"Neb Okla" wrote:

When you see it go behind some trees and you hear a big crunch and see bits
helicopter flying out from behind the trees and kicking up 50ft plumes of
dust as they hit the ground, I wouldn't call that "a safe landing".

I was standing about 30 feet away when it took off. The pilot, who
survived, said he was about 100 feet off the ground. Not exactly
autorotation conditions.

Obviously, the pilot has sufficient skill to get it on the ground
mostly in one piece and survive.

You probably should find the local authorities that first responded
(fire dept, etc) and tell them that you have the tape. The NTSB,
which investigates these incidents, will contact you if they want it.
My experience with these guys is that they operate as "Don't call us,
we'll call you". If you try to go direct, be prepared for a lot of
frustration and hoops to jump through.

Also, don't expect anything to happen instantly. A non-fatal hard
landing is not high on the priority list when its time to investigate.
Don't be suprised if it takes 6 months to a year for them to contact
you.

Photos and detailed discussion here (including a post by the pilot):

http://www.runryder.com/helicopter/t124254p1/

That link did not work for me. I think its a "members only" site and
I am not a member.

Dennis.


Dennis Hawkins
n4mwd AT amsat DOT org (humans know what to do)

To find out what an H-1B is and how Congress is using
them to put Americans out of work, visit the following
web site and click on the "Exporting America" CNN news
video: http://zazona.com/ShameH1B/MediaClips.htm