HELI PLT LANDS IN A FIELD ADJACENT TO A HOUSING DEVELOPMENT AND IS CITED BY LCL AUTH FOR BREAKING COUNTY CITY REGS.

Date: 2003-05 · Aircraft: Helicopter · Phase: landing

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-other-unknown|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|other-off-arpt-lndg

Synopsis

HELI PLT LANDS IN A FIELD ADJACENT TO A HOUSING DEVELOPMENT AND IS CITED BY LCL AUTH FOR BREAKING COUNTY CITY REGS.

Narrative

I LANDED A HELI IN THE COMMON AREA OF A HOUSING COMMUNITY BEHIND MY HOUSE. THE LNDG AREA IS VERY BIG. THE APCH WAS TEXTBOOK; AND NO ONE WAS IN THE AREA ON THE GND. I HAVE DONE THIS IN THE PAST (NOT AT THIS LOCATION BUT SIMILAR) WITH ABSOLUTELY NO PROBS AT ALL. AS IT TURNED OUT; IT CAUSED QUITE A COMMOTION. AN AMBULANCE PASSING BY SAW ME LNDG AND RPTED IT TO THE POLICE AS A HELI CRASH. SO; WITHIN MOMENTS; POLICE CARS; FIRE ENGS AND NEWS RPTRS GATHERED ALL AROUND. THE REASON I LANDED THERE WAS JUST TO HAVE DINNER WITH MY FAMILY. THE LCL AUTHS WERE NOT IMPRESSED WITH THAT REASON AND CHARGED ME WITH SEVERAL STATE LAWS THEY THOUGHT MAY APPLY. I HAD NO IDEA IT WOULD CAUSE SO MUCH GRIEF AND AM VERY SORRY TO TAKE THE TIME AND RESOURCES OF ALL INVOLVED. I KNOW I DID NOT VIOLATE ANY FAA REGS; HOWEVER; DUE TO THE GENERAL NATURE OF THE VERBIAGE OF FAR 91.13; IT MAY BE DETERMINED THAT THIS REG MAY APPLY EVEN THOUGH I TOOK REASONABLE PRECAUTIONS PRIOR TO LNDG AND NO ONE WAS IN ANY DANGER. CHAIN OF EVENTS. I TOLD MY WIFE I WOULD BE HOME FOR DINNER. (I PLANNED ON DRIVING AND MY HOME IS 20 MI AWAY.) THE HELI TOOK LONGER TO GET READY THAN ANTICIPATED. I HAD TO BE BACK AT THE ARPT FOR A FLT AFTER DINNER. I DECIDED TO FLY HOME TO MAKE EVERYONE HAPPY. IN RETROSPECT; IT WAS A POOR DECISION BUT BASED ON PRIOR EXPERIENCE; I HAD NO REASON TO BELIEVE IT WOULD CAUSE SUCH A PROB.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.