Today allow me to give you a bit of insight about helicopters, this will help you understand a bit about the recent events.
Helicopters have the ability to land anywhere as long as the place is flat and free from any obstacles (trees and bushes). It is safe to say they don’t need a runway to operate. This is why they are the preferred aircraft by the military worldwide because they are multi-purpose aircraft.
They can be used in search and rescue missions, dropping off cargo and also attack because they have the ability to hover, which means staying in one place while in flight without any movement. This is ideal for military operations! Among other amazing functions..
Does this make this aircraft immune to accidents because of its amazing abilities? The answer is NO! Helicopters can’t operate above very high altitudes and that is why you always know when they fly by! At extremely high altitudes the rotor blades will loose lift or the engine can run out of power or both.
They also become hard to control as you are operating beyond limit. They do have an advantage when it comes to operating at low altitudes compared to other aircraft.
Remember this information for I will refer to it later. A helicopter and aeroplanes have different aerodynamics, meaning they operate differently while in flight] Just because I have a commercial license doesn’t mean I can fly a helicopter! These are different machines. I will have to train for it first.
Our greatest friend and enemy in aviation is the weather, this is something beyond our control and yet it can be very dangerous and no one is immune. Then for helicopters, the landscape can be very dangerous especially in hilly or mountainous areas especially when navigating unfamiliar territory.
Since helicopters operate at low altitudes they are also vulnerable when it comes to enemy attacks from the ground. So many factors can lead to a helicopter crash! Human error, technical problems, rail rotor function, air traffic control errors, environmental factors.
They are also difficult machines to operate in general! There are many helicopter accidents recorded worldwide, last year 2023, the USA had over 7 crashes claiming 30 people troops, even our neighbour here in Kenya has faced the same in September 2023 when their military (air force) helicopter crashed leading to the death of 8 people and so much more.
This is to paint the picture that we too aren’t immune to such accidents! Because this is the negative side about aviation, crashes are deadly and sometimes the aircraft will betray you or the weather or the terrain etc.
It is always easy to point fingers at the pilot because they are the easier target, look at the Kobe Bryant incident! The pilot was the first person they blamed only to find out he was following his clients orders and even then he was blamed and no one remembers him yet he too had family. This comes with the profession unfortunately…
I can tell you this confidently, you can’t cheat you way through flying and acquiring a licence. You will crash on the first day when given controls.
It takes time and we are examined thoroughly through practical and also theory tests. Once you have passed all that is when you get a license. A licence is renewed every after a certain period.
To conclude this, there are many factors that can lead to helicopter crashes! Until you get the facts it is unfair to always assume the pilot is at fault.
Especially when it comes to military operations, most of them are due to enemy attacks and others flying into unfamiliar territory which might work at their disadvantage. For example the crash that happend near Kenya! The landscape was bad, the visibility was poor.
Imagine flying in fog only to realise when it clears that you are surrounded by mountains and no proper way out… Just an example of what poor weather can lead to.
Capt Ashaba Faridah is a pilot
