NASA · Aviation Safety Reporting System
Flight Instructor with student reported a NMAC with a helicopter during takeoff from a non-towered airport.
What is ASRS?
The Aviation Safety Reporting System is NASA's voluntary, confidential, non- punitive incident-reporting system, established 1976. Pilots, controllers, dispatchers, and maintenance technicians file reports describing safety- relevant events. NASA de-identifies every report before adding it to the public database. Reports are not investigated by NASA, the FAA, or the NTSB — they represent the reporter's perspective.
Pilot narrative
Verbatim from the de-identified NASA record. First-person account by the
reporter. NASA strips identifying details (names, company, specific time);
anonymization placeholders are ZZZ,
X, Y.
While practicing landings on Runway XXL at ZZZ airport, a helicopter was practicing touch and goes using a left pattern for Runway XXR. Over the CTAF, a miscommunication occured regarding the timing of a takeoff. My student and I believed the helicopter was making a full stop on the runway based on their radio call, and indicated we would wait for their landing before departing. After they appeared to stop, we made a departure call and began a takeoff roll. The helicopter then began proceeding upwind. By then, I was unsure we would be able to safely abort the takeoff, so I continued upwind, keeping the helicopter in sight. I attempted to contact the helicopter on the CTAF about their intentions, and twice received no reply. They then announced a left crosswind departure. I leveled off, anticipating they would continue their climb and turn above me, announced my position, and asked if they had me in sight. They looked and seemed to visually acquire me at this time. I am unsure whether separation actually fell below 500 feet, but I figured the potentially hazardous situation caused by lack of communication at a hazardous airport was worth the report. I was later informed that helicopters do not always touch down and "taxi back" ZZZ based on operating restrictions, and believe my own lack of familiarity with helicopter pattern operations may have been a factor as well.
NASA classification — Anomalies
- Conflict
NASA classification — Assessments
- Contributing Factors / Situations
- Environment - Non Weather Related · Human Factors
- Primary Problem
- Human Factors
ASRS reports are voluntarily submitted, de-identified by NASA, and represent the reporter's perspective. The presence of reports on a topic cannot be used to infer prevalence in the National Airspace System. The authoritative source is the NASA ASRS Database Online at asrs.arc.nasa.gov ↗.