ComplaintsforCleveland Helicopter Services LLC

• Initial Complaint

  02/28/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  late december of 2021 i hired ******** helicopter for flight instrution in a ****** 269a/b helicopter. it was early morning we going to fuel the helicopter the wind was high .we took off when the wind caught the tail rotor blades. it put the helicopter in a spin and we crashed. the instructor admited he waited to long to try to correct the spin so we crashed . the helicopter was a total loss the instrutor wil not ***************** information or proving that he was bonded. the crash was the instructors fault and is claming he will not pay for the loss. i am trying to recover 125.k to 150.k dollars for the helicopter thanks for your

  Business response

  03/02/2022

  The NTSB is the agency to rule cause for this accident and has not yet made their report available. It is known that the instructor took over immediately after ************** lost control and was able to land without either of them being injured. The aircraft was damaged, although many components remain useable for a rebuild. Having an instructor on board with the student does not remove the risk of an accident, as helicopter training flights are known to be high risk in nature.

  As to the financial loss incurred by **************, it is up to the aircraft owner to decide whether or not to insure their aircraft. The *** unfortunately does not require insurance for aircraft at this time. ************** purchased his helicopter for $50,000 and chose not to insure the helicopter, thereby accepting the risk associated. 

  Cleveland Helicopter Services does not provide insurance for customer owned aircraft that are not insured. This is common practice for flight schools and this type of insurance does not exist. Cleveland Helicopter Services has insurance that covers insurance deductibles for rented aircraft, operated by Cleveland Helicopter Services.

  Customer response

  03/06/2022

   I am rejecting this response because:
  
  i did not see anything in the message that was positive. the fact again  is that the instructor admitted he was wrong & crashed the aircraft . so it is his responceabilty to produce the funds to replace the craft or         replace it. this is a open&shut  case   *************************

  Business response

  03/17/2022

  As stated in the initial response, the **** has not even finished the investigation. We do not know the actual cause of the accident yet.

  Regardless, helicopter flight training is known to be high risk and there is no guarantee that the aircraft will not be damaged just because there is a teacher on board taking over every time you start to lose control. Helicopter hovering is exponentially more difficult than flying an airplane and the task involves the exchange of controls every few seconds. The process involves the teacher allowing the student to attempt to hover and then taking back over when the student loses control. To think that there is no chance that something can go wrong is not a reasonable thought whatsoever. This is why insurance for helicopters where a student will be learning in is so expensive, because it is proven that there is a high risk for accidents.

  ************** had damaged his previous helicopter twice by hovering with no instructor on board and no certificate to do so. He did not make the mandatory report on these accidents because he did not have the proper certificate to be hovering his helicopter with no instructor. **** ***** requires immediate notification when a main or tail rotor is damaged on a helicopter. The **** and the *** may be interested in investigating these previous accidents. These prior incidents alone should have taught ************** that insurance is a wise investment.

  
  As an owner of a helicopter, it is your responsibility to insure the aircraft. This is no different than an automobile. If a student driver crashes an automobile, the drivers education teacher is not at fault. 

  
  ************* made a decision to accept the risk when he failed to insure his aircraft. This was a reckless decision if he cannot afford the loss. 
  Cleveland Helicopter Services is not liable for fixing or replacing the ****************** helicopter.

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