Mid-Course Correction the International Helicopter Safety Team Re-Targets Small Operators with a Data-Driven Safety Culture by Frank Colucci
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
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