fatality

[Bruce Dempsey]

Man, 19, dead after being hit in the head by remote control helicopter

[Warren Kawamoto]

Man, 19, Killed By Remote Controlled Helicopter CBS New York

[Woody Sanford]

Very sad! Just goes to show anything can happen.

[Chris Hurd]

That's a bad deal. Very sad. Hope everyone is being extra careful with whatever they're flying.

[Jerry Porter]

Man there is just no way to know what you are getting into sometimes. I have over 2,000 skydives and I have jumped into some pretty big events with cameras on my head (Lowes Motor Speedway) to start the Coke 600 for one. I have seen (aircraft/skydivers) get taken out and take out people for all sorts of unforeseen/unforeseeable stuff. Like Chris said. Please be careful and never think it can't happen to you.

[Warren Kawamoto]

As the video said, "he was absolutely a world class pilot." He's been flying for 15 years. This is proof that no matter how experienced a pilot is, and no matter how good they think they are, these aircraft should never be flown over and around people. What surprised me was that this is the second death in the U.S. by model helicopter. The first death was this one:
Man Killed by Model Helicopter - RC Groups

And in 1979, a model plane crashed into the stands of Shea Stadium. This report says one victim was critically hurt.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?ni...g=3417,5436741

[Jody Arnott]

This is extremely sad. It's a tragic way to go, especially for someone so young.

It has to be said though; anyone flying that type of model will know the risks. The main blades are about 700-900mm in length and spin extremely fast, so there will always be potential risk when performing aerobatics.

IMO, those large helicopters are a lot more dangerous than the quadcopters a lot of us fly.

[Tom Roper]

Originally Posted by Warren Kawamoto

This is proof that no matter how experienced a pilot is, and no matter how good they think they are, these aircraft should never be flown over and around people.

I disagree. They just have to make them safer, and have protocols for their operation, use and training.

[Dave Blackhurst]

And those pesky cars are so dangerous, they should never be used around people...

and hammers...

and spoons...

Point being, accidents can and do happen, there are risks in life, if you don't want to deal with risks, stay in bed... unless you're in a mobile home in tornado alley...

[Chuck Spaulding]

Originally Posted by Jody Arnott

This is extremely sad. It's a tragic way to go, especially for someone so young.

It has to be said though; anyone flying that type of model will know the risks. The main blades are about 700-900mm in length and spin extremely fast, so there will always be potential risk when performing aerobatics.

IMO, those large helicopters are a lot more dangerous than the quadcopters a lot of us fly.

They certainly can be, because of their mass the rotors are much more dangerous than most quad rotors but if the power train fails helicopters can autorotate and you have some control over where they land or crash. If a motor fails on a multirotor you seldom have any control over where it goes and if your carrying a heavy payload like a DSLR the odds are pretty good that it will be severely damaged. So there's a tradeoff of safety when comparing the two.

Originally Posted by Warren Kawamoto

As the video said, "he was absolutely a world class pilot." He's been flying for 15 years. This is proof that no matter how experienced a pilot is, and no matter how good they think they are, these aircraft should never be flown over and around people. What surprised me was that this is the second death in the U.S. by model helicopter. The first death was this one:
Man Killed by Model Helicopter - RC Groups

And in 1979, a model plane crashed into the stands of Shea Stadium. This report says one victim was critically hurt.
Ellensburg Daily Record - Google News Archive Search

This was a tragedy so I hate to sound so cynical, but according to this the pilot had been flying for 15 years, yet he was only 19. If he had been flying for that long but had started at 30, for example, chances are he would have had a different understanding of safety procedures and that might have made a difference. Of coarse there's no way to know that and as much as I like to see young people getting involved in this hobby everyone has to realize that children can be fearless with little regard or comprehension of their actions, sure starting young can be a huge competitive advantage when it comes to skill but not necessarily when it comes to common sense.

I had a good friend who was a nationally ranked motocross rider who died when he wrecked his brand new Porsche [which he got for his 16th birthday] on the same day that he got his license. A lot of people where critical of the fact that someone that young had no business driving such a car, I don't know, he was certainly capable.

I too am surprised this is ONLY the second death resulting from flying RC's, when you consider how many people fly and all of the variations of what their flying it seems to indicate that this is a fairly safe hobby. At least it will be until the government gets involved and starts to over regulate it and those regulations create a false sense of safety, in a similar way that happened to my friend.

Bureaucrates are about to jump headlong into this debate, few if any have any real experience flying RC's, most of the advocates for RC's remind me of the environmentalist in the early '70s and themselves have turned into a special interest group with little to no influence over this issue. Just like the '70s this has turned into some sort of yuppie debate where the facts are irrelevant because with the help of the special interest groups the bureaucrats think they know more about this issue than those it actually effects.

Its unfortunate on so many levels that this happened.

[David Heath]

Originally Posted by Dave Blackhurst

And those pesky cars are so dangerous, they should never be used around people...

Point being, accidents can and do happen, there are risks in life.

Is a better point not about banning cars, period - but not just letting people get in them and do anything they like?

It's not that cars are dangerous - it's that they are POTENTIALLY dangerous. But equally, potentially very useful. Hence whilst nobody will argue they should be banned, in every country of the world there are laws to try to reduce the accident toll. Yes, there are risks in life, but it is possible to minimise them. The trick is to balance risk reduction with not being unduly restrictive.

It's also important to distinguish between personal risk and third party risk. If anyone kills or injures themselves via their own actions it's seen as one thing, and very different to anyone's actions harming a third party not involved in the activity.

As example, if someone wants to involve themselves in extreme sports then I am inclined to say it's up to them. It's their risk. But what shouldn't be allowed is any activity which risks anybody else. Hence if anyone wants to take risk by driving at high speed on a racetrack, that's up to them. It's very different to doing it on the public road.

[Darren Levine]

This kid was apparently the godson of a good friend of mine's friend.

I'll say the same thing about this that i do about guns. some things are too dangerous to be a right to own.

anyone who frequents this forum sees all the quad accidents, and it can and will keep happening. as much as i've enjoyed watching Dave from skycam operating his huge RC copter, and the aerial shots that such things can get, i would rather it either be highly difficult to own and operate one, or simply not at all, since even licensed operators can make mistakes, or not maintain the equipment properly.

It's only a certain type of person that should operate anything like this, not someone who's lounging in a chair, not someone who gets kicks out of it. I use Dave as the standard, since i've witnessed how meticulous he keeps his equipment, and how justifiably anal he is about anyone being anywhere near the thing when he's flying.

and about cars... i've been exclaiming that if anyone wants safer roads, make me president, i'll rip at least 20 percent of people off the road, because we all know that at least that many should never be allowed to touch a car, ever. driving tests should be given every few years and get harder each time. cops should be targeting reckless driving, and every motorist should have a camera in their car and report license plates of cars they witness to be dangerous. we need to get the degenerates off the road, and no one does anything to do that. Basically, it's a crapshoot and all anyone can do is piss and moan and end up just dealing with it, case in point this entire paragraph.

Okie, enough ranting, FroYo time.

[Jerry Porter]

Wow this thread got out of control and unreasonable fast....

[Steve Elgar]

There is a RISK associated with everything we do in life. Going to bed at night has it's risks, the risk that we may have a heart attack and not get out the next morning.

The fact that this incident has received so much attention, highlights the FACT that it is an EXTREMELY RARE occurrence, and therefor should not be subjected to the scrutiny that it has received.

Yes, it's a shame that someone has lost their life, but how many people lose their life falling down the household stairs ? Do we legislate that every home must install a Lift ?

ACCIDENTS DO HAPPEN !

My sincere condolences to the Family and Friends of the young man concerned.

Steve Elgar

(Retired Rescue Paramedic)
(Helicopter Pilot)
(Model Helicopter/ Multi-Rotor Pilot)
(Camera Person, Editor, Producer, Director)
(Tea Lady)

[Dean Sensui]

Here is a more in-depth report of the incident.

Pirozek is seen landing a helicopter on a table in front of him and two others. Unknown what helicopter it is since the camera was mounted on the helicopter itself.

There are so many things that can go wrong. A loose linkage. Radio interference. Simple human error. It's generally recommended that no one get within 30 feet of these things, yet here is a video showing him landing one less than an arm's length away in what's known as "nose in", where controls are reversed due to a 180-degree change in orientation. Left is right. Right is left. Really good pilots readily overcome this confusion but you never know when there might be a brief moment of disorientation.

A little 450-sized helicopter can tear right through a corrugated cardboard box. A 700-sized helicopter swinging a pair of machete-sized blades will do a lot worse.

Roman Pirozek Jr: Man decapitates himself with his own remote-control helicopter | Mail Online