Cargo should not be placed so as to restrict the use of emergency or regular exits. Propellers and rotors Every year rotating propellers and rotors cause fatal and serious injuries because they are difficult to see when in motion. Passengers should not board, leave or work around aircraft when propellers or rotors are in motion. The helicopter is often an exception to this rule, when rotors must be kept in motion at remote landing sites. Passengers should receive a thorough briefing from the pilot or crew member before boarding or leaving a running helicopter.
Most accidents occur when persons walk into the tail rotor.
The safe procedure is to crouch low and approach or depart the helicopter from the side or the front but never near the tail rotor area. Never walk downslope toward the helicopter and never walk upslope away from the helicopter. A passenger should not normally perform any crew function unless safety is otherwise in jeopardy. In any case, a passenger must receive a thorough briefing, including safety procedures, from the pilot or flight crew member. An inexperienced floatplane passenger attempting to assist the pilot to dock is exposed to extreme danger from the rotating propeller.