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Sep
19
2017
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Posted 7 years 100 days ago ago by Admin
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WASHINGTON DC – The U.S. Helicopter Safety Team has completed its comprehensive analysis of the root causes of fatal accidents and has developed 22 measurable safety enhancements aimed at reducing fatalities.
The 22 safety enhancements can be grouped into four categories:
- Safety Management - Seven safety enhancements
- Competency - Six safety enhancements
- IMC and Visibility - Four safety enhancements (announced on Sept. 6)
- Loss of Control - Five safety enhancements (announced on Sept. 11)
Within the topic of Safety Management, the USHST will be working to implement these four safety enhancements (plus three more still in development). They encompass pre-flight actions, proactive initiatives, and beneficial technology.
Action: Develop guidelines and recommended practices for helicopter preflight inspection, final walk around, and post flight inspection and promote the recommended practices to the training community and general pilot community.
- Pre-Flight Risk Assessment for Student Flights
Action: Provide recommended practices to instructors for pre-flight risk assessment of student flights.
Action: Promote the installation and use of data recording devices (e.g. HFDM, camera recording) for purposes of: 1) detection and monitoring of aircraft and engine limitations that were exceeded, 2) collecting and preserving more data relevant to accident investigation, 3) detecting and correcting procedural noncompliance.
- Full Authority Idle Protection Devices
Action: Encourage the development and installation of Full Authority Idle Protection devices to prevent unintended loss of engine power.
The USHST will be announcing the remaining proposed safety enhancements in the coming weeks.
Initial focus for all the safety enhancements will be in these four sectors of the industry: Personal/Private, Air Ambulance, Commercial, and Aerial Application.
From 2016 through 2019, the USHST is focusing major attention on reducing fatal accidents within the U.S. civil helicopter community. The industry-government partnership is targeting a reduction by 2019 to 0.61 fatal accidents per 100,000 flight hours. The fatal accident rate goal for 2017 is 0.69 or lower. Initial figures for the first six months of 2016 show an actual rate of 0.58 fatal accidents per 100,000 flight hours.
More information about the USHST, the International Helicopter Safety Team, its reports, safety tools, Reel Safety audio-visual presentations and YouTube videos can be obtained at its web site at www.IHST.org and on the IHST Facebook page.
Safety is Our 1st Priority