AircraftOwner Online

Benjamin Franklin, printer, scientist, diplomat, signer of the Declaration of Independence, among his many wise sayings, coined, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

That aphorism perfectly characterizes the work of the International Helicopter Safety Team, or IHST, that Mark Schilling wrote about in the July/August 2010 FAA Safety Briefing Vertically Speaking column. That column introduced IHST’s work to reduce the worldwide helicopter accident rate by 80 percent by 2016. The approach: Rigorously analyze accident data and then develop mitigations based on the analysis.

The U.S. Joint Helicopter Safety Analysis Team (JHSAT) is the IHST element that analyzes U.S. helicopter accidents. JHSAT includes members from FAA and NASA, helicopter and engine manufacturers, operators, and helicopter associations. The team does not determine probable cause; that’s the role of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Yet, JHSAT uses the significant amount of information gathered through NTSB investigations to probe deeper than the probable-cause finding. For example, for a helicopter accident earlier this year, NTSB stated the probable cause as: “The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the helicopter during takeoff.”

That is the probable cause, but, it alone, does not provide the needed information to develop an effective ounce of prevention. That’s the point of the JHSAT’s work—better understanding the factors that lead to accidents in order to develop the most effective interventions.

Over recent months, JHSAT analyzed 523 helicopter accidents from the NTSB accident docket for U.S.-registered type-certificated helicopters. The product: Thoroughly researched findings on the leading problem areas in U.S. helicopter safety and recommended interventions. It should be no surprise that the analysis affirmed what many already know—the biggest safety challenge is addressing “pilot judgment and actions.”

The judgment of a pilot is often the initiating event in the accident sequence and comes into play in all phases of flight. One of the first questions is whether the preflight planning was sufficient? Did the pilot adequately consider the enroute weather? At other times, the pilot’s incorrect judgment or reaction during flight turns a manageable situation into an accident. For example, an improperly executed autorotation following power loss as well as attempts to fly to the destination airport after a hydraulic system failure, rather than landing at the first suitable area, has led to accidents.

Since the pilot is the single-greatest factor affecting accidents, improving pilot judgment and performance offers the greatest area for improvement. The JHSAT’s strongest recommendation was for improved pilot training, specifically for “training on cues critical for safe flight.”

While the pilot has the last opportunity to affect a given flight’s outcome, the pilot’s organization has the first opportunity to affect the safety of all its flights. This involves, of course, the organization’s commitment to safety, both in general and in terms of its specific commitment to operate under a Safety Management System (SMS). That’s what the JHSAT found to be the second greatest problem area: the lack of an organizational SMS.

An effective SMS incorporates both organizational and individual risk management. For example, an organization with an SMS provides clear guidance on whether a flight occurs or not. An organizational SMS can include standard operating procedures on such topics as weather minimums, crew-rest requirements, landing-zone requirements, and oversight of remote operations. To address this problem area, the IHST provided an SMS toolkit that helicopter operators can use to develop their own SMS.

This is a snapshot of a major work in progress. The JHSAT will continue to analyze what it hopes will be fewer helicopter accidents and provide additional recommendations on prevention strategies.

Jim Grigg, Co-Chair of the Joint Helicopter Safety Analysis Team, is an Aviation Safety Engineer at the FAA Rotorcraft Directorate in Ft. Worth, Texas.