Safety Spotlight

Mid-Course Correction The International Helicopter Safety Team re-targets small operators with a data-driven safety culture By Frank Colucci

hile US accident rates are show the decline in North America and down about 20 percent since elsewhere are too slow to meet the W 2006, the International ambitious 10-year objective. At the fifth Helicopter Safety Team (IHST) continues International Helicopter Safety to implement data-driven tools to save Symposium (IHSS) in Fort Worth, Texas, lives and property and to reach its 80 IHST co-chair and FAA Rotorcraft percent accident reduction goal by Directorate aircraft certification service 2016. The Joint Helicopter Safety manager Kimberly K. Smith Implementation Team (JHSIT) has so far acknowledged, “While we’re making issued four English-language “toolkits” some progress, we’re just not making it covering risk assessment, flight data quick enough.” Private and commercial monitoring, training, and maintenance, operators with one-to-five aircraft and it will translate the publications into remain the most prone to accidents, and Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese and the IHST, comprised of government and other languages for regional IHST industry volunteers, seeks a mid-course members. The group has also created a correction. Ms. Smith said, “We have to website (www.IHST.org), produced find out how to get to the individual FAA administrator J. Randolph Babbitt safety videos, and formulated a social pilot and the small operators.” acknowledged the challenges of dynamic media communications plan to spread Coming from a long career in big- helicopter operations. the IHST’s important safety messages. airline cockpits, plain-spoken FAA after an accident to collecting input Yet while US accident rates are down administrator J. Randolph Babbitt before an accident,” he said. Mr. Babbitt about 20% since 2006, statistical trends acknowledged the challenges of also noted aviation safety above all dynamic helicopter operations. “For a requires an attitude of true commercial airline pilot, Kennedy professionalism. “We always find the Airport is in the same place every safest pilot is the one who took a week,” he noted. In contrast to checkride yesterday,” he said. “How scheduled FAR Part 121 operations in often do you give yourself a checkride?” their refined infrastructure, he noted The work of the Joint Helicopter helicopter pilots commonly fly one-off Safety Analysis Team (JHSAT) in North missions into unprepared landing America and regional teams in Europe, zones. “We want to make sure Brazil, and Japan found common helicopters provide the vast array of threads running through their mishap services they provide safely,” said Mr. data. “There are no new ways of Babbitt. The FAA administrator cited the crashing helicopters. We are all doing it fixed-wing safety contributions made by in the traditional fashion,” observed flight simulators, improved John Steel, European Helicopter Safety infrastructure, and Safety Management Implementation Team (EHSIT) co-chair IHST co-chair and FAA Rotorcraft Directorate Systems (SMSs). “The whole idea of an and general aviation standards manager aircraft certification service manager Kimberly SMS is to move from collecting data of the Irish Aviation Authority. Across K. Smith.

38 Safety Spotlight VERTIFLITE Winter 2011 IHST regions, human factors remain the Sigma quality disciplines typically used root cause of 70 to 80% of all helicopter in manufacturing are applied to accidents, and human factors are not maintenance operations. BOSS – the limited to pilot errors. FAA advisor Dr. Behavior Observation Safety System – William Johnson noted an gives anyone who sees an unsafe administration survey of 50,000 aviation practice the authority to intervene mechanics showed maintainers average immediately. Flight Data Monitoring just 5.5 hours sleep per night. One of makes for more consistent operations. the first videos produced by the JHSIT CHC tools, systems, and processes are all addresses the dangers of sleep meant to make leaders accountable and deprivation. give every team member a voice in Dr. Patrick Hudson of the Delft safety. They are also backed by a University of Technology in the corporate willingness to replace those Netherlands addressed the human who fail to embrace a safety culture. factors of helicopter safety and noted “When you have a great safety record, “Flying helicopters is inherently people want to work for you,” Mr. dangerous, more dangerous than fixed- National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Amelio explained, “You attract talent.” wing. And you better not forget it.” The vice chairman Robert Sumwalt. PHI president Lance Bospflug told speaker said most private pilots are the IHSS about Destination Zero, his his aircraft on an 11,000 ft mountain amateurs with what he called a company’s collective safety effort aimed and dismounted to search on foot. The “pathological” response to regulation. at zero flight accidents, personal injuries, pilot and the observer ultimately carried The exciting, can-do culture of and preventable occurrences. “It’s an the female hiker ½ mile back to the helicopter pilots also views changes attitude, an attitude you bring with you aircraft and took off in darkness and with “What’s in it for me?” Dr. Hudson every single day,” said Mr. Bospflug. “It Instrument Meteorological Conditions told the IHSS audience, “If you can’t has helped us create a common (IMC) only to crash in the mountains answer that question, you’re not going language for safety goals and outside Santa Fe. Without adequate anywhere.” aspirations.” He added, “You have to rest, inadvertent IMC training, or pre- Helicopter operators in a depressed over-communicate and talk about these mission risk assessment, a selfless pilot, global economy also inevitably question issues time and time and time again.” husband, and father died with the hiker Return on Investment (ROI) from safety Bristow Group president Bill Chiles he sought to rescue. “We don’t want initiatives. FAA administrator Babbitt described Target Zero, his company’s heroes flying aircraft,” said Mr. Sumwalt. said simply, “Safety is good for business. integrated safety culture. The Bristow “When you push mission completion The reciprocal is not.” Helicopter Group has some 3,500 people and flies before safety, bad things happen.” Association International (HAI) president 260,000 hours a year in oil and gas Matt Zuccaro recounted a conversation operations alone. In pursuit of Target with an aviation insurance broker who Safety Culture Zero, the company sold-off 53 single- answered IHST initiatives simply, “You hroughout the IHSS presentations, engine helicopters, fielded the Appareo know what’s going to get my attention? speakers focused on the cultural ALERTS flight data management system, When you don’t have accidents.” T changes needed to improve and implemented a Just Culture that Several symposium speakers helicopter safety and the learns from accidents and incidents reminded the audience of the human communications essential to spread rather than simply punishing those cost and the human contribution safety messages. BP safety and involved. “You can have the greatest associated with every helicopter operational risk lead investigator technology in the world,” said Mr. accident. “It’s not just about the Hooper Harris told the IHST audience, Chiles. “If you don’t have the culture, individuals,” observed National “What we have to do is affect a change you’ll find ways to put crews into the Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) vice of heart in this community. . . . ground.” chairman Robert Sumwalt. “Humans are Accepting helicopter accidents as With 3,700 fixed- and rotary-wing part of an organizational/regulatory normal is inertia-at-rest. It’s not the aircraft accumulating around 1 million system.” The NTSB has investigated four nature of the business.” flight hours a year, the US Navy works helicopter accidents in the last two Significantly, the biggest oil industry continuously to mitigate non-combat years, including the loss of a New fleet operators log 10 – 11% of all civil accidents that parallel those of big Mexico State Police A109E in June 2009 helicopter flight hours but suffer less commercial fleet operators. SH-60 pilot when a dedicated state trooper-turned- than 1% of the accidents. CHC Capt. John Nettleton, now force safety chief pilot was called back to duty, after president and chief executive officer Bill officer for the Commander, Naval Air a full day of flying, to search for a lost Amelio told the IHSS audience how his Forces, noted human factors is the main hiker. The pilot initially declined the call company integrated Safety cause in 80% of naval aviation mishaps. but soon changed his mind and took off Management Systems with a He observed, “If you want to get rich, with an untrained trooper-observer in comprehensive safety culture. Lean Six give me something that can measure daylight and clear weather. He landed fatigue in 30 seconds, like a breathalyzer

Vol. 57, No. 4 Safety Spotlight 39 range of safety technologies from the familiar Bristol/Magellan Wire Strike Protection System and Tanis aircraft pre- heaters to advanced flight following and data management systems. SkyNet Satellite Communications showed an Aeronautic Information System (AIS) able to convey flight following, scheduling, weather, and realtime maintenance information up to the floor of the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) system. Outerlink Corp. presented a new Iridium-based satellite datalink for worldwide automatic flight following. Appareo Systems added a cockpit image recorder to its ALERTS flight data management system. Sandel Although the trendline shows a significant reduction in accidents in the U.S., IHST needs to reach the showcased a Helicopter Terrain smallest operators to have the biggest impact. Awareness and Warning System (HeliTAWS) designed to eliminate for fatigue, and I’ll solve a lot of there’s no one to looking over your distracting false alarms. problems.” The Navy now promotes a shoulder.” He independently analyzed New avionics and the NextGen air safety culture among pilots similar to UK accident data and he was driven by traffic control system reportedly that implemented by large commercial simple self-preservation — “The only promise helicopter pilots a safer operators, although Capt. Nettleton person stopping me from killing me is working environment, but according to admitted, “We don’t have a union. We me.” Tom Judge of the JHSIT, a safer just tell them what to do.” Like HAI safety director Stan Rose rotorcraft infrastructure will require the commercial Flight Data Management, outlined the IS-BAO – International kind of commitment and funding given Military Flight Operations Quality Standard for Business Aircraft scheduled airline operations. For Assurance (MFOQA) collects hard Operations – which will be available to example, there is currently no mission data from aircraft sensors. helicopter operators in 2012. The recognized inspection and audit “MFOQA is a very good way to keep scalable, performance-based mentoring process for heliports. Also, common people honest.” The Aviation Safety process is an industry accreditation heliport lighting is incompatible with Awareness Program (ASAP) meanwhile rather than a regulatory certification. Night Vision Goggles. enables aviators to record their Third-party IS-BAO audits made Several IHSS speakers addressed perceptions after every flight and business jet operators safer and use of infrastructure improvements for rotary- directs risk mitigation. ASAP comments, this tool can potentially give the wing airspace. Ralph Petragnani of for example, led to runway and taxi helicopter industry a higher bar to Belfort Instrument talked about markings being repainted at Corpus promote and document a safety culture. expanding the NADIN II (National Air Christi Naval Air Station for greater According to Mr. Rose, “They tell you Space Data Interchange Network) to visibility and safety. what needs to be done, not how to do provide expanded cockpit access to The safety cultures of big helicopter it.” A member of the audience noted a weather reports. Around 750 fleets are also taking root with smaller large-fleet operator is already audited Automated Surface Observing Systems operators. Halo Flight in Corpus Christi, about 30 times a year, and HAI hopes (ASOS), 200 Automated Weather Texas has just three Bell 407s but over the IS-BAO process can be integrated Observing Systems (AWOS), and 100 time implemented a Safety with existing inspections. Automatic Weather Sensor System Management System that has (AWSS) stations are already on NADIN. employees identify hazards, mistakes, Technology, Infrastructure, However, only 600 of 1,163 non-FAA and risk mitigations. Executive director and Training AWOS sites share the network. Revising Tom Klassen explained, “You really have regulations and accepting the non- to involve the staff in the management he IHSS exhibitors were able to AWOS III stations could fill gaps in of change.” conduct a rapid-fire “shoot out” coverage. Gary Spender, chief pilot for charter T (exhibitors were given two David Manchester of Harris Corp. operator London Helicopter Services in minutes to describe their products and talked about expanding controlled the UK noted the high accident rate services before the entire IHSS airspace for safer low-altitude IFR among self-fly-for-hire pilots and audience) and afterwards attendees helicopter operations. ADS-B and observed, “Working on your own is the were invited to visit their booths in the NextGen technology can support both easiest way to kill yourself, because exhibit hall. The exhibitors presented a flight surveillance and voice

40 Safety Spotlight VERTIFLITE Winter 2011 The Regional Partners Panel discussed “How to Best Implement Intervention Recommendations in Regions Throughout the World” with panel facilitator Dr. Harold Demuren, Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority. communications all the way to the for helicopter training and integrated its 141 helicopter flight schools and around ground. The same ground stations MATRIX classroom and task trainers with 500 Part 61 unregulated training could also load “electronic flight bags” the same software and graphics used in operations currently in the US. The hosted on an iPad computer or feed the company’s highest-fidelity FAA Level training landscape is complicated by heliport data directly into aircraft Flight D flight simulators. Most of the 100-plus differences between the US FAA and the Management Systems. Jason Patrick of helicopter simulators made by CAE so European Aviation Safety Agency. He Satellite Technology International far have been for military customers, but said, “We need to find a way to provide described the benefits of a low altitude the American Eurocopter AS350 Level B some sort of training standardization GPS-based IFR route system simulator in Phoenix now provides over across the globe.” independent of radar tracking. water, urban law enforcement, and other Medium and large fleet operators are However, despite local successes, the US advanced civil training environments. still the greatest users of flight has no common rules for such systems. CAE also partnered with HAL on the simulators. However, HAI president Matt Mr. Manchester concluded, “What we HATSOFF training center in Bangalore, Zuccaro notes that small fleet operators need to go forward is a centralized set India to provide Level D training in make up about 85% of the helicopter of regulations guiding development of a interchangeable Bell 412, Eurocopter industry. The association chief should low-altitude infrastructure.” Dauphin, and HAL Dhruv cockpits. In a know. Mr. Zuccarro, HAI president and Nigel Talbot of AgustaWestland said different scenario, Frasca International IHST co-chair since the formation of this future helicopters need better control often trains younger pilots who work for safety effort, reported in 2011 that his and stability and improved cockpit private and smaller operators. organization has 561 operator members displays to exploit an improved Helicopter business development flying 4,961 helicopters. Half of his infrastructure with low-altitude IFR, manager Mike Phillips told the IHSS operator members fly just two point-in-space approach, and traffic self- audience, “If you want the training to fly helicopters and more than 72 percent separation capabilities. In addition, he an R22 or R44, or even a Bell 206, maybe fly a maximum of five rotary wing concluded, “There is no point in having a Level D simulator is not the way to go.” aircraft. Only two of his member a high-integrity delivery to a point-in- Trey Wade of the Bell Helicopter operators have more than 36 space where you can see nothing when Training Academy commented, “Doing a helicopters in their fleet. Having Mr. you get there.” checkout in a Level D full-flight Zuccaro in the key position of IHST co- simulator is still not the same as doing it chair was always seen as an important raining remains pivotal to in a real aircraft.” He observed that 90% bridge to the small operator who makes improved helicopter safety, and of the Bell training business was up the majority of the civil helicopter IHSS presentations addressed the T focused on small fleet operators with operator community. In its next five growing importance of flight simulators one-to-five aircraft. The helicopter years, the IHST intends to both scale its in training commercial pilots. Terry manufacturer now also offers more processes and target its messages to Palmer of Flight Safety International and balanced services with training split reach the greatest number of helicopter the JHSIT noted the number of evenly between pilots and maintainers. operators. “We can’t identify this as a helicopter simulators has tripled since Nick Mayhew of the Bristow Academy finite program,” said Mr. Zuccaro. “It’s a the start of the IHST. FSI developed its noted there are more than 30 FAA Part work in progress.” VITAL X PC-IG visual system specifically

Vol. 57, No. 4 Safety Spotlight 41