Copter Pilot En Route to Exam Survives Real-Life Test
Pilot Ed Mauldin was flying to Van Nuys Airport to take a test for his flight instructor’s certification Friday when his rented helicopter lost power and dropped 600 feet to the ground.
In a maneuver called the “full down auto rotation,” Mauldin, 36, of Lancaster safely landed the craft on a construction site in Panorama City. Uninjured, he was driven to Whiteman Airport in Pacoima where he rented another helicopter and flew to Van Nuys to take the test.
He didn’t pass.
“My nerves were shot,” Mauldin said. “My flight test was rescheduled. I took the orals and did well but not enough to pass. I’ll have to go back on a better day.”
Flight Test Maneuver
Ironically, the full down auto rotation maneuver is included in the flight test for instructor certification by the Federal Aviation Administration, Mauldin said.
“Maybe this one will count,” he said of the maneuver he used to put down the ailing copter.
“He did it, but it will be up to his test instructor” to determine whether the maneuver counts toward his certification, FAA investigator Lenny Schaustal said.
Mauldin, a commercial helicopter and fixed-wing pilot, said he rented the copter at Whiteman. While on the way, an engine problem developed, and the craft lost power to its top rotor about 8:30 a.m., he said.
The helicopter started to drop. Mauldin said he used the rotation maneuver, in which the craft is pointed forward as it drops, to allow wind to turn the top rotor and provide enough lift to glide the craft to a landing.
Mauldin, who had never made an emergency landing, said the copter dropped to the ground in about four seconds.
“It’s a very safe maneuver,” he said. “You just have to have a spot to land. It is pretty well straight down. You don’t have much of a choice of where to go.”
Mauldin landed the copter on a lot cleared for a construction project near Woodman Avenue and Terra Bella Street.
The helicopter, rented from Watson Helicopters, was not damaged, Schaustal said. A preliminary investigation concluded that an engine belt failed, cutting off power to the rotor, he said.
