From the Maryland State Police:
(DARLINGTON, MD) – Maryland State Police are on the scene of an incident involving a helicopter that appeared to malfunction after landing in Harford County and caused a non-life threatening injury to the pilot.
The pilot and only occupant of the Hughes 269C helicopter is identified as Steven R. Rindone, 35, of Middletown, Delaware. He is not believed to have been seriously injured in the incident. He was taken by ambulance to Harford Memorial Hospital for treatment of a possible fracture to an extremity.
At about 5:30 p.m. today, Maryland State Police at the Bel Air Barrack responded to the 4100-block of Conowingo Road, Darlington, Md., for a report of an aircraft incident. The preliminary investigation indicates the pilot was landing at CVC Helicopter Service, which owns the aircraft, after leaving the Harford County Farm Fair.
A witness told state troopers the helicopter landed and then appeared to begin vibrating heavily, which caused an unknown amount of damage to the aircraft.
No one on the ground was injured during the incident. Area EMS and fire crews responded and ensured the scene was safe, in addition to treating and transporting the pilot.
State Police notified Federal Aviation Administration authorities who confirmed they will investigate the incident. Further questions regarding the cause of this incident should be directed to the FAA.
I got into an argument with my brother a few months ago when I said that probability dictated an incident would likely occur at some point at the Farm Fair helicopter rides. He cited statistics about helicopter safety and said it would never happen.
He obviously neglected the “Harford County factor”…which states that, if something weird can happen, it will happen in Harford County at some point.
Brian; That bet was a sure thing on your part. As a former helicopter pilot I can assure you that an incident/accident was inevitable. The following is not original to me (were I only so brilliant) but rather one from Harry Reasoner;
HELICOPTER PILOTS ARE DIFFERENT
“The thing is, helicopters are different from planes. An airplane by its nature wants to fly, and if not interfered with too strongly by unusual events or by a deliberately incompetent pilot, it will fly. A helicopter does not want to fly. It is maintained in the air by a variety of forces and controls working in opposition to each other, and if there is any disturbance in this delicate balance the helicopter stops flying immediately and disastrously.
There is no such thing as a gliding helicopter.
This is why being a helicopter pilot is so different from being an airplane pilot, and why in general, airplane pilots are open, clear-eyed, buoyant extroverts, and helicopter pilots are brooders, introspective anticipators of trouble. They know if something bad has not happened, it is about to.”
I only wish I had known this before I flew a couple thousand hours in South East Asia.