Report a Complaint — Operators, Pilots, HLOs, HDAs & Captains
HelideckSafety.com accepts formal complaints about helicopter operators, pilots, Helicopter Landing Officers, Helideck Assistants, captains, and any other personnel involved in maritime helicopter operations. Where appropriate, we will lodge official reports with the relevant civil aviation authority on your behalf.
What You Can Report
We accept complaints relating to:
- Operators — operating without a valid AOC, operating outside their Ops Specs, inadequate safety management, failure to comply with regulatory requirements, misrepresentation of credentials or capabilities
- Pilots — flying without valid licence or medical, flying below minimums, reckless or dangerous flying ("hot dogging"), flying under the influence of alcohol or drugs, failure to conduct proper briefings, pressure on crew or passengers to accept unsafe conditions
- HLOs and HDAs — untrained or unqualified personnel performing helideck duties, failure to follow procedures, failure to challenge unsafe pilot behaviour, inadequate emergency preparedness
- Captains — authorising helicopter operations without proper certification (no HLAC), failure to ensure helideck is safe and compliant, overriding safety decisions, allowing operations in conditions that exceed the vessel's or aircraft's limitations
- Management companies — engaging non-compliant operators, cutting corners on maintenance, insurance, or training to reduce costs, misrepresenting the compliance status of operations to owners
- Maintenance organisations — maintenance fraud, falsified records, work signed off but not performed, use of unapproved parts
- Training providers — issuing certificates without adequate training, misrepresenting qualifications of instructors, delivering substandard courses
What We Do With Complaints
Every complaint is reviewed by HelideckSafety.com. Where the complaint raises concerns about regulatory non-compliance or safety, we will:
- Lodge a formal report with the relevant civil aviation authority (EASA, UK CAA, FAA, or the national authority where the operation took place)
- If applicable, notify the flag state administration responsible for the vessel
- If applicable, notify the insurer referenced in the complaint
- Add the complaint to our anonymised database to track patterns and repeat offenders
- If the complaint involves immediate danger to life, escalate to the relevant authority without delay
Your identity will be treated confidentially. You may submit complaints anonymously. However, complaints that include your contact details allow us to follow up for clarification and provide you with an update on the outcome.
Hot Dogging and Reckless Flying
Low-level flying, aggressive manoeuvres, steep approaches, and high-speed passes over vessels or beaches — sometimes called "hot dogging" — are not just unprofessional. They are illegal, they are dangerous, and they kill people.
Pilots who engage in reckless flying to impress passengers, yacht owners, or other crew are violating their licence privileges and the Air Navigation Order (or equivalent legislation). Under EASA, reckless or negligent operation of an aircraft is a criminal offence. A pilot who endangers the safety of persons or property through reckless flying can have their licence suspended or revoked, and can face criminal prosecution.
If you witness reckless flying, report it. Note the date, time, location, aircraft registration (if visible), helicopter type, and a description of the manoeuvre. Photographs or video are extremely valuable evidence. Submit your report through the form below, and we will ensure it reaches the appropriate authority.
Social Media Is Evidence
Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and other social media platforms are full of videos and photographs of helicopter operations on yachts. Some of this content is perfectly professional. Much of it is not.
Videos posted by guests, crew, or even pilots themselves frequently show: low approaches over water at excessive speed, passengers embarking or disembarking while rotors are turning without proper supervision, flights in marginal weather conditions, reckless manoeuvres near vessels or crowds, and unsecured items on the helideck during operations. These videos are timestamped, geotagged, and publicly available — they constitute evidence.
When social media content goes viral showing a helicopter doing something spectacular on a yacht, the comments are full of admiration. When that same behaviour causes an accident, the same video becomes evidence in a criminal prosecution, a wrongful death lawsuit, and an insurance repudiation hearing.
If you see social media content that depicts dangerous helicopter operations, save it (screenshot or download) and submit it with your complaint. Include the URL, the date, and any identifying information visible in the footage (vessel name, aircraft registration, location). Social media posts can be deleted, so preserving the evidence at the time you see it is important.
A note to pilots and crew who post their own content: a video of you flying low and fast over a yacht or performing an aggressive approach may look impressive to your followers. It also provides a civil aviation authority investigator with everything they need to suspend your licence. Think carefully about what you post.
Track Helicopters
We encourage anyone with safety concerns to use publicly available flight tracking tools to monitor helicopter movements. Services such as Flightradar24, ADS-B Exchange, and FlightAware display real-time and historical flight data for aircraft equipped with ADS-B transponders. By tracking a helicopter's movements, you can identify patterns such as:
- Flights conducted in weather conditions that were below minimums for VFR operations
- Flights that appear to violate cabotage restrictions (repeated commercial flights between two domestic points)
- Flight profiles that suggest low-level or reckless operations
- Operations in areas or countries not covered by the operator's Ops Specs
- Flights at times or frequencies that suggest the pilot may be exceeding flight duty time limitations
If you identify concerning flight patterns, include the tracking data (screenshots, flight history) with your complaint. This provides objective evidence that supports your report.
Incident & Near-Miss Reporting
Reporting incidents and near-misses is critical to improving helicopter safety in the maritime industry. This confidential reporting form allows crew, pilots, helideck officers, and other personnel to report safety events, complaints, and concerns. Reports are anonymised and used to identify safety trends, issue guidance, and where appropriate, lodge formal reports with aviation authorities.
Note: All reports are treated confidentially. We encourage honest and detailed reporting — the purpose is to improve safety, not to assign blame. If you need to report to an official body, contact your national aviation authority or the relevant AAIB/NTSB equivalent.