The engine on a Robinson R44 quit during a flight to a crocodile egg–collecting site in Australia’s Northern Territory, prompting the pilot to release — “above a height that would likely be survivable” — an external long line carrying an egg collector in a sling beneath the helicopter, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) says.
The egg collector was killed in the Feb. 28, 2022, accident, and the pilot was seriously injured when the helicopter struck the ground during a subsequent emergency autorotative landing, the ATSB said. The helicopter was substantially damaged.
In its final report on the accident, the ATSB said the operator, Helibrook, had not adequately addressed “the risks inherent in conducting human sling operations, such as carriage of the egg collector above a survivable fall height.”
Helibrook’s safety management system (SMS), which had been approved by the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), had not been us…
