As one father to another, let me say I'm extremely glad to hear that your
son has survived what most others have not. If he doesn't fly again it will
be a small disappointment in comparison to what the alternative outcome
could have been.
RonS
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> [mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Chuck Norcutt
> Sent: Tuesday, February 29, 2000 9:08 PM
> To: Olympus mail list
> Subject: [OM] [non-OM] Status report on the helicopter pilot
>
>
> Olafo sent me a note last night asking how my son was recovering from
> the helicopter crash last September. I had been thinking about posting
> a note to the list since many of you expressed interest privately but
> was waiting to see if I had some more definitive word on his
> condition... like, will he ever fly again? There's still an excellent
> chance that he will but it's still not certain.
>
> Following is a copy of the reply I sent back to Olafo. I also attached
> a picture of the chopper (what was left of it). I can't send that to
> the list but if you're interested to see what a Bell Long Ranger looks
> like after hitting power lines and falling 205 feet into the trees send
> me a message off-list and I'll send you a copy (250 KB) provided that
> you do not re-distribute it to anyone and delete it soon after viewing.
>
> Chuck Norcutt
> Woburn, Massachusetts, USA
> ---------------------------------------------------------
>
> Thanks for asking. He is physically recovered except that he is
> suffering from what is called Benign Position Specific Vertigo (BPS)...
> he gets dizzy from lateral acceleration to the left or when his head is
> in certain positions. Not good for a pilot. It's caused by trauma to
> the head which causes small particles of calcium (otoconia) to escape
> from the utricle which is a tube adjacent to the ear canal. The
> otoconia float around in the ear canal and cause disorientation when
> they strike the cilia there. The same thing sometimes happens to the
> elderly without any head trauma involved.
>
> The treatment is actually very simple. He has to perform certain
> exercises of head positioning (called the Eppley Maneuver) designed to
> try and float the otoconia out of the ear canal and back to the utricle
> where they came from. After each exercise he has to sleep upright that
> night so the particles stay put.
>
> After several treatments he is much improved but the problem is not
> completely gone yet. The treatments are frequently 100 percent
> successful but his seems to be a stubborn case. To speed his recovery
> he has also been scheduled for "habituation" treatments. Even if they
> are not successful in getting all of the otoconia back into the utricle
> the brain can be trained to ignore the residual problem by becoming
> habituated to it.
>
> He still has hopes of getting back into the air but it will be 3-6
> months after the last incidence of vertigo before he will be approved to
> fly again by the state police and army flight surgeons.
>
> ps: I've attached a photo of his New York State Police helicopter
> shortly after the crash. The photog only took two pictures as he said
> he was standing in jet fuel and was anxious to get out of there. Yes,
> the red on the seat headrest and on the log in the foreground is Scott's
> blood. He was losing it in very large amounts. The local newspaper ran
> this picture on the front page after great debate in the editorial
> room. They had never before published a picture showing blood.
>
> I have recently seen the video taken for the official crash
> investigation. There is debris spread over hundreds of meters. After
> colliding with the power lines the main rotors sheared off the tail and
> tail rotor assembly as a complete unit. It's sitting in an open field
> under the power lines. Fortunately, the main fuselage made it into the
> trees going somewhat backwards which "cushioned" the impact. The impact
> point was measured as 205 feet (62.5 meters) above the ground. He's one
> lucky kid!
>
> Chuck
>
> < This message was delivered via the Olympus Mailing List >
> < For questions, mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >
> < Web Page: http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html >
>
< This message was delivered via the Olympus Mailing List >
< For questions, mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >
< Web Page: http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html >
|