A poor safety culture normalised rushed departure with inadequate preparation to do an air ambulance flight two other operators had turned down. The helicopter encountered snow and struck the ground during an Inadvertent IMC escape manoeuvre. Poor FAA oversight was contributory say NTSB.
Survival Flight Fatal Accident: Air Ambulance Operator’s Poor Safety Culture 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 »
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 »
Highlights the risk of awarding to the lowest bidder and relying only on an AOC being in place. Investigators call for regulators to focus on the practical application and performance of SMS (not shelfware documents).
Runway Excursion Exposes Safety Management Issues 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 »
The operator had “wide-ranging deficiencies” said a Transport Canada audit but was allowed to continue to operate before a scheduled suspension came into force.
NTSB examine an injury caused after the loss of control of a UAS during a university demonstration.
Drone Operation Injury Read Post »
So you thought the UH-1H was a Bell product? Not to the FAA. Small third party ‘TC Holders’ are responsible for assessing the airworthiness impact of usage changes for ageing ex-military helicopters.
Usage Related Ex-Military Helicopter Accident Read Post »
This wirestrike occurred on a crossing powerline and followed two near misses in the previous 6 months. Lessons on client aviation management, powerline marking, mapping data and software and reporting.
Helicopter Wirestrike During Powerline Inspection Read Post »
The operator’s training system did not adequately prepare the pilot. The regulator claims they were mislead by an operator about who was really in charge of training. TAIC say this was evident in advance.
Regulator Missed the Chance to Intervene Before Fatal Tour Accident say TAIC Read Post »
Fan flutter triggered a fan blade failure that was misdiagnosed. 47 died in the crash near the Leicestershire village of Kegworth.
British Midland Boeing 737-400 G-OBME Fatal Accident, Kegworth 8 January 1989 Read Post »
The German safety investigation body, the BFU, has issued their final report into a serious incident that occurred to a Sikorsky S-76B returning from an offshore electricity sub-station.
BFU Investigate S-76B Descending to 20ft at 40 kts En Route in Poor Visibility Read Post »
The TSB report posses many questions on the management and oversight of aircraft maintenance, competency and maintenance standards & practices. We look at opportunities for forward thinking MROs to improve their maintenance standards and practices.
B1900D Emergency Landing: Maintenance Standards & Practices Read Post »
We look at the ANSV report on a HEMS helicopter Inadvertent IMC event that ended with an AW139 colliding with a mountain in poor visibility.
Italian HEMS AW139 Inadvertent IMC Accident Read Post »
We report from the fourth HeliOffshore Conference and AGM on ‘Delivering Our Priorities’ for improved offshore helicopter safety.
“Delivering Our Priorities”: HeliOffshore 2018 Conference Report Read Post »
Do accident reports make the error of treating human error as a cause not a symptom?
NTSB Probable Causes and Bad Apples Read Post »
A Shorts 360 cargo aircraft contracted to FedEx crashed in the Caribbean after the crew likely suffered a Somatogravic Illusion raising the flaps on a dark night in 2014. The lack of an FAA SMS regulation for Part 135, the operator’s poor safety culture and implications for the wider industry culture stand out in a thoughtful accident report.
During a low-level night training flight a Swedish Armed Forces Agusta 109LUH collided with a large bird. We look at the safety lessons.
Swedish Military NOE Helicopter Bird Strike Read Post »
In a report released on 22 Feb 2018 the NTSB reveal shocking maintenance standards prior to an air tour accident in which a 16 year old boy died and his parents were seriously injured.
NTSB Reveal Lax Maintenance Standards in Honolulu Tour Helicopter Accident Read Post »
We look back on Enron and how their Code of Ethics was shelfware in a company described as having a ‘culture of arrogance’.
Enron and the Hubris of the “World’s Leading Energy Company” Read Post »
We look at lessons in a NTSB rail accident report on how a cult of compliance and routine over-emphasis on judging front line workers can lead to disaster, lessons relevant to all industries.
A Railroad’s Cult of Compliance Read Post »
The absence of a policy of landing with a specific minimum fuel quantity was a key factor in a survey helicopter’s loss of power and collision with trees near Whitecourt, AB in 2016.
Running on Fumes: Fatal Canadian Helicopter Accident Read Post »
We counter a couple of common misconceptions about the Comet accidents of 1953 and 1954, looking at flawed assumptions and unintended consequences in design.
Common Comet Misconceptions and Collaborative Contribution to Safety Read Post »
We examine the safety performance for the main European aviation sectors, described in the EASA ASR for 2017. The latest edition further extends the provision of safety risk portfolios through the addition of aerodromes/ground handling and ATM/ANS portfolios, bringing the total number of analysed aviation domains to 13.
EASA Annual Safety Review 2017 Published Read Post »
We look at health monitoring, both oil debris and HUMS/VHM, in light of the EC225 LN-OJF accident investigation.
Super Puma Epicyclic Gear Health Monitoring Background Read Post »
