There is a surge in business opportunities for outsourced government SAR contracts in Norway, Netherlands, Ireland and the UK for entry into service 2022-2024.
We translate the accident report (issued 23 April 2020) on a 2017 AS332L accident from Japanese. After a series of maintenance errors a deteriorating tail rotor blade flapping hinge finally failed in flight.
Ungreased Japanese AS332L Tail Rotor Fatally Failed Read Post »
BEA-E examine the lessons from a wire strike, spectacularly captured on video, while rescuing a jet-skier close to shore that severed the hoist cable causing two people to fall into the sea.
Sécurité Civile EC145 SAR Wirestrike Read Post »
A flight with friends for lunch turned deadly when mass and balance calculations were skipped claims NTSB. The survivor said: “Everything was white for a split second…I remember the intense pain, the taste of blood, the broken glass and crumpled metal around me…”.
Fatal R44 Loss of Control Accident: “Overweight and Out of Balance” Say NTSB Read Post »
Night SAR single pilot. While descending it entered a degraded visual environment and an inappropriate automation was made. ROD peaked at 1,952 ft/min. Aircraft pulled up at just 31 ft AGL. It was also flown on one more flight after the 159.5% over-torque.
SAR Helicopter Loss of Control at Night: ATSB Report Read Post »
A reminder for care when operating helicopters from soft ground.
Bear Paws Claw Reindeer Herding Bell 206 Read Post »
The helicopter crashed after clipping a radio mast on a ridge line just 5 minutes into a positioning flight back from an inter-hospital transfer at night.
HEMS AW109S Collided With Radio Mast During Night Flight Read Post »
CFIT on approach to land in flat light conditions on a glacier. Unrestrained cargo resulted in serious injuries to the pilot. This and an accident the next day have resulted in more attention on the requirements for stowing cargo.
Alaskan AS350 CFIT With Unrestrained Cargo in Cabin Read Post »
An improper repair failed and the pilot was faced with “a confusing set of cues and no definitive procedures for corrective action” say NTSB. The pilot was “was shocked at how quickly everything transpired”.
R44 Force Lands After Improper Repair Read Post »
We translate the JTSB’s Feb 2020 and Jan 2021 updates on this accident.
Fukushima Police Leonardo AW139 Accident: JTSB Update Read Post »
The pilot was seriously injured and two linesmen were fatally injured when this helicopter stuck a powerline during its construction.
Fatal MD600 Collision With Powerline During Construction Read Post »
An omission in the Maintenance Programme, perceived time pressures to complete the flight due to limited battery power, an insufficient controls check and corrosion during shipping from the Falklands resulted in a dramatic dockside drama.
S-61N Damaged During Take Off When Swashplate Seized Due to Corrosion Read Post »
Photos from HAI Heli-Expo 2020 in Anaheim, CA.
Heli-Expo 2020 Photo Report Read Post »
An accident to a police helicopter in the Caribbean resulted in a worldwide check for corrosion in flying control actuators.
EC135 Main Rotor Actuator Tie-Bar Failure Read Post »
Leaving a rotors running helicopter unoccupied, relying on collective friction and a steady wind, might just be a bigger risk than the flight itself…
Be Careful If You Step Outside!: Unoccupied Rotors Running AS350 Takes Off Read Post »
The post crash fire defeated the investigation into a flying control malfunction on an AAR Bell 214ST operating in Afghanistan.
AAR Bell 214ST Accident in Afghanistan in 2012: NTSB Report Read Post »
Only when looking beyond the completely obvious cause and effect can you see that the accident is more complicated. Obstacle mapping and procedures for approaching ad hoc sites of note.
Norwegian HEMS Landing Wirestrike Read Post »
The maintenance organisation now treats window replacement as a Critical Maintenance Task and has improved its planning process to ensure better supervision. It also shows its important start have prompt, independent investigations.
A109E Window Loss Highlights Maintenance Lessons Read Post »
Within a year a US HEMS operator repeats a Canadian police accident.
EC130B4 Destroyed After Ice Ingestion – Engine Intake Left Uncovered Read Post »
The long line abraded against a power cable and the two linesmen died in a fall from 100ft.
Fatal Powerline Human External Cargo Flight Read Post »
Dimming the NVG compatible cockpit lighting for a flight at dusk meant the fuel transfer pump caution lights were invisible. The failure to turn these pumps on was only evident after flameout. We wrote of this problem 14 months earlier after a NZ HEMS accident.
A winchman and casualty died when they impacted the sea at speed during hoisting at night with a helicopter that lacked autohover.
Fatal Taiwanese Night SAR Mission Read Post »
As night draws in a SAR crew accept a casualty in a stretcher provided by a ship. During the hoist the stretcher starts to spin and the casualty falls to his death.
Fall From Stretcher During Taiwanese SAR Mission Read Post »
A low level flight over a lake ends in disaster for a police helicopter. Innovative technology from IWI was used to reconstruct the final flight path.
Austrian Police EC135P2+ Impacted Glassy Lake Read Post »
