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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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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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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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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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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North Sea Offshore Standardised Clothing Policy
North Sea Offshore Standardised Clothing Policy As anticipated previously by Aerossurance, a new standardised clothing policy is being introduced for helicopter travel to offshore installations in UK waters. It defines what should and should not be worn under survival suits. The policy is effective from Wednesday, 1st October 2014, in-line with the changeover to the winter season. UPDATE
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Fatal Helicopter / Crane Collision – London Jan 2013
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)
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GM Ignition Switch Debacle – Safety Lessons
GM Ignition Switch Debacle – Safety Lessons General Motors has faced intense criticism, large fines, on-going court cases and big rectification costs after mishandling a dangerous design fault in millions of vehicles. So are there safety lessons for other organisations? Aerossurance thinks so. Some have commented that this is a case of corporate complacency while others, similar to Edward
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Offshore Helicopter Safety Action Group & OGUK Helicopter Briefing
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
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Business Jet Collides With ‘Uncharted’ Obstacle During Go-Around
Business Jet Collides With ‘Uncharted’ Obstacle During Go-Around Five people died when a business jet collided with what the NTSB originally stated was an un-charted 72 ft concrete powerline pole, built 0.25 miles from the departure end of the runway, during a nighttime go-around. The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have issued a factual update
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Keep Your Eyes on the Hook! Underslung External Load Safety
A video commissioned by Transport Canada highlights key lessons for working safely around helicopters and longline loads.
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Wrong Deck Landings
Wrong Deck Landings Occasionally, offshore helicopters do land on the wrong offshore installation. On 26 August 2014 the media picked up an such an event that occurred a few days earlier involving a Sikorsky S-92A. So is it a big deal? Well, yes and no! There are good reasons to avoid landing on a deck that is
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Embraer ERJ 170 FMS Error & Fatigue
An error programming the FMS on a flight to a zinc mine in the Northern Territory has been highlighted by the ATSB.
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Extreme Latitudes – Extra CFIT Risk
Two accident reports highlight a potential higher risk of CFIT at extreme latitudes. That risk is not to do with the geography but with database limitations of some TAWS.
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R44 Oil & Gas Accident – Alcohol, Flight Following, ELTs
A Canadian R44 breaks up in flight after erratic flying by an inebriated pilot. An unusual accident with important lessons on pilot supervision, flight following and emergency location.
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Technology Friend or Foe – Automation in Offshore Helicopter Operations
Technology Friend or Foe – Automation in Offshore Helicopter Operations In London 3-4 July 2014 the Royal Aeronautical Society held a landmark conference on the introduction of automation to offshore helicopters titled: Technology: Friend or Foe? This RAeS conference was triggered by: a CFIT accident on approach to Sumburgh airport in August 2013 (AS332L2 G-WNSB), the issue, a few
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House of Commons Transport Committee Offshore Helicopter Safety Report
The published at 00.01 am on Tuesday 8 July 2014. In its conclusions the committee say: Helicopter transfer across the North Sea has inherent risks but remains the most practical mode of transport for the offshore oil and gas industry. Five accidents since 2009 have led to a loss of confidence from the offshore work
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Offshore Passenger Fatality 2 July 2014: CHC Medevac Norway
A patient ” jumped out of an emergency exit/window at a height of 2,000 feet”.
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EC120 Underslung Load Accident 26 September 2013 – Report
While supporting reindeer herding this EC120 started to do an USL/HESLO task, but the load dragged along the ground…
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‘Freedom to speak up?’ in the NHS: independent review
Sir Robert Francis QC is to chair an independent review into creating an open and honest reporting culture in the National Health Service (NHS). It has been announced that the review will: …provide independent advice and recommendations to ensure that: NHS workers can raise concerns in the public interest with confidence that they will not
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Misjudgement during abrupt helicopter maneuvering
Misjudgement during abrupt helicopter manoeuvring (AS350B3 LN-OVO) The Accident Investigation Board Norway (the Statens Havarikommisjon for Transport) has issued its report into an accident that occurred to Airbus Helicopters AS350B3, LN-OVO, operated by Fonnafly AS, on 27 April 2013. Their report is in Norwegian only. The helicopter was being used to transport personnel participating in the Røldal
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737 Descent Below Instrument Approach Minima – HF Lessons
737 Descent below Instrument Approach Minima – HF Lessons Human factors are discussed in the report into an incident in New Zealand. Using the autopilot, the aircraft descended on the glideslope but at decision height (200 feet Above Ground Level) the aircraft was still in cloud and the runway or approach lights were not visible. The
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