Roselawn Accident: ATR72 N401AM 31 October 1994
On 31 Oct 1994 68 people died when an American Eagle ATR72 crashed due to a LOC-I after icing while holding.
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Boeing 737 Automation Related Descent Below Cleared Altitude – ATSB Report
Boeing 737 Automation Related Descent Below Cleared Altitude – ATSB Report The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has issued a report on an automation related occurrence: On 17 October 2012, a Boeing 737-838 aircraft, registered VH-VXB and operated by Qantas Airways Limited (Qantas), was conducting a flight from Adelaide, South Australia to Canberra, Australian Capital Territory…
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EASA HUMS Research Developments
EASA HUMS / VHM Research Developments The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has been funding some innovative research into Health and Usage Monitoring Systems (HUMS) / Vibration Health Monitoring (VHM). EASA.2012.OP.13 VHM Recently, Cranfield University‘s Matt Greaves presented to the International Society of Air Safety Investigators (ISASI) annual conference on one EASA research project (EASA.2012.OP.13 VHM). His paper
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US Vehicle Regulator in Firing Line
US Vehicle Regulator in Firing Line The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has been criticized by politicians and safety advocates this week for its handling of critical safety defects with the air bags on millions of vehicles. It is reported that: The faulty air bags can explode with too much force and spray shrapnel at
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HeliOffshore Launch
HeliOffshore Launch HeliOffshore, whose foundation we discussed in June, was launched today in London. HeliOffshore have issued the following press release: Oct. 21, 2014 – London – Five major helicopter operators today officially announced a new industry association – HeliOffshore – for The new association was introduced at a launch event at its offices in London.
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OGP Land Transport Safety Recommended Practice
OGP Issue Revised Land Transport Safety Recommended Practice OGP, the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers, has issued a revised recommended practice on land transportation safety. There are improvements throughout, including additional guidance on distracted driving and journey management. New guidance notes are also issued that cover: Vehicle specification and upfitting Bus and coach safety
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Insights from Bristow CEO at Helitech
Insights from Bristow CEO Jonathan Baliff at Helitech On 14t October 2014 at Helitech in Amsterdam, Jonathan Baliff, discussed an objective of reducing the range of types in the company fleet and an approach of increasing risk sharing with more availability focused contracts with the helicopter manufacturers: We will purchase our aircraft in larger numbers, so we
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Maintenance Check Flights: Safety Lessons
We look at the safety lessons from three AAIB reports into serious incidents during maintenance check flights.
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How To Develop Your Organisation’s Safety Culture
Safety culture is increasingly recognised as critical to safety performance. But how do you develop your organisation’s safety culture? Safety Leadership.
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EHEST: New Publications on Technology & SMS
European Helicopter Safety Team (EHEST) Issues New Publications on Technology & SMS EHEST have released two new publications, one on accident reducing technologies and the other on SMS for non-complex operators: The Potential of Technologies to Mitigate Helicopter Accident Factors – An EHEST Study EHEST created a Specialist Team Technology (ST Technology) to assess the potential of
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Regulatory Reflections & Resisting the Seduction of the Risk Management Process
Seven reflections from the UK MAA applicable to other regulators and organisations, and a warning on the seduction of the process of risk management.
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New Helicopter Cargo Loading System
New Helicopter Cargo Loading System Dutch engineering company VRR is working with AgustaWestland to design a helicopter Cabin Cargo Container and Restraint System for the AW139 helicopter, anticipating it will be of interest in the offshore oil and gas industry for transport of spares and equipment. Certainly with a large drillship costing $500k per day to
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How To Destroy Your Organisation’s Safety Culture
How To Destroy Your Organisation’s Safety Culture The term ‘safety culture’ was initially used in the report on the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident. Building a strong, positive safety culture takes deliberate, concerted and continual effort. Destroying a safety culture is a lot easier… Bad Safety Leadership The following is the text of a real e-mail, spotted pinned to the wall of the
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PDG Helicopters Win UK & Eire Lighthouse Support Contract
PDG Helicopters Win UK & Eire Lighthouse Support Contract The three lighthouse authorities in the UK and Eire have joined together to award a contract for helicopter support. The three General Lighthouse Authorities (GLAs) awarded the £13mn contract to Inverness, Scotland based, PDG Helicopters. PDG will use two new Airbus Helicopters EC135s on the contract which runs from 1 December 2015
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Passive Fire-Retarding Helideck Designs
Passive Fire-Retarding Helideck Designs A number of helideck manufacturers offer aluminium helideck designs with a passive fire-retarding capability. Typically this is achieved by draining fuel through holes in the deck surface, into cavities filled with aluminium mesh. This starves the fire of oxygen and dissipates heat, extinguishing the flames and draining away unburnt fuel for
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Fatal $16 Million Maintenance Errors
Fatal $16 Million Maintenance Errors (Sundance Helicopters AS350B2 N37SH) A jury in Las Vegas awarded $16 million to the families of 4 passengers killed in a December 2011 helicopter sightseeing accident, caused by a series of maintenance errors. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) made safety recommendations on maintenance human factors and fatigue after this accident. The
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VVIP AW101
Very Very Important Person (VVIP) AW101 There are a number of nations introducing the AgustaWestland AW101 into VVIP service. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfm3XM82SuQ&feature=player_detailpage In the VVIP role the large AW101 cabin has the flexibility to be fitted out in a wide range of configurations. One easy way to visualise potential cabin layout options is now offered by 3D printing techniques. The
US BSEE Helideck A-NPR / Bell 430 Tail Strike
US BSEE Helideck A-NPR / Bell 430 Tail Strike The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) issued an Advance Notice Of Proposed Rulemaking on Helideck and Aviation Fuel Safety for Fixed Offshore Facilities on 24 September 2014. BSEE explain: Although the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has broad authority regarding helicopter-related safety issues and onshore and offshore
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Medevac Misadventure – Inquest in the Yukon
Medevac Misadventure – Inquest in the Yukon The Coroner for Canada’s Yukon Territory has recommended a review of procedures for medical evacuations (medevacs) following the death on board an air ambulance of a 31 year-old woman from Carmacks in November 2013, CBC has reported. In particular the wrong IV tubing was taken on the aircraft as different
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Building St Helena Airport – An Industrial Scale ‘Grand Design’
Building St Helena Airport – An Industrial Scale ‘Grand Design’ A remarkable construction project is underway to bring the remote South Atlantic island of St Helena closer to the outside world: VIDEO St Helena a 420 km² volcanic island, with a population of 4,300, is a British Overseas Territory 1200 miles off the coast of South West
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Air Accidents Investigation Branch Video
New AAIB Video The UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has recently issued a short video on its role. The AAIB exists to determine the circumstances and causes of civil air accident with a view to the preservation of life and the avoidance of accidents in the future. The AAIB does not apportion blame or liability. The Chief
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Catastrophe in the Congo – The Company That Lost its Board of Directors
Catastrophe in the Congo – The Company That Lost its Board of Directors When you charter aircraft for business purposes, any fatal air accident can leave a terrible scar on your company as well as on the friends and family of the people who die. In 2010 a small Australian mining company suffered a particularly catastrophic air accident,
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Aerossurance Wins MAA HUMS Maintenance Credit Contract
HUMS Maintenance Credit Contract Awarded to Aerossurance by the Military Aviation Authority Aberdeen based aviation consultancy Aerossurance has won a competitively tendered contract for a Health and Usage Monitoring System (HUMS) maintenance credit project from the UK Military Aviation Authority (MAA). Part of the Ministry of Defence (MOD), the MAA is an independent and autonomous organization responsible for the
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DC-10 Air Tanker Retardant Drop
Spectacular images of DC-10 fire fighting.
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Mastering the Message: Transform Your Safety Communication
Effective safety promotion is an essential part of a Safety Management System (SMS) and a critical tool to influence an organisation’s safety culture. However safety promotion is an often neglected and misunderstood skill.
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