Regulation

US HEMS “Delays & Oversight Challenges” – IG Report

Helicopters, Regulation, Safety Management, Special Mission Aircraft

US Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) “Delays & Oversight Challenges” – Inspector General Report We recently published an article on two March 2015 night-time US HEMS accidents.  This month the US Department of Transportation’s Inspector General has released a report entitled: Delays in Meeting Statutory Requirements and Oversight Challenges Reduce FAA’s Opportunities To Enhance HEMS Safety The Office […]

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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

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More US Night HEMS Accidents

Accidents & Incidents, Helicopters, Regulation, Safety Culture, Safety Management, Special Mission Aircraft

More US Night Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) Accidents At the beginning of March 2015 we published an article on the aftermath of a 2003 fatal night-time US HEMS accident: Life Flight 6 – US HEMS Post Accident Review.  During March 2015 there were two more fatal night-time medical helicopter accidents in the US. Air Methods EC130B4 6

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A320 Unstabilised Approaches: Descent Below MSA and a Runway Excursion at Lyon

Accidents & Incidents, Air Traffic Management / Airspace, Fixed Wing, Human Factors / Performance, Regulation, Safety Culture, Safety Management

A320 Unstabilised Approaches: A Descent Below Minimum Safe Altitude (MSA) and a Runway Excursion at Lyon An airline introducing a new type suffers a serious incident while training a new captain, highlighting the importance of Management of Change, Risk Assessment and good Training.  UPDATE: Then within a year they have a runway excursion after an unstabilised approach at

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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

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UK CAA CAP1145: Update on North Sea Helicopter Safety (CAP1243)

Accidents & Incidents, Design & Certification, Helicopters, Human Factors / Performance, HUMS / VHM / UMS / IVHM, Offshore, Oil & Gas / IOGP / Energy, Regulation, Safety Culture, Safety Management, Survivability / Ditching

UK CAA CAP1145: Update on North Sea Helicopter Safety (CAP1243) Not long after the fatal loss of Eurocopter AS332L2 G-WNSB 1.5 nm west of Sumburgh Airport, Shetland Islands on 23 August 2013 with 4 fatalities (AAIB Special Bulletin), the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) launched an rapid review on offshore helicopter safety. CAP1145 This CAA Review resulted in the CAP1145 report

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The ‘Automation Problem’ – A Discussion

Accidents & Incidents, Design & Certification, Fixed Wing, Helicopters, Human Factors / Performance, Regulation, Safety Management

The ‘Automation Problem’ – A Discussion Automation, or perhaps more correctly the use of automated systems, has become a hot topic in the aviation industry, particularly since the issue of the accident report into the loss of AF447 (issued in July 2012).  We review one analysis of the underlying cause and discuss a warning about an emerging

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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

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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

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Operational Suitability Data

Design & Certification, Fixed Wing, Helicopters, Regulation, Safety Management

Operational Suitability Data The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has published a useful summary on the concept of OSD: The principle of Operational Suitability Data (OSD) is that the aircraft manufacturers are required to establish certain data that is considered important for safe operation of the aircraft type. This data will be approved by the

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EU Offshore Safety Directive – Oil & Gas UK Briefing

Offshore, Oil & Gas / IOGP / Energy, Regulation, Safety Management

EU Offshore Safety Directive – Oil & Gas UK Briefing The consultation period on the Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) / Health and Safety Executive (HSE) consultation document on draft UK regulations to implement the new EU Offshore Safety Directive has ended.  Trade body Oil & Gas UK say: These changes are some of the

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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

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US Vehicle Regulator in Firing Line

Accidents & Incidents, Design & Certification, Regulation, Safety Culture, Safety Management

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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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

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US BSEE Helideck A-NPR / Bell 430 Tail Strike

Accidents & Incidents, Airfields / Heliports / Helidecks, Helicopters, Human Factors / Performance, Offshore, Oil & Gas / IOGP / Energy, Regulation, Safety Management

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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Building St Helena Airport – An Industrial Scale ‘Grand Design’

Airfields / Heliports / Helidecks, Fixed Wing, Logistics, News, Regulation

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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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)

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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

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House of Lords Inquiry into Civil RPAS

Design & Certification, News, Regulation, Safety Management, Unmanned (Drone / RPAS / UAS / UAV)

RPAS (or Unmanned Air Vehicle / Systems [UAV/UAS]) are a hot topic internationally at the moment.  The House of Lords, the upper house of the British Parliament, is to hold an inquiry into the civil use of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) in the European Union. Written evidence is sought by Friday 19 September 2014.

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Volcanic Ash…Déjà Vu All Over Again??

Fixed Wing, Helicopters, Logistics, Military / Defence, Mining / Resource Sector, Offshore, Oil & Gas / IOGP / Energy, Regulation, Resilience, Safety Management, Special Mission Aircraft

On 18 August 2014 the Icelandic Met Office (IMO) upgraded the aviation colour code for the Baroarbunga volcano to ‘Orange’ which means that, ‘The volcano shows heightened or escalating unrest with increased potential of eruption’. UPDATE: On 23 August 2014, the morning after this article was published, it was raised to ‘Red’ (‘Eruption is forecast to

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Commanders: Flying or Monitoring?

Accidents & Incidents, Helicopters, Offshore, Oil & Gas / IOGP / Energy, Regulation, Safety Management

Commanders: Flying or Monitoring? At a recent Royal Aeronautical Society Conference, one of the speakers, Colin Milne of BALPA, highlighted that in a number of past UK large helicopter accidents involving Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) or Loss of Control (LOC) the Commander was the Pilot Flying rather than the Pilot Monitoring. While there are circumstances where this

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UK MAA to Integrate EMAR-21 into MRPs

Design & Certification, Military / Defence, Regulation

UK MAA to Integrate EMAR-21 into MRPs (Updated: RA 5800 Series Issued August 2016) The UK Military Aviation Authority (MAA) have issued a Regulatory Notice outlining its plans to integrate EMAR-21 (the European Military Airworthiness Requirement Part 21) into the MAA Regulatory Publications (MRP) Design and Modification Engineering (DME) 5000 series. When the MRPs were first issued in 2011, the 5000

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Helicopter Ditching Limitations

Helicopters, Logistics, Offshore, Oil & Gas / IOGP / Energy, Regulation, Safety Management, Survivability / Ditching

Helicopter Ditching Limitations The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is proposing introducing Emergency Floatation System ditching limitations into Rotorcraft Flight Manuals (RFMs) and that these are then a limitation for operations.   This is in broad alignment with a UK CAA Safety Directive effective 1 September 2014. On 30 May 2014 EASA issued a Proposed Airworthiness Directive (PAD) for public comment. 

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