FAA announces safety rating for Barbados
Source: FAA, 13-Apr-11
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today announced that Barbados does not comply with international safety standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), based on an assessment of Barbados’ civil aviation authority As a result, the FAA has assigned Barbados an International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) Category 2 rating. With [...]
New doubt cast over Mull of Kintyre Chinook crash cause
Source: BBC, 13-Apr-11
Newly discovered Ministry of Defence documents have cast further doubt on the cause of the Chinook helicopter crash on the Mull of Kintyre in 1994.
Grey Owl Aviation Consultants offers Human Factors workshops
Source: Grey Owl Aviation Consultants, 12-Apr-11
Grey Owl Aviation Consultants Inc. is offering two Human Factors Workshops during May in Titusville, Fla. Human Factors – Phase I. May 18-19, 2011 Objective To equip aviation maintenance technicians, supervisors and managers with the skills necessary to enhance safety, teamwork and efficiency in the workplace, and therefore, reduce aircraft maintenance errors. This workshop is [...]
Lab focuses on new technology to prevent icing on helicopters
Source: Physorg, 11-Apr-11
Research from Ed Smith, professor of aerospace engineering and director of the Penn State Rotorcraft Center of Excellence
US DoD surveys military crews on back/neck pain
Source: US DoD, 07-Apr-11
If you are or were a U.S. military helicopter pilot or crewmember, the Department of Defense wants to know if you suffered back/neck pain or injury (not resulting from an aviation mishap) that may be related to your service in helicopters. Back pain afflicts approximately 20% of the general population, but studies have indicated military [...]
Helibras launches AS350 armour shielding for hostile environments
Source: Helibras, 05-Apr-11
(Electronic translation from original Portuguese press release) The shielding system of Squirrel helicopters produced by Helibras provides protection for crews and aircraft parts considered vital against light weapons with a caliber 7.62 and 5.56 mm level III, enhancing its ability to work in hostile environments. The installation consists of putting removable plates of material resistant [...]
NEMSPA hails success of Cincinnati Helicopter Safety Summit
Source: NEMSPA, 31-Mar-11
On Tuesday March 22nd, multiple helicopter operators and pilots from every facet of the industry in and around the Cincinnati metro area got together to participate in an open discussion on helicopter safety as it pertains to Cincinnati. The meeting was a joint venture put together by the National EMS Pilots Association (NEMSPA) and the [...]
UN condemns attack on peacekeeper helicopter
Source: UNOCI, 31-Mar-11
A helicopter belonging to the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI), was shot at on Monday afternoon while on a reconnaissance flight above Duekoué. Elements of the Forces Républicaines de Côte d’Ivoire (FRCI) fired at the helicopter, but failed to hit it. UNOCI strongly condemns this attack against its peacekeepers, which could be considered [...]
CHC celebrates value of SQID safety database
Source: CHC, 31-Mar-11
CHC has always been proud of its single, world-wide system for incident reporting, but how can that data be used to benefit customers and the company? It is critical to have the right data and we start by measuring things that are important to customers, to safety, and to the growth of the company. These [...]
US military close fatal Puerto Rico UH-72A crash investigation without an answer
Source: Boston Globe, 29-Mar-11
Military authorities have ended an investigation into a crash of a Puerto Rico National Guard helicopter that killed six people, saying they could not determine what caused the December accident. See also HeliHub.com page for this accident – 20-Dec-10 07-02069 Eurocopter UH-72 Vieques, Puerto Rico (6F)
Australian CAA threatens to prosecute man over R22 waterskiing stunt
Source: Dialy Mail, 29-Mar-11
The authority has asked for unedited footage of the waterskiing stunt shown in Network Ten’s Keeping Up With the Joneses. Mr Jones, who owns the 700sq km Coolibah station on the Victoria River, said he was towing his 15-year-old son Beau. [File photo]
6,000th image filed in HeliHub.com gallery
Source: HeliHub.com, 29-Mar-11
HeliHub.com is having increasing success with its “Gallery” feature, recording over 6,000 images and increasing at a rate of approximately 450 per month The Flickr gallery provides users of HeliHub.com the opportunity to upload their own photos, and the early success is demonstrating just how valuable this will become over time. HeliHub.com plans to utilise [...]
FAA to launch GA safety initiative on 2nd April
Source: FAA, 29-Mar-11
One of the FAA’s top priorities is to reduce the number of fatal accidents in general aviation, just as we have worked to reduce fatal accidents in commercial aviation. Similar to commercial aviation, the FAA is focused on reducing general aviation accidents by using a non-regulatory, proactive strategy to get results. Our goal is to [...]
Inspector General issues letter regarding FAA’s oversight of on-demand aircraft operators
Source: Office of Inspector General, 28-Mar-11
On March 21, 2011, we issued a letter to Representative Jerry F. Costello, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure’s Subcommittee on Aviation, to convey the results of our review regarding challenges in the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s) oversight of on-demand aircraft operators. We conducted this review to follow up on our [...]
Transport Canada to respond to Cougar S92 report
Source: CBC, 25-Mar-11
Canada’s Transportation Minister Chuck Strahl said his officials are reviewing last month’s report from the Transportation Safety Board on its investigation into the crash and said his department would respond to the board by May 7.
24-Mar-11 CC-CID Bell 205A-1 San Clemente, Chile
24-Mar-11
Pilot lost control over a forest fire. Helicopter crashed killing pilot Hector Metuaze de la Fuente, Passenger seriously injured. Post crash fire and burnt out
USMC mechanic dies after CH-53 landing gear collapse
Source: HeliHub.com, 22-Mar-11
According to the Naval Safety Center, the sergeant died after he was pinned under a CH-53E helicopter after the landing gear collapsed when the landing gear pin was pulled. HeliHub.com adds a separate page for every reported incident, including details of the particular helicopter and links to online reports of the event. see 17-Mar-11 Sikorsky [...]
Major HEMS Associations Commit to IHST Goals and Process
Source: HAI, 22-Mar-11
Major helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) associations have committed to “create the safest system possible for patients and the public” by adopting the data-driven safety recommendations of the International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST). They called on all HEMS operators to join their efforts. “The leading helicopter operators in our industry have made significant investments in [...]
FAA warns helicopter pilots over use of Garmin 400/500 GPS with TAWS
Source: FAA, 20-Mar-11
SAIB: SW-11-24 This is information only. Recommendations aren’t mandatory. Introduction This Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin is to inform owners and operators of rotorcraft equipped with Garmin 400/500 series GPS Navigation Systems, with the activated function of Terrain Awareness and Warning Systems (TAWS) designed for use in fixed wing airplanes. There is an airworthiness concern regarding [...]
UK scientists demo technology to make brown-out landings safer
Source: Royal Air Force, 20-Mar-11
The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), in conjunction with industry partners, today showcased the development of world leading technology designed to help helicopter pilots land more safely and efficiently in Afghanistan. Scientists from Dstl, part of the Ministry of Defence (MOD), have led the technical development of a pioneering approach to the problem of [...]
