Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs

Part M, Part 145

Human Factors in Engineering – the Next Generation (12 May 2015)

Human Factors / Performance, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, News, Regulation, Safety Management

Human Factors in Engineering – the Next Generation Aerossurance is pleased to be one of the sponsors of a Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) Human Factors Group: Engineering conference on 12 May 2015 at Cranfield University entitled Human Factors in Engineering – the Next Generation: This one day conference aims to bring together industry professionals and a new […]

Human Factors in Engineering – the Next Generation (12 May 2015) Read Post »

De-Iced Drama: 737 in Scandinavia

Accidents & Incidents, Airfields / Heliports / Helidecks, Design & Certification, Fixed Wing, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Safety Management

De-Iced Drama : 737 in Scandinavia During the approach to the Finnish airport of Kittilä on 26 December 2012, Norwegian Air Shuttle‘s Boeing 737-800 LN-DYM came close to stalling as a result of a blocked elevator.  The elevator system worked at only 1/250th of the expected effectiveness according to investigators. The Investigation The Accident Investigation Board

De-Iced Drama: 737 in Scandinavia Read Post »

FOD Damages 737 Flying Controls

Accidents & Incidents, Fixed Wing, Human Factors / Performance, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Safety Management

Foreign Object Debris (FOD) Damages 737 Flying Controls Accident investigators in New Zealand report on damage to the flying controls of a 737 due to a trapped cleaning cloth. The Incident During routine maintenance of a Boeing 737-838, engineers found metal filings next to the stabilizer trim cable drum in the forward electronics and equipment compartment (located

FOD Damages 737 Flying Controls Read Post »

North Sea Helicopter Safety – Step Change in Safety Event

Accidents & Incidents, Design & Certification, Helicopters, Human Factors / Performance, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Offshore, Oil & Gas / IOGP / Energy, Regulation, Safety Culture, Safety Management, Survivability / Ditching

North Sea Helicopter Safety – Step Change in Safety Event The offshore industry safety initiative, Step Change in Safety, held a workforce engagement seminar on Helicopter Safety in Aberdeen in early March. The presentations are all available to download (click on the presenter’s name below): HSSG Update – Mark Abbey This presentation on behalf of

North Sea Helicopter Safety – Step Change in Safety Event Read Post »

Technical Records – Component Overrun

Accidents & Incidents, Human Factors / Performance, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Safety Management

Technical Records – Component Overun In its February 2015 General Aviation Mandatory Occurrence Report (MOR) Listing, the UK Civil Aviation Authority (UK CAA) summarises an MOR from a twin turboprop operator’s Continuing Airworthiness Management Organisation (CAMO).  This MOR is a neat case study on technical record errors and how one CAMO now tries to prevent them. On preparing to send the

Technical Records – Component Overrun Read Post »

UK OHSAG Jan 2015 Minutes

Accidents & Incidents, Airfields / Heliports / Helidecks, Crises / Emergency Response / SAR, Design & Certification, Helicopters, Human Factors / Performance, HUMS / VHM / UMS / IVHM, Logistics, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Offshore, Oil & Gas / IOGP / Energy, Resilience, Safety Management, Survivability / Ditching

UK Offshore Helicopter Safety Action Group (OHSAG) Jan 2015 Minutes The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has just published the minutes of the latest,  27 Jan 2015, meeting of the Offshore Helicopter Safety Action Group (OHSAG). The OHSAG was formed as a result of the ‘Civil Aviation Authority Safety Review of Offshore Public Transport Helicopter Operations in Support of

UK OHSAG Jan 2015 Minutes Read Post »

Inadvertent Fire Bottle Discharge During Maintenance

Accidents & Incidents, Human Factors / Performance, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Safety Management

Inadvertent Fire Bottle Discharge During Maintenance The CHIRP Charitable Trust, who run the UK’s Confidential Human Factors Incident Reporting Programme, has reported on an inadvertent fire bottle discharge incident during maintenance in their Air Transport FEEDBACK Issue 113. The Aircraft was on a heavy maintenance input and several teams were busy working in the flight

Inadvertent Fire Bottle Discharge During Maintenance Read Post »

Cessna 208B Caravan Ditching Video, Molokai, Hawaii, 2013

Accidents & Incidents, Fixed Wing, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Offshore, Safety Management, Survivability / Ditching

Cessna 208B Caravan Ditching Video, Molokai, Hawaii, 2013 We have previously covered the graphic ditching of Sikorsky S-76C 9M-STE (MSN 760398) of MHS Aviation in the South China Sea on 12 December 2013, and a passenger video of the ditching and rescue. Coincidentally, the day before (but in practice a couple of hours later due to the time difference), another ditching occurred, this

Cessna 208B Caravan Ditching Video, Molokai, Hawaii, 2013 Read Post »

When Habits Kill – Canadian MD500 Accident

Accidents & Incidents, Helicopters, Human Factors / Performance, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Mining / Resource Sector, Safety Management

When Habits Kill – Canadian Hughes 500 Helicopter Accident Establishing habits can be effective ways to achieve safe outcomes, by sub-consciously completing routine actions.  Examples include automatically fastening harnesses and seat belts or routinely scanning for other traffic. However, sometimes habits can be dangerous, for example when circumstances or equipment change. Just such a case occurred in Canada to

When Habits Kill – Canadian MD500 Accident Read Post »

EASA & FAA HUMS / VHM Developments

Accidents & Incidents, Design & Certification, Helicopters, HUMS / VHM / UMS / IVHM, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Military / Defence, Offshore, Oil & Gas / IOGP / Energy, Regulation, Safety Management

EASA & FAA HUMS / VHM Developments More information has emerged on European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Health and Usage Monitoring Systems (HUMS) / Vibration Health Monitoring (VHM) initiatives. EASA HUMS / VHM Research There was more detail on HUMS/VHM research that Aerossurance has previously reported on when Cranfield University’s Matt Greaves presented the

EASA & FAA HUMS / VHM Developments Read Post »

NTSB Report on Bizarre 2012 US S-76B Ditching

Accidents & Incidents, Airfields / Heliports / Helidecks, Business Aviation, Helicopters, Human Factors / Performance, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Offshore, Oil & Gas / IOGP / Energy, Safety Culture, Safety Management, Survivability / Ditching

An overweight helicopter, flown with a known defect, ditched during a poorly executed approach to a GOM drilling rig, then water taxying was attempted…

NTSB Report on Bizarre 2012 US S-76B Ditching Read Post »

70 Years of the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation

Airfields / Heliports / Helidecks, Business Aviation, Design & Certification, Fixed Wing, Helicopters, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Regulation, Safety Management

The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has issued the following press release: In 1944, delegates from 54 nations gathered in the Grand Ballroom of the Stevens Hotel in Chicago at the invitation of the United States of America.   At this event, the participants concluded and signed the Convention on International Civil Aviation, also known

70 Years of the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation Read Post »

James Reason’s 12 Principles of Error Management

Air Traffic Management / Airspace, Airfields / Heliports / Helidecks, Business Aviation, Crises / Emergency Response / SAR, Design & Certification, Fixed Wing, Helicopters, Human Factors / Performance, Logistics, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Military / Defence, Mining / Resource Sector, Offshore, Oil & Gas / IOGP / Energy, Resilience, Safety Culture, Safety Management

James Reason’s 12 Principles of Error Management James Reason, Professor Emeritus, University of Manchester, set out 12 systemic human factors centric principles of error management in his book Managing Maintenance Error: A Practical Guide (co-written with Alan Hobbs and published in 2003). These principles are valid beyond aviation maintenance and are well worth re-visiting: Human error is both universal

James Reason’s 12 Principles of Error Management Read Post »

UK OHSAG Oct 2014 Minutes

Accidents & Incidents, Airfields / Heliports / Helidecks, Crises / Emergency Response / SAR, Design & Certification, Helicopters, Human Factors / Performance, HUMS / VHM / UMS / IVHM, Logistics, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Offshore, Oil & Gas / IOGP / Energy, Resilience, Safety Management, Survivability / Ditching

UK Offshore Helicopter Safety Action Group (OHSAG) Oct 2014 Minutes The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has published the minutes of the latest, 28 Oct 2014, meeting of the Offshore Helicopter Safety Action Group (OHSAG). The OHSAG was formed as a result of the ‘Civil Aviation Authority Safety Review of Offshore Public Transport Helicopter Operations in Support of

UK OHSAG Oct 2014 Minutes Read Post »

BAe 146 & Avro RJ85 Fire Bombers

Design & Certification, Fixed Wing, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Special Mission Aircraft

BAe 146 & Avro RJ85 Fire Bombers Fire bombing, as show in this video of training, was unlikely to have been something envisaged in the early 1970s as the then HS146, was on the drawing board. Neptune Aviation Services, whose name neatly indicates their initial operation of ex-US Navy Lockheed P-2 Neptunes, is one of four companies in North America

BAe 146 & Avro RJ85 Fire Bombers Read Post »

UK MAA NPA for RPAS

Design & Certification, Fixed Wing, Helicopters, Human Factors / Performance, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Military / Defence, Regulation, Safety Management, Unmanned (Drone / RPAS / UAS / UAV)

UK Military Aviation Authority Notice of Proposed Amendment on Remotely Piloted Air Systems The UK MAA has issued an NPA as part of the consultation on a change to the MAA Regulatory Publications (MRPs) to cover the better integration of RPAS.  The MAA introduce the NPA as follows: The aim of the review of RPAS regulations

UK MAA NPA for RPAS Read Post »

EASA HUMS Research Developments

Accidents & Incidents, Design & Certification, Helicopters, HUMS / VHM / UMS / IVHM, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Offshore, Oil & Gas / IOGP / Energy, Resilience, Safety Management

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

EASA HUMS Research Developments Read Post »

Fatal $16 Million Maintenance Errors

Accidents & Incidents, Helicopters, Human Factors / Performance, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Regulation, Safety Culture, Safety Management

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

Fatal $16 Million Maintenance Errors Read Post »

UK Military Aviation Authority

Aerossurance Wins MAA HUMS Maintenance Credit Contract

Design & Certification, Helicopters, HUMS / VHM / UMS / IVHM, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Safety Management

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

Aerossurance Wins MAA HUMS Maintenance Credit Contract Read Post »

Site of the G-CRST helicopter accident

Fatal Helicopter / Crane Collision – London Jan 2013

Accidents & Incidents, Air Traffic Management / Airspace, Airfields / Heliports / Helidecks, Business Aviation, Helicopters, Human Factors / Performance, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Regulation, Safety Culture, Safety Management

Fatal Helicopter / Crane Collision – London Jan 2013 While manoeuvring over the River Thames, an AgustaWestland A109E helicopter, G-CRST, operated by charter company Rotormotion, collided at 700ft amsl with a crane in Vauxhall, Central London.  The crane was atop the 50 storey St George Wharf Tower.  The helicopter pilot and a passer-by died.  The UK Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB)

Fatal Helicopter / Crane Collision – London Jan 2013 Read Post »

Offshore Helicopter Safety Action Group & OGUK Helicopter Briefing

Accidents & Incidents, Airfields / Heliports / Helidecks, Crises / Emergency Response / SAR, Design & Certification, Helicopters, Human Factors / Performance, HUMS / VHM / UMS / IVHM, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Offshore, Oil & Gas / IOGP / Energy, Regulation, Safety Culture, Safety Management, Survivability / Ditching

Offshore Helicopter Safety Action Group (OHSAG) The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has published the minutes of the latest, 14 August 2014, meeting of the Offshore Helicopter Safety Action Group (OHSAG).  The OHSAG was formed as a result of the ‘Civil Aviation Authority Safety Review of Offshore Public Transport Helicopter Operations in Support of the Exploitation of Oil

Offshore Helicopter Safety Action Group & OGUK Helicopter Briefing Read Post »

Bristow Invests £3.2mn in Tool Control

Helicopters, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Offshore, Oil & Gas / IOGP / Energy, Safety Management

Bristow Invests £3.2mn in Tool Control Energy Voice reports that Bristow Group has introduced the latest Snap-on Industrial Automated Tool Control (ATC) system to its maintenance operations as part of the company’s commitment to safety by reducing the risk of Foreign Object Debris (FOD) being introduced during maintenance. Jeremy Cresswell reports: The ATC Box is fitted with

Bristow Invests £3.2mn in Tool Control Read Post »

FAA

FAA Impose Fines After Maintenance Errors – Just Culture?

Accidents & Incidents, Helicopters, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, News, Regulation, Safety Management

FAA Impose Fines After Maintenance Errors – Just Culture? The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have proposed fining two helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) operators and one airline a total of $12.4 million for allegedly operating non-compliant aircraft after various maintenance errors.  However does this encourage a just, open reporting culture? The Cases In each case it should be

FAA Impose Fines After Maintenance Errors – Just Culture? Read Post »

Scroll to Top