Narrative:

I was parked at the terminal ramp. I had just received my IFR clearance and was about to call for taxi instructions when the control wheel was jerked violently out of my hand by a strong wind gust. I looked to my left just as a helicopter came to a stable hover and landed to the left rear of my aircraft. Only moments before, as I boarded my aircraft, I had noticed the helicopter parked on a helicopter pad to the right rear of my aircraft. Obviously the helicopter had either overflown my aircraft at a high hover, or at least he had hovered extremely close to the rear of my aircraft. Either way, he was close enough that his rotor wash caused the controls of my airplane to be violently banged from stop to stop. So far no damage to the airplane has been discovered. However, that does not lessen in anyway the unsafe act of the helicopter pilot. I feel the ATC controller and the helicopter pilot share equally as the cause of this incident. As a helicopter pilot I see no reason why the helicopter should have been allowed to hover in a confined area occupied by fixed wing or other rotary wing aircraft. (There was a high chain link fence 75-100' behind my aircraft.) correction action at meigs field is simple: keep the helicopter's at the designated helicopter landing pads and have passenger utilize the transportation provided by the FBO to get between the terminal and the helicopter's. I'm sure the same incident has happened at other airports and this solution does work. When I was an active helicopter pilot, I walked a little and saved a lot from the point of view of a lot of light airplane pilots.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLT CONTROLS OF SMT VIOLENTLY BLOWN ABOUT BY WASH OF HELICOPTER HOVERING OVER RAMP NEAR PARKED ACFT.

Narrative: I WAS PARKED AT THE TERMINAL RAMP. I HAD JUST RECEIVED MY IFR CLRNC AND WAS ABOUT TO CALL FOR TAXI INSTRUCTIONS WHEN THE CONTROL WHEEL WAS JERKED VIOLENTLY OUT OF MY HAND BY A STRONG WIND GUST. I LOOKED TO MY LEFT JUST AS A HELI CAME TO A STABLE HOVER AND LANDED TO THE LEFT REAR OF MY ACFT. ONLY MOMENTS BEFORE, AS I BOARDED MY ACFT, I HAD NOTICED THE HELI PARKED ON A HELI PAD TO THE RIGHT REAR OF MY ACFT. OBVIOUSLY THE HELI HAD EITHER OVERFLOWN MY ACFT AT A HIGH HOVER, OR AT LEAST HE HAD HOVERED EXTREMELY CLOSE TO THE REAR OF MY ACFT. EITHER WAY, HE WAS CLOSE ENOUGH THAT HIS ROTOR WASH CAUSED THE CONTROLS OF MY AIRPLANE TO BE VIOLENTLY BANGED FROM STOP TO STOP. SO FAR NO DAMAGE TO THE AIRPLANE HAS BEEN DISCOVERED. HOWEVER, THAT DOES NOT LESSEN IN ANYWAY THE UNSAFE ACT OF THE HELI PLT. I FEEL THE ATC CTLR AND THE HELI PLT SHARE EQUALLY AS THE CAUSE OF THIS INCIDENT. AS A HELI PLT I SEE NO REASON WHY THE HELI SHOULD HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO HOVER IN A CONFINED AREA OCCUPIED BY FIXED WING OR OTHER ROTARY WING ACFT. (THERE WAS A HIGH CHAIN LINK FENCE 75-100' BEHIND MY ACFT.) CORRECTION ACTION AT MEIGS FIELD IS SIMPLE: KEEP THE HELI'S AT THE DESIGNATED HELI LNDG PADS AND HAVE PAX UTILIZE THE TRANSPORTATION PROVIDED BY THE FBO TO GET BTWN THE TERMINAL AND THE HELI'S. I'M SURE THE SAME INCIDENT HAS HAPPENED AT OTHER ARPTS AND THIS SOLUTION DOES WORK. WHEN I WAS AN ACTIVE HELI PLT, I WALKED A LITTLE AND SAVED A LOT FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF A LOT OF LIGHT AIRPLANE PLTS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.