Bell 525 Prototype N525TA Fatal Flight Test Accident
The first B525 Relentless helicopter prototype was lost in a fatal flight test accident on 6 July 2016.
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Errant Notebook Sends Diving Ship Off-Station – HF in Design
Errant Notebook Sends Diving Ship Off-Station – HF in Design The Australian National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) has recently published a safety alert on a serious incident to a Dynamic Position (DP) vessel that made an uncommanded movement during a diving operation that highlighted a significant design vulnerability. The Incident The vessel
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CHC EC225 LN-OJF Norway Accident Investigation Timeline
We examine the investigation into the loss of CHC EC225 in Norway on 29 April 2016.
CHC EC225 LN-OJF Norway Accident Investigation Timeline Read Post »
EASA Annual Safety Review 2016 Published
EASA Annual Safety Review 2016 Published The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Annual Safety Review for 2016 is now available. In the introduction EASA say: The Review has been published since 2005 and the content of the document continues to evolve. Safety Risk Portfolios are now provided for 10 different operational domains. For the first time
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ANSV Issue AW609 Tilt Rotor Accident Investigation Report
ANSV Issue AW609 Tilt Rotor Accident Investigation Report Investigators say a prototype tilt rotor broke up in flight after a divergent dutch roll developed in a high speed dive. The Italian civil aviation safety investigation authority, the Agenzia Nazionale per la Sicurezza del Volo (ANSV), has issued an interim statement of the loss of prototype #2 (AC2) Leonardo AW609 tilt rotor N609AG
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HEMS Black Hole Accident: “Organisational, Regulatory and Oversight Deficiencies”
The operator had insufficient resources to effectively manage safety say TSB. The regulator had concerns but its approach did not ensure timely rectification.
HEMS Black Hole Accident: “Organisational, Regulatory and Oversight Deficiencies” Read Post »
ATR72 In-Flight Pitch Disconnect and Structural Failure
Significant structural damage occurs when crew make opposing pitch inputs say ATSB. The damage is missed for 13 subsequent flights.
ATR72 In-Flight Pitch Disconnect and Structural Failure Read Post »
For Rotors Grease is the Word
For Rotors Grease is the Word We look at two helicopter accidents (one fatal) where grease, and in particular the absence of grease, were critical factors. Case 1: AS355F1 N58020 15 September 2012, New Jersey (One Fatality) The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report that, Airbus Helicopters AS355F1, N58020 operated by charter operator Analar Corporation was making a positioning flight
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EASA Are On the Move! New EASA HQ
EASA Are On the Move! New EASA HQ The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) open for business on 6 June 2016 in a new office at: Konrad-Adenauer-Ufer 3 D-50668 Cologne, Germany The new building, in the shadow of the Dom, has the neoclassical frontage of a building originally built in 1913 as a railway headquarters. Other
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NTSB Report on C208B Caravan Ditching, Molokai, Hawaii, 2013
NTSB Report on C208B Caravan Ditching, Molokai, Hawaii, 2013 The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report on confusion over the applicable engine Instructions for Continued Airworthiness (ICA) and ditching procedures in a fatal 2013 accident in Hawaii. Cessna 208B Caravan N687MA, operated by Makani Kai Air, ditched off off Hawaii on 11 December 2013,
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Rotor Blade Tool Control FOD Incident
Rotor Blade Tool Control FOD Incident (Western Australia Police Air Wing Airbus AS365N3 VH-WPX) The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has just issued a report on an incident where a helicopter’s rotor blades were damaged during start up by Foreign Object Debris (FOD), namely a tool that had been left behind from earlier maintenance. The Incident Flight
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UK AAIB: Boeing Safety Responses ‘Not Adequate’
UK AAIB: Boeing Safety Responses ‘Not Adequate’ Six months ago we published an article that discussed the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) report into a serious incident involving a Boeing 747-443 G-VROM on 29 December 2014. AAIB has recently published an update on responses to their recommendations by Boeing. Two were classed ‘Not Adequate’, one ‘Partially Adequate’
UK AAIB: Boeing Safety Responses ‘Not Adequate’ Read Post »
Pilatus PC-24 Drops into EBACE
Pilatus PC-24 Drops into EBACE As the first prototype, P01, drops into the European Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition (EBACE) in Geneva for a day, AW&ST report that: PC-24 Prototypes Are Keeping Busy: The first aircraft, P01, is appearing at the show before flying to Spain for high-speed testing, while P02 has flown to the U.S. There
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UKMFTS Rotary Wing Aircraft Service Provision Contract Awarded
UK Military Flying Training System Rotary Wing Aircraft Service Provision Contract Awarded In the second major UK Military Flying Training System (UKMFTS) contract award this year, Airbus Helicopters has won the contract to provide training helicopters for the RAF, Royal Navy and Army Air Corps until 2033. Airbus will supply and maintain 29 H135s (to be given the UK military name Juno) and three
UKMFTS Rotary Wing Aircraft Service Provision Contract Awarded Read Post »
Offshore Helicopter Safety Performance: 2016 HeliOffshore Conference Report
We report from the second HeliOffshore Conference and AGM on commitment and collaboration to improve offshore helicopter safety.
Offshore Helicopter Safety Performance: 2016 HeliOffshore Conference Report Read Post »
ValuJet Flight 592: 11 May 1996
This accident had major lessons on the management of maintenance/maintenance errors, dangerous goods handling and regulatory behaviour.
ValuJet Flight 592: 11 May 1996 Read Post »
Bell 412 Cross Tube Failure Case Study
Bell 412 Cross Tube Failure Case Study Earlier this year the German accident investigation agency, the BFU, published their report into Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) Bell 412HP that suffered a rear cross tube failure during start up at a hospital in Berlin on 6 September 2010. The helicopter was fitted with ‘high’ skids manufactured by Aeronautical Accessories Inc
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EC225 Main Rotor Head and Main Gear Box Design
EC225/H225 Main Rotor Head and Main Gear Box Design (CHC LN-OJF Fatal Accident 2016) Following the recent tragic accident at Turøy near Bergen, Norway involving CHC Airbus EC225/H225 LN-OJF there is a lot of interest in the Main Rotor (MR) and Main Gear Box (MGB) design of the EC225. Here we provide some background information on the
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Night Offshore Windfarm HEMS Winch Training CFIT (BK117C1 D-HDRJ)
During night winch training a German HEMS BK117 suffered a fatal CFIT in the Baltic, highlighting readiness, equipment, procedural and training issues.
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5000-1 Safety Lesson: Communication
5000-1 Safety Lesson: Communication After their spectacular season, starting as 5000-1 underdogs but ultimately winning the English Football Premiership, a number of commentators have been discussing the success of Leicester City FC and their manager, Claudio Ranieri. In one article, the Guardian observes (emphasis added): They use technology that is more commonplace at the highest level…, regularly
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Chernobyl: 30 Years On – Lessons in Safety Culture
Chernobyl: 30 Years On – Lessons in Safety Culture Late at night on 26 April 1986 in the then USSR, a team of nuclear workers prepared to conduct a test on Reactor 4 of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant as part of an otherwise routine shutdown. The exercise was to test a modified safety system
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UK To Buy “Certifiable Predator B” Protector
UK To Buy “Certifiable Predator B” Protector The UK MOD has announced in a low key contracts notice that they intend to meet the PROTECTOR Unmanned Aerial System requirement to replace the RAF Reaper MQ-9A fleet, through a £415 million Government-Government Foreign Military Sales (FMS) contract with the US Department of Defence (US DoD). UPDATE 27 April 2016: This
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Dim, Negative Transfer Double Flameout
Inadvertently leaving lights dimmed, a compromised NVG mod, no aural low fuel warning and negligible recent experience on type all feature in this NZ HEMS incident.
Dim, Negative Transfer Double Flameout Read Post »
NASA ASRS at 40 and the Continued Challenge of Timeliness for Safety Reporting
NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System at 40 and the Continued Challenge of Timeliness for Safety Reporting On 16 April 16 2016 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) celebrated 40 years of operation. Its origins highlights one major challenge of safety reporting, learning and action: timeliness. The Purpose and Administration of
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C-130J Control Restriction Accident, Jalalabad
C-130J Control Restriction Accident, Jalalabad The US Air Force (USAF) Air Mobility Command (AMC) has released its accident report into the fatal loss of control (LOC-I) accident involving of Lockheed Martin C-130J 08-3174 during a night-time take-off from Jalalabad Airfield, Afghanistan on 2 October 2015. The accident was caused by the failure to remove a loose article that had been deliberately placed
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