RPTR AND COMPETITOR CAME IN CLOSE PROX WITH EACH OTHER IN HELIS. THE RPTR HAD TO DEVIATE.
Synopsis
RPTR AND COMPETITOR CAME IN CLOSE PROX WITH EACH OTHER IN HELIS. THE RPTR HAD TO DEVIATE.
Narrative
WHILE ON A SIGHTSEEING TOUR ON A NORMAL FLT RTE AND AFTER DEPARTING THE WAIMEA CANYON ON ITS WESTERN RIM ENRTE TO THE NA PALI COAST VIA KOKEE STATE PARK; I HAD ENCOUNTERED A LOWER THAN NORMAL CEILING AND HAD AVOIDED IMC BY FLYING VFR UNDER THE CEILING AT 200 FT AGL WHICH IS PERMISSIBLE IN UNCTLED AIRSPACE WITH A HELI. DURING THIS TRANSITION THROUGH KOKEE STATE PARK; I VISUALLY SPOTTED A HUGHES OR MD500 HELI APPROX 1 1/2 MI AT MY 2 O'CLOCK POS. OPERATORS MONITOR 122.7; AND AS SOON AS I SPOTTED THE OTHER HELI; WHICH WAS NOT EASY BECAUSE IT DID NOT HAVE ANY ANTI- COLLISION OR NAV LIGHTS ON; I XMITTED MY RELATIVE POS AT LEAST 3 TIMES WITH NO RESPONSE FROM THE OTHER HELI. THIS HELI WAS ALSO ON A COLLISION COURSE RELATIVE TO MINE AND BECAUSE HE HAD THE RIGHT-OF-WAY; I HAD TO ALTER MY COURSE TO THE L AND DSND TO A LOWER ALT. HAD I MAINTAINED MY PRESENT ALT; I WOULD HAVE ENCOUNTERED IMC CONDITIONS. AFTER I HAD ALTERED MY COURSE; THE PLT OF THE OTHER HELI XMITTED ON 122.7 THAT HE HAD A VISUAL ON ME AND IN SO MANY WORDS INDICATED THAT AN 'OFFICIAL' WAS ON BOARD HIS HELI AND THEY WERE SURVEYING HELIS FLYING AT LOW ALTS IN THE KOKEE STATE PARK AREA. THIS KIND OF DECEPTIVE FLYING BY AN 'OFFICIAL' IS TOTALLY UNCALLED FOR AND CREATED A HAZARD TO NORMAL NAV OF AIRSPACE. HAD THIS HELI NOT TAKEN THE RIGHT-OF-WAY; IT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN NECESSARY TO DSND TO A LOWER ALT. THE CEILING WAS AT A HIGHER ALT IN THE DIRECTION OF THE OTHER HELI BUT A TURN TO MY R WOULD HAVE CREATED A GREATER HAZARD. THE OPERATOR OF THE OTHER HELI IS KNOWN TO BE A 'MAVERICK' IN THE INDUSTRY; AND I'M TOTALLY SURPRISED THAT AN 'OFFICIAL' WOULD HAVE USED HIS SVCS. THE WX AT KOKEE STATE PARK OCCASIONALLY GETS LOW BUT USUALLY IS NAVED WITHOUT ANY PROB. WHEN IT DOES GET TOO LOW; OPERATORS FLY S OUT OF THE WAIMEA CANYON AND THEN PROCEED ALONG THE COAST LINE WITH A MUCH HIGHER CEILING AND THEN PROCEED TOWARDS THE NA PALI COAST. HAD NOT THIS HELI BEEN FLYING IN A DECEPTIVE MANNER; THIS INCIDENT WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.