2007-10 · NASA ASRS report 759992
PLT OF HOMEBUILT SMA REPORTS NUMEROUS CLOSE ENCOUNTERS AND ONE NMAC WITH TRAINING HELICOPTERS UTILIZING UNCONTROLLED ARPT FOR TRAINING.
ON THE 2 DAYS OF USING ZZZ I WAS ADVISED THAT A HELI SCHOOL BASED AT ANOTHER ARPT WAS USING ZZZ FOR TRAINING AND HOGGING THE RWY AND ALL THE PLTS WERE COMPLAINING ABOUT THE DANGEROUS CONDITIONS THE FIELD IS NOW EXPERIENCING. ZZZ IS THE 6TH BUSIEST ARPT IN THE STATE. ON THE FIRST DAY OF MY RPT THERE WERE 2 OF THESE CIVILIAN TRAINING HELIS GOING AROUND AND AROUND THE ARPT HOGGING UP THE AIRSPACE. AS I TRIED TO DEPART ONE ZOOMED OVERHEAD AND I NEARLY LOST CTL. I WANTED TO PERFORM CLOSE PATTERN WORK AND FOUND THESE 2 HELIS ZIGZAGGING BACK AND FORTH. ONE CUT IN FRONT OF ME FROM A R BASE AND I HAD TO DO A GAR. ON MY SECOND APCH ONE OF THESE HELIS WAS HALFWAY DOWN THE RWY HOVERING A FOOT ABOVE THE RWY AND I WASN'T ABLE TO SEE HIM UNTIL NEARLY TOUCHING DOWN. I APPLIED FULL PWR AND WAS ONLY ABLE TO CLR THE HELI BY A FEW FEET. AS I WAS CLBING OUT THE OTHER HELI WENT ACROSS THE FIELD IN FRONT OF ME. ON THE SECOND DAY I TEST FLEW MY PLANE I ANNOUNCED CLOSE TFC AND THESE 2 HELIS WERE UP TO THEIR WILD ANTICS. WHILE ON AN UPWIND FOR RWY 1 A LEARJET TRIED TO ENTER A L BASE. BECAUSE OF THE 2 HELIS HOGGING THE FIELD THE LEAR WAS FORCED TO ENTER A L UPWIND AND WAS FRANTIC TRYING TO SEE WHERE I WAS. I INFORMED HIM THAT I WAS CLRING THE PATTERN AND PUT MY PLANE INTO A HIGH SPD DIVE TRYING TO GET AWAY FROM THE LEAR AND ALMOST COLLIDED WITH ONE OF THE HELIS. AFTER THE LEAR LANDED; I DECIDED TO REENTER THE PATTERN AND DODGE THE 2 HELIS BUZZING ALL OVER THE PLACE. WHEN I ANNOUNCED I WAS ON SHORT FINAL ONE OF THE HELIS RPTED THAT IT COULDN'T CLR THE RWY BECAUSE IT WAS ON 'AUTO GYRO' AND I WAS FORCED TO DO A GAR WITH AN OVER-HEATING ENG. AFTER I LANDED A FEW WITNESSES CAME RUNNING OVER TO ME AND EXCLAIMED THAT IT IS ONLY GOING TO BE A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THIS CIVILIAN COWBOY HELI SCHOOL IS GOING TO CAUSE A FATALITY. I CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHY THIS SCHOOL HAS TO USE A BUSY JET PORT FOR TRAINING WHEN THERE ARE OTHER SMALL FIELDS THAT CAN BE USED.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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