Residents Say Helos Carry Big External Loads Over Their Homes

California has gained a reputation as a state where residents, all too happy to make use of modern conveniences, stage protests to stop development of the infrastructure necessary to operate them. But if the claims of residents protesting safety violations by helicopter operators working on a new powerline are true, this is not just another NIMBY story.

San Diego Gas & Electric's new Sunrise Powerlink will connect two California counties with Arizona, at a cost of $2 billion. It involves the use of big helicopters to erect towers, and two recent tail rotor strikes have prompted the California Public Utilities Commission to stop the flying while pilots get remedial safety training. San Diego County Supervisor Dianne Jacob tell East County Magazine, “I commend the CPUC for putting public safety first and grounding helicopter operations...The CPUC must hold SDG&E accountable for its reckless antics and flagrant disregard for CPUC rules. The steady stream of equipment drops and unreported rotor strikes increases the chances of wildfire in communities that have already endured the 2003 and 2007 wildfires.”

Jacob wants the commission to hold a public meeting in Alpine to address residents' concerns about safety.

Other residents say they have complained to authorities, including the FAA, about helicopter operators flying so low they damage property on the ground, blowing down trees in at least one case. Pilots are accused of carrying external loads over homes in violation of FAA regulations, including tower sections which weigh up to eight tons each. Two such sections, as well as an air compressor and a loose helicopter skid, have been dropped on unoccupied land in recent incidents.

One resident says he looked up to see a helicopter flying over his home carrying a tractor. Others say the pilots have intentionally flown lower after complaints to intimidate landowners.

The utilities commission says it has ordered a safety stand-down, and is updating its incident reporting protocol after SDG&E claimed it was not clear incidents such as recent tail rotor strikes on a boulder and a fence post had to be reported to the commission. Work on the Sunrise Powerlink continues in areas not requiring helicopter flights.

FMI: www.sdge.com/sunrisepowerlink