A sobering reminder of the fragility of human life: the helicopter that crashed in the East River in New York City yesterday was one that I flew on last year.
I heard about the crash on Saturday via several news alerts on my mobile phone. In the back of my mind, I wondered if it was the same helicopter I flew on. But I was having dinner with my brother and put the incident to the back of mind.
This morning, however, reader Andrew left a comment in my Blade trip report review from Manhattan to Newark Airport:
This is the same helicopter that just crashed into the East River – wow.
Sure enough, the Daily Mail has a story on this particular helicopter, which was also used by Demi Lovato and Nick Jonas among other celebrities.
How Safe is a Helicopter?
Slate reports that you are 85x more likely to die in a helicopter crash than a car crash. They admit their figures required “a little speculation” but their methodology appears reasonable to me.
That’s quite a sobering thought to me. The cause of this crash remains unknown.
To the family and friends of the five lost souls: my thoughts and prayers go out to you this day. I’m counting my blessings.
> Read More: Blade Helicopter from Manhattan to Newark Airport
> Read More: On Malaysia Airlines and the Fragility of Life
You may not yet have the answer to this, but would you use Blade again?
I would, but perhaps that should be another post.
I’d love to hear your thoughts. As I get older (I’m now 30) I find that my attitude of invincibility is fading. I was recently in a car accident (my Prius vs an 18-wheeler cab w/ no trailer) that totaled my car. The damage got very close to my knees, and if my car didn’t have as many airbags as it did I would have been in bad shape. Having grown up and lived my whole life in LA I’m no stranger to accidents, but this is the first time I’ve really felt vulnerable. All of that to say I’ve started to pay much more attention to the level of risk that I expose myself to.
Shouldn’t affect you. Shit happens. Helicopters are the riskiest Way to fly
I’m a frequent traveler, and not an overly cautious person, but my policy has been to not fly in a helicopter unless absolutely necessary. I know of too many close calls in them. They are complex to fly. I have the most confidence in former military pilots, given all the conditions they have trained for.
What was the identifier of the one that crashed? I flew on FlyNYON in early February in a red helicopter with “N350LH,” but I see another identifier in black letters below. From my photos mine was “MHIA082G.” I cant find a high-res enough photo to see what it was on the crashed one. But it’s the same exact model. Does FlyNYON have more than 1 of these?
Sometimes I get on them, it’s a calculated risk, eg the thrill of a flight around Manhattan ( pre 9/11) or Sydney vs the tiny risk of death.I still want to do a Grand Canyon flight.
So yes, I use choppers, Seaplanes that are 60 years old, DC3s that are even older, single engine planes as well. Sometimes they go places otherwise impossible.