Can any question remain about the R44’s tendency to roll over and catch fire? It happened again yesterday, in Glendale Arizona. This time, the helicopter had barely gotten off the ground. 
Fortunately, no one was hurt. But the story is becoming all too familiar. According to the Arizona Republic:
A mechanic was testing
Robinson Helicopter Company likes to say that its helicopters are safe in crashes. According to an excerpt from Robinson Safety Notice SN-10:
The R22 and R44 have demonstrated excellent crashworthiness as long as the pilot flies the aircraft all the way to the ground . . .The ship may roll over and be
Some pilots believe that their insurance won’t cover them if it’s their own screw-up that causes an accident. They believe, for example, that if they inadvertently violate an FAA regulation, their policy will be "voided."
That’s seldom correct. The purpose of insurance coverage is to protect the pilot who makes a mistake, regardless
Foreign countries routinely bring criminal charges against pilots after an accident. But in the US, criminal charges are very rare. And that’s a good thing because "criminalizing negligence" usually does little to promote safety.
But perhaps there are exceptions.
Pilot Steven Fay bought his 1960 Cessna in June 2010. He crashed it
The pilot says he warned Lauren Scruggs away from his propeller. According to the NTSB’s preliminary report:
After [the pilot] opened the door, [Scruggs] started to get out of the airplane.
Upon noticing that she was exiting in front of the strut, the pilot leaned out of his seat and placed his right hand
The NTSB says that during tomorrow’s hearing, it will be looking to industry leaders to give it a “deeper understanding of regulations” bearing on the operation of the nation’s air shows. Of course, the only regulatory body that has the authority to control air shows is the FAA. But what the Board will find —
Some say that Cirrus aircraft are improperly designed because they tend to catch fire on impact more frequently than other aircraft, such as those manufactured by Cirrus competitors, like Diamond or Cessna. And there are plenty of examples of post-crash Cirrus fires to talk about. Critics argue that those fires prove that the aircraft is unduly dangerous
Eurocopter’s AStar is the most popular tour helicopter in the United States. But according to some tour operators, the helicopter is dangerous and defective. They use it anyway because it is the most profitable.
No, I’m not making this up.
Problems with the AStar 350?
One of Las Vegas’ largest tour operators, Heli-USA, is
“Investigators aren’t sure why Scruggs didn’t see the propeller” she walked into last night.
Um, maybe because a spinning propeller is pretty much invisible? Especially at night
?
News reports are that incidents such as Lauren Scruggs’, who is a model and fashion blogger, are rare. Maybe, but it would depend on what one means
Power lines can be virtually invisible from the air. The trick to avoiding them is, paradoxically, not to try to find them. Instead, the pilot should look for the towers from which they are strung. Once the pilot has the towers in sight, he should choose one and fly directly over it, rather tha
n between them.