A study of U.S. fatal helicopter accidents reveals that more than half fell into one of three categories — loss of control–in flight (LOC-I), unintended flight into instrument meteorological conditions (UIMC) and collision during low altitude operations (LALT) while intentionally operating near the surface.1
The U.S. Helicopter Safety Team (USHST) issued a report on its study in October, along with 22 recommended “safety enhancements” that address four general issues — safety management, competency, LOC, and IMC and visibility — and are intended to reduce the number of fatalities.
The study examined 104 fatal helicopter accidents that occurred between 2009 and 2013; the accidents were analyzed according to the taxonomy developed by the Commercial Aviation Safety Team (CAST) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Using the CAST/ICAO Common Taxonomy Team’s (CICTT’s) guidelines, the USHST researchers assigned each accident to a single …
