and regulations that dictate appropriate actions. Chief among these directives is the rotorcraft flight manual, which includes an emergency procedures section describ- ing potential abnormal conditions and any landing criteria that may apply. The criteria often vary, based on the aircraft type, operator policies, and other factors. Emergency landings. When wit- nesses or other persons not affiliated with helicopter operations unilaterally declare the pilot performed an “emergency land- ing,” they seldom understand the termi- nology that they are using. An emergency situation is one in which the safety of the aircraft or of persons on board or on the ground is endangered for any reason. Helicopter emergency landings are uncommon. In rare instances, they might involve a loss of power, smoke, fire, or critical system malfunction. In-flight condi- tions requiring a pilot to land right away are usually emergencies that demand immediate action while in the air and once safely on the ground. Precautionary landings. A precaution-
ary landing is a premeditated landing, on or off an airport, when further flight is pos- sible but inadvisable. Most unplanned, precautionary helicopter landings are made from an abundance of caution. It’s our industry’s equivalent of pulling onto the shoulder when the car’s check-engine light comes on. News reports often mis- takenly—or intentionally, for effect—report these events as emergency landings. Depending on the severity of in-flight conditions, a pilot might land as soon as possible (more severe) or as soon as prac- tical/practicable (less severe). Pilots may have the flexibility to return to their original takeoff location or divert to the closest suitable location. When flying over urban areas, mountains, forests, or water, pilots will continue the flight to a safer landing area unless conditions further deteriorate, requiring an immediate landing or ditching. When the VAI communications team
receives a news report that breathlessly reports a “helicopter emergency landing” that is clearly a precautionary landing, they
do reach out to educate that media outlet about the difference between the two. But we continue to see that mistake, and sometimes I hear from pilots or operators who are frustrated about receiving negative attention for doing the right thing.
Keep Doing the Right Thing The key point for those in our industry to understand is that when a pilot responds to any abnormal in-flight situation and per- forms an unscheduled landing, it doesn’t matter what anybody else calls it. As spelled out in 14 CFR 91.3, “the pilot-in- command of an aircraft is directly respon- sible for, and is the final authority as to, the operation of that aircraft.” Annex V, 7.2, of Regulation (EU)
2018/1139 of the European Parliament and of the Council echoes this theme, stating, “The pilot in command must have the authority to give all commands and take any appropriate actions for the purpose of securing the operation and the safety of the aircraft and of persons and/or property carried therein.” No matter what the local TV station or
newspaper has to say about your “emer- gency,” the world’s civil aviation authori- ties, including the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the FAA, direct you, as pilot in command, to assume the final authority as to the opera- tion of your aircraft. When HAI launched its Land & LIVE ini- tiative in 2014, some wondered if pilots
choose to continue on in deteriorating flight conditions because they fear FAA disciplinary action if they made a precau- tionary landing. If you’ve heard that avia- tion tall tale, I can tell you that it is false. The FAA, and to a large extent other inter- national regulatory agencies, support pilots who make sound aeronautical deci- sions—in fact, the regulators want every pilot to do so!
In the meantime, the exaggerations
and mischaracterizations of precautionary landings by the media will continue. We may not possess the power to divert the media from weaponizing a normal day in the office for a vertical aviation profes- sional. But we can—we must—continue to do what we know is right. Pilots, dispatchers, owners, and opera-
tors: Never allow the media or others to distract you from your professional duties. Keep acting in the best interest of your air- craft, crew members, passengers, and the public.
And when it’s time to land—use your superpower and, as Matt Zuccaro, our for- mer president and CEO, said, “Land the damn helicopter!” Begin every flight with a commitment to your duty to bring that flight to a safe conclusion. If you are not familiar with VAI’s Land
& LIVE safety initiative, I invite you to check it out and take the Land & LIVE pledge for pilots. Operators can also pledge to support their pilots when they decide to make the safety of flight their top priority.
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