N1601Y

On September 3, 2018, about 1500 eastern daylight time, a MD Helicopters 369E, N1601Y, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near Orchard Lake, Michigan. The private pilot sustained serious injuries. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

The pilot reported he was planning a short flight in the local area. The helicopter was stationed on a wheeled helicopter transportation dolly at his private heliport. The helicopter departed from the dolly and came to an in-ground effect hover. As the pilot was maneuvering the helicopter to the right of the dolly at a hover, a flock of Canada geese (Branta canadensis) "came flying in to the front and right" of the helicopter. The pilot reported he remembered "quickly moving" the helicopter back to the right to avoid the birds, and that it was the last action he could recollect until after the impact when the helicopter was laying on its side. The helicopter came to rest on its left side on a flat grass field in front of the heliport, with the main rotor blades separated from the main rotor hub and the tail rotor gearbox separated from the tailboom. The pilot reported there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe and engine that would have precluded normal operation.

Emergency services personnel extracted the pilot from the wreckage. The pilot sustained serious injuries to his head and body. A review of the pilot's medical records by the NTSB found the left side of the pilot's face and the right side of the pilot's head sustained impact injuries from the accident sequence. The pilot was not wearing a flight helmet during the accident flight, nor was he required to do so. The NTSB investigator-in-charge proposed to the manufacturer's air safety department about producing and distributing educational guidance encouraging pilots to wear a flight helmet and the manufacturer agreed. MD Helicopters Operational Safety Notice OSN2019-002 Aviation Life Support Equipment – Flight Helmets was created and released to the public in April 2019.

The pilot's private heliport is located about 350 ft south of the Upper Straits Lake in a residential area. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Wildlife Services, Canada Geese build nests on the ground near water and consume grass and aquatic plants. The USDA additionally states that, "Canada geese can collide with aircraft causing fatal results."