SR22
Flight Crew Private; Flight Crew Instrument
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 40; Flight Crew Total 900; Flight Crew Type 120
Communication Breakdown; Other / Unknown; Situational Awareness
Conflict NMAC; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General None Reported / Taken
Human Factors; Airport
We were inbound to the airport. I canceled IFR about 30 miles out after clearing nearby Bravo Airspace and started reporting position and requesting field advisories at 20; 15; eight and 4 NM on UNICOM. The airport AWOS was reporting winds 190 at 8 KTS so I broadcast my intentions to make left traffic for Runway 11. The only broadcasting traffic at the airport was a helicopter doing a practice instrument approach to 11 (not the offending helicopter). I headed south of the airport and announced my intentions to cross to the northeast over the field to enter left downwind for 11. I made radio calls at each step...sometimes more than once.Apparently (according to a witness at the FBO - available for comment if necessary); at about the time I was on downwind; a helicopter lifted off from his hangar area and made a slow straight climbing track to the runway at an angle to; but in the direction of; Runway 11 (looking east-southeast). The helicopter proceeded to hover over the mid-portion of the runway. He never used the radio and never responded to my calls. I didn't see him until after being blown around by his rotor wash while flaring to land. On roll-out I looked up and saw him overhead. He then departed the runway area to the north east and circled to the left to land back at his hangar.When I reported the event to folks at the FBO; a bystander was able to immediately and [ultimately] correctly identify the helicopter's owner based on his expectation of this sort of event. Another local pilot suggested that the helicopter pilot had a reputation for 'making his own rules.' After the helicopter circled around and landed; I had the FBO bring me to the helicopter's hangar to see if the pilot understood what had happened. The helicopter pilot suggested that I was to blame for using the 'wrong' runway. He insisted that Runway 29 was the active runway. I explained that no one had responded to my many calls and no one was in the pattern when I arrived other than a helicopter doing a practice approach to Runway 11. To which he suggested that most pilots circle to land on 29 after approaches to 11. I asked if he was listening to his radio. He said that he was busy focusing on something else because the helicopter was new to him.He also ordered me to not take pictures of his helicopter and threatened to file some kind of complaint against me and that he was on the airport board; etc. I believe that the helicopter pilot showed blatant disregard for recommended safe operating procedures involving uncontrolled airports; radios and helicopters. He was not using his radio or monitoring it while operating near and over an active runway at an uncontrolled field.
An SR22 pilot reported a rogue helicopter pilot had been hovering at low altitude over the active runway without monitoring or responding to UNICOM transmissions from other operators. On his landing flare the reporter's aircraft was buffeted by downwash from the helicopter. A confrontation between the two pilots; including threats of recrimination by the helo pilot; ensued.