An Alberta helicopter pilot practicing emergency landings needed to put his training to the test when the chopper’s engine failed in flight.
On Saturday evening, Daniel Jacobs was practicing auto-rotations -- a type of emergency landing in the event of an engine failure -- when his helicopter’s engine actually failed, forcing a crash-landing in a field about 24 kilometres east of Edmonton.
Jacobs told CTV Edmonton he hit the ground at approximately 30 kilometres per hour and suffered lacerations to his head, but is otherwise fine. His home-built helicopter, on the other hand, sustained significant damage with parts strewn all over the field.
“(The helicopter damage is) a little bit painful, but I’m hoping it’s not as bad as it looks,” he said.
Jacobs plans to visit the crash site on Monday to assess the damage. The Transportation Safety Board investigated the incident, but have since closed the file.
Jacobs doesn’t know why the engine failed, but said the scary incident won’t stop him from hitting the skies once again.
“I really like flying,” he said. “I’ve been interested in it since I was just a little guy. It’s in my blood.”
With a report from CTV Edmonton’s Angela Jung
