.
I don't understand why the maneuvers were allowed at all at a passenger airport, nevermind with a passenger jet on final approach, or why they were allowed to continue after near misses until a fatal crash occurred.
The ultimate outcome was entirely preventable, but the regulators were completely asleep at the wheel.
I watched the loaded passenger jet swerve, climb and go to full throttle on a landing approach to avoid a helicopter ascending into the approach.
It was a very close call and I was shocked at how routinely the situation was treated by everyone involved.
The flight delay was half an hour.
It was not reported in the news, but I was able to find official documentation of the incident.
A few weeks later one of the helicopter crews wrecked there.
That made it to the news, but I'm still a bit in disbelief that the ostensibly safety regulatory apparatus is this dysfunctional.
It's only pure chance that the recklessness of the helicopters operating there only got themselves killed.
I don't understand why the maneuvers were allowed at all at a passenger airport, nevermind with a passenger jet on final approach, or why they were allowed to continue after near misses until a fatal crash occurred.
The ultimate outcome was entirely preventable, but the regulators were completely asleep at the wheel.