Piper Aircraft Corp Undifferentiated or Other Model
Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Instrument
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 180; Flight Crew Total 1350; Flight Crew Type 200
Inflight Event / Encounter Loss Of Aircraft Control
Flight Crew Regained Aircraft Control
Human Factors
While on short final to the runway; our Piper 140 encountered violent rotor wash due to National Guard military helicopters maneuvering in close proximity to the active runway. As our aircraft was on short final over the threshold end of the runway; a Black Hawk helicopter began to lift to a high hover. His call to maneuver was last minute. As a result of the rotor wash; the aircraft became uncontrollable; rolling into an approximate 180 [90] degree bank attitude with near vertical downward descent. Once the plane encountered the rotor wash; there was absolutely no aileron effectiveness to control the aircraft. Cooperating procedures between military and general aviation aircraft would have contributed to the avoidance of such rotor wash encounters.
A Piper 140 pilot encountered violent rotor wash from military helicopters maneuvering in close proximity to the active runway.