BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) - Experts in the world of helicopter piloting don't want people to be afraid of helicopters in the wake of the tragic deaths of basketball legend Kobe Bryant on Sunday and of Western New York businessmen Mark Croce and Michael Capriotto on January 9.
"Don't be afraid, honestly," Rainbow Air Vice President Pat Proctor told WBEN. "These are rare occurrences that you can't control. On my end of this business (of helicopter tours), doing tens of thousands - almost a hundreds of thousand - of flights over the last 25 years, we've been very fortunate and lucky."
Pilots who work for Rainbow Air have been trained in the military. He said their pilots need to have a minimum of 1,500 to 2,000 hours of turbine engine time before they are hired. For the average person looking to become a pilot, Proctor said you would have to learn the basics of piloting in school before you even take a seat behind the throttle.
"It's search and recover right now," Proctor said about the NTSB's investigation. "They're going to have to pick apart everything they're able to grab from the scene of the accident. Whether it's a blade, a body, a rubber band, a bolt, nut, or screw, all of that stuff takes a lot of time and effort to say why this part came apart...There's so many factors and so many pieces on this aircraft."
Proctor speculated that the accident in Los Angeles was caused by pilot error, who may have flown at a low altitude and did not know their surroundings. WBBZ Owner Phil Arno, who spent years working as a videographer inside a helicopter in Los Angeles, also suggested that the pilot flew into the side of a hill because of poor visibility.
Despite the recent tragedies involving helicopters, Proctor assures they are safe and that they are even safer than airplanes. He said 95 percent of most accidents are due to pilot error while the other 5 percent is due to mechanical error. According to CNBC, there were 21 fatal helicopter accidents between January and November of 2019. In 2018, there were 24 fatal helicopter accidents and 20 in 2017.
Proctor recalled the story a few years ago of Rainbow Air pilots tasked with bringing Santa to visit kids in Lewiston. Because the weather conditions resulted in ice on their helicopters, "Santa's Sleigh" did not arrive for the kids for their regularly scheduled time.
"Safety is number one, especially even with Santa Claus," he said.