Narrative:

A helicopter approached my aircraft from the southeast. I was on a heading of approximately 350 in a slow, level orbit at 1200 ft AGL, over an uncongested area (1/2 mi in diameter) in west jacksonville, fl, taking aerial photographs. The helicopter overtook my position at 1200 ft AGL from 1/2 mi out on my starboard side. He immediately turned northwest to intercept my course, forcing me to alter my heading and airspeed. I climbed to 2000 ft MSL and tried to contact the helicopter on a multicom channel, which was unsuccessful. There were no visible markings on the helicopter about its identify that I could clearly see, lateral to my view. The helicopter continued for the next 8-10 mins to cut me off, and in 1 instance, turned head-on directly into my flight path. I had to use evasive action by making a right turn away from the approaching helicopter. It then joined up in level flight on my port side, abeam my vertical stabilizer. Heading was plus or minus 090, airspeed was 110 KTS, altitude was approximately 1800 ft MSL, distance to craig VOR was plus or minus 9 NM. The helicopter moved to within 150 ft of my left horizontal stabilizer, all this occurring with no radio communication or visual hand signals acknowledging an agreed formation. I raised jacksonville approach on 118.00 and described the situation to them and requested that they contact the helicopter and get them on a multicom channel (pilot to pilot). I suggested 122.90. During my exchange with jacksonville approach, 1 of the helicopter crew members stepped in on the approach frequency I was on and tried to communicate with me directly (pilot to pilot). He continued to do so for 1-2 mins, stepping on several xmissions, including a commercial carrier. As we continued eastward in an unauthorized formation, the helicopter asked that I turn to 122.80 (unicom), which I did. A crew member of the helicopter then began to interrogate me about my name, what I was doing, etc, etc, all this while not identing himself or the helicopter. In all the confusion, it became immediately apparent to me that we were about to penetrate the craig field control zone, so I suggested that we discuss this on the ground instead of using the local unicom channel. The helicopter then broke off to the south and I called craig tower on 132.10 and requested permission to land. It was not until after I landed that a helicopter crew member approached me and idented their rotorcraft as a duval county police department helicopter and himself as a duval county police officer. I showed my pilot's license and medical certificate to the police officer in the presence of mr X of the north florida FSDO-15. The police officer's claim is that I was flying at 600 ft AGL. I deny that I was flying at 600 ft AGL. Further, that I was above or at 1000 ft AGL. In summary, I think the action that this police helicopter crew took was far more than required. Their actions were far too negligent, endangering crews of both aircraft and those aircraft trying to communication on jacksonville approach. This is a prime example of an 'abuse of authority' that could have ended in a catastrophic accident. You do not have to be a rocket scientist to know that a light helicopter and a light plane in formation (without communication) is a catastrophe waiting to happen. There is not a recovery procedure for a main rotor blade tip ripping through your vertical stabilizer at the speed of sound. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter was put into jail for about 8 hours while the sheriff was thinking what to do next. All civil charges have been dropped, but the reporter has gotten a letter of investigation from the local FSDO. The reporter admitted that he was down to 800 ft AGL inadvertently. His lawyer thinks that the FAA would have a hard time proving that he intended to fly lower than 1000 ft AGL. A local tv station wants the reporter to aid them in an investigation of the sheriff's department that is 'out of control.' the sheriff's department has been quoted as saying that the FARS do not apply to their operation.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A SHERIFF'S DEPT HELI FORCED AN SMA TO LAND AFTER AN ALLEGED LOW FLT. THERE WAS AN ILLEGAL, UNBRIEFED FORMATION FLT.

Narrative: A HELI APCHED MY ACFT FROM THE SE. I WAS ON A HDG OF APPROX 350 IN A SLOW, LEVEL ORBIT AT 1200 FT AGL, OVER AN UNCONGESTED AREA (1/2 MI IN DIAMETER) IN W JACKSONVILLE, FL, TAKING AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS. THE HELI OVERTOOK MY POS AT 1200 FT AGL FROM 1/2 MI OUT ON MY STARBOARD SIDE. HE IMMEDIATELY TURNED NW TO INTERCEPT MY COURSE, FORCING ME TO ALTER MY HDG AND AIRSPD. I CLBED TO 2000 FT MSL AND TRIED TO CONTACT THE HELI ON A MULTICOM CHANNEL, WHICH WAS UNSUCCESSFUL. THERE WERE NO VISIBLE MARKINGS ON THE HELI ABOUT ITS IDENT THAT I COULD CLRLY SEE, LATERAL TO MY VIEW. THE HELI CONTINUED FOR THE NEXT 8-10 MINS TO CUT ME OFF, AND IN 1 INSTANCE, TURNED HEAD-ON DIRECTLY INTO MY FLT PATH. I HAD TO USE EVASIVE ACTION BY MAKING A R TURN AWAY FROM THE APCHING HELI. IT THEN JOINED UP IN LEVEL FLT ON MY PORT SIDE, ABEAM MY VERT STABILIZER. HDG WAS PLUS OR MINUS 090, AIRSPD WAS 110 KTS, ALT WAS APPROX 1800 FT MSL, DISTANCE TO CRAIG VOR WAS PLUS OR MINUS 9 NM. THE HELI MOVED TO WITHIN 150 FT OF MY L HORIZ STABILIZER, ALL THIS OCCURRING WITH NO RADIO COM OR VISUAL HAND SIGNALS ACKNOWLEDGING AN AGREED FORMATION. I RAISED JACKSONVILLE APCH ON 118.00 AND DESCRIBED THE SIT TO THEM AND REQUESTED THAT THEY CONTACT THE HELI AND GET THEM ON A MULTICOM CHANNEL (PLT TO PLT). I SUGGESTED 122.90. DURING MY EXCHANGE WITH JACKSONVILLE APCH, 1 OF THE HELI CREW MEMBERS STEPPED IN ON THE APCH FREQ I WAS ON AND TRIED TO COMMUNICATE WITH ME DIRECTLY (PLT TO PLT). HE CONTINUED TO DO SO FOR 1-2 MINS, STEPPING ON SEVERAL XMISSIONS, INCLUDING A COMMERCIAL CARRIER. AS WE CONTINUED EASTWARD IN AN UNAUTHORIZED FORMATION, THE HELI ASKED THAT I TURN TO 122.80 (UNICOM), WHICH I DID. A CREW MEMBER OF THE HELI THEN BEGAN TO INTERROGATE ME ABOUT MY NAME, WHAT I WAS DOING, ETC, ETC, ALL THIS WHILE NOT IDENTING HIMSELF OR THE HELI. IN ALL THE CONFUSION, IT BECAME IMMEDIATELY APPARENT TO ME THAT WE WERE ABOUT TO PENETRATE THE CRAIG FIELD CTL ZONE, SO I SUGGESTED THAT WE DISCUSS THIS ON THE GND INSTEAD OF USING THE LCL UNICOM CHANNEL. THE HELI THEN BROKE OFF TO THE S AND I CALLED CRAIG TWR ON 132.10 AND REQUESTED PERMISSION TO LAND. IT WAS NOT UNTIL AFTER I LANDED THAT A HELI CREW MEMBER APCHED ME AND IDENTED THEIR ROTORCRAFT AS A DUVAL COUNTY POLICE DEPT HELI AND HIMSELF AS A DUVAL COUNTY POLICE OFFICER. I SHOWED MY PLT'S LICENSE AND MEDICAL CERTIFICATE TO THE POLICE OFFICER IN THE PRESENCE OF MR X OF THE NORTH FLORIDA FSDO-15. THE POLICE OFFICER'S CLAIM IS THAT I WAS FLYING AT 600 FT AGL. I DENY THAT I WAS FLYING AT 600 FT AGL. FURTHER, THAT I WAS ABOVE OR AT 1000 FT AGL. IN SUMMARY, I THINK THE ACTION THAT THIS POLICE HELI CREW TOOK WAS FAR MORE THAN REQUIRED. THEIR ACTIONS WERE FAR TOO NEGLIGENT, ENDANGERING CREWS OF BOTH ACFT AND THOSE ACFT TRYING TO COM ON JACKSONVILLE APCH. THIS IS A PRIME EXAMPLE OF AN 'ABUSE OF AUTHORITY' THAT COULD HAVE ENDED IN A CATASTROPHIC ACCIDENT. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A ROCKET SCIENTIST TO KNOW THAT A LIGHT HELI AND A LIGHT PLANE IN FORMATION (WITHOUT COM) IS A CATASTROPHE WAITING TO HAPPEN. THERE IS NOT A RECOVERY PROC FOR A MAIN ROTOR BLADE TIP RIPPING THROUGH YOUR VERT STABILIZER AT THE SPD OF SOUND. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR WAS PUT INTO JAIL FOR ABOUT 8 HRS WHILE THE SHERIFF WAS THINKING WHAT TO DO NEXT. ALL CIVIL CHARGES HAVE BEEN DROPPED, BUT THE RPTR HAS GOTTEN A LETTER OF INVESTIGATION FROM THE LCL FSDO. THE RPTR ADMITTED THAT HE WAS DOWN TO 800 FT AGL INADVERTENTLY. HIS LAWYER THINKS THAT THE FAA WOULD HAVE A HARD TIME PROVING THAT HE INTENDED TO FLY LOWER THAN 1000 FT AGL. A LCL TV STATION WANTS THE RPTR TO AID THEM IN AN INVESTIGATION OF THE SHERIFF'S DEPT THAT IS 'OUT OF CTL.' THE SHERIFF'S DEPT HAS BEEN QUOTED AS SAYING THAT THE FARS DO NOT APPLY TO THEIR OP.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.