A C172 pilot reported momentary loss of roll control when he encountered wake vortex from a helicopt...

Attributes
ACN	984237
Time
Date	201112
Local Time Of Day	0601-1200
Place
Locale Reference	GAI.Airport
State Reference	MD
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	Skyhawk 172/Cutlass 172
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	Takeoff
Flight Plan	VFR
Aircraft 2
Make Model Name	Helicopter
Flight Phase	Landing
Person 1
Function	Single Pilot
Qualification	Flight Crew Private
Experience	Flight Crew Last 90 Days 35 Flight Crew Total 151 Flight Crew Type 151
Events
Anomaly	Inflight Event / Encounter Loss Of Aircraft Control Inflight Event / Encounter Wake Vortex Encounter

Narrative:

I departed gai shortly after a helicopter landed at the far end of the departure runway (32). Approximately 400-500 ft above airport elevation after I took off; I encountered wake turbulence generated by the helicopter. My right wing banked twenty to thirty degrees; and I momentarily had no ability to control the roll. I applied full aileron control in the opposite direction and the wings leveled after three to five seconds. I then entered a normal traffic pattern and landed. I was initially unsure of what caused the control problem as there was some frost on the wings and I wanted to check the airplane for any abnormalities. Upon inspection; the plane was fine; and after some reflection; I was sure the wake turbulence caused the airplane to roll.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A C172 pilot reported momentary loss of roll control when he encountered wake vortex from a helicopter at 400 to 500 FT during initial climb out. He regained control and landed.

Narrative: I departed GAI shortly after a helicopter landed at the far end of the departure runway (32). Approximately 400-500 FT above airport elevation after I took off; I encountered wake turbulence generated by the helicopter. My right wing banked twenty to thirty degrees; and I momentarily had no ability to control the roll. I applied full aileron control in the opposite direction and the wings leveled after three to five seconds. I then entered a normal traffic pattern and landed. I was initially unsure of what caused the control problem as there was some frost on the wings and I wanted to check the airplane for any abnormalities. Upon inspection; the plane was fine; and after some reflection; I was sure the wake turbulence caused the airplane to roll.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.

A C172 pilot reported momentary loss of roll control when he encountered wake vortex from a helicopter at 400 to 500 ft during initial climb out. He regained control and landed.