Helicopter
Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Commercial
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 150; Flight Crew Total 728; Flight Crew Type 485
Situational Awareness; Confusion
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Human Factors
I was located on private property and was asked to allow 2 passengers to hang from the skids of the helicopter and drop in to a pond of water that was approximately 30 feet deep. I have flown skydivers before and thought; to the best of my ability; that I wasn't violating any regulations at the time and that proper arrangements were in place to keep the action fun; but as safe as possible. The exit technique was the same; the only difference was they were just dropping from 15-20 feet in to a large private pond compared to 6;000 ft with a parachute. It was a closed event; the two jumpers were professional athletes; and we spent 30 minutes on the ground before the stunt reviewing coordination between myself and the two jumpers and proper safety techniques and different scenarios. Additionally; I had standby personnel on site for the jump including a trained lifeguard ready to take action if need be once the two jumpers were in the water. There was absolutely no alcohol involved; weather conditions were perfect and low winds; and the intent was to do something fun while pushing the boundary just a bit to what has been done before. Looking back; I've made my career as a commercial pilot and instructor by teaching people how to operate the aircraft within the boundaries and realize that the stunt was not probably the safest thing- Risk not worth the reward. I teach my students that good pilots are good decision makers; and I might've allowed my personal boundary to be pushed too far in this case. I also recognize that I was familiar with the technique; had professional athletes; safety crews on standby; and the operation went without a hitch and both jumpers had fun and were perfectly safe. I believe that this might've been too much assumed risk and that I might've violated a regulation by not ensuring that they were wearing seat belts during the take-off. I also can see where; in the incorrect context; it seemed reckless and that the risk might've been too high without more protocol in place. I have learned from this experience; and would like to move forward developing as a pilot. Even though this stunt went flawlessly; I understand that there is a lot to learn and I will not allow my boundaries as a pilot and responsible person to be pushed to doing something that might cause undue risk to people that are involved.
Helicopter pilot reported allowing two professional athletes to hang from the helicopter skids and drop 15 to 20 feet into a pond located on private property.