Fri, May 13, 2022
NTSB Alleges FAA Could Have Prevented Tour Helicopter Crash
Earlier this week, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) alleged that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was negligent in preventing the fatal crash of an Air Tour Helicopter in 2019.
On 26 December 2019, an Airbus AS350 B2 helicopter that was being used for Air Tours by Safari Aviation crashed in Kekaha, Hawaii, killing the pilot and all six passengers after possibly entering instrument meteorological conditions (IMC).
The NTSB stated that as early as 2013, they emphasized [to the FAA] the need for more ‘flight information’ that they [NTSB] could use in possibly reconstructing the factors involved in accidents, and in drafting operating recommendations to avoid future recurrences. The NTSB also cited a general lack of up-to-date weather conditions, information about unusual/atypical weather, and lack of specialized in-flight weather training for air tour operators as factors that could have avoided the fatal crash of 2019.
Investigators stated that the air tour pilot was highly experienced who also served as the air tour company’s Chief Pilot and Check Airman, and still managed to get himself into a situation from which he could not recover. The terrain interference coupled with sparseness of weather observation systems, subsequently spotty radio communications and flight-tracking leaves a lot up to the pilot to evaluate as they go. You may recall the Civil Air Patrol crash on 29 March 2022 which had departed Lihue Airport and met its fatal end with two pilots aboard some 13 miles north in Kekhana. According to eyewitnesses, deteriorating weather was a contributing factor.
In the authors opinion, the NTSB appears to be using this incident to again push for the installation of flight data recorders. While the data recorders are good for evaluating after the crash, a more pressing need, it seems is the availability of real-time weather, information sharing, and training/awareness for the atypical/unusual weather common to the area.
More News
Takeoff Roll The process whereby an aircraft is aligned with the runway centerline and the aircraft is moving with the intent to take off. For helicopters, this pertains to the act>[...]
“We’re proud of the hard work that went into receiving this validation, and it will be a welcome relief to our customers in the European Union. We couldn’t be mor>[...]
Also: 1800th E-Jet, Uncle Sam Sues For Landing Gear, Embraer Ag Plane, Textron Parts A friend of the family reported that Lt. Col. (Ret.) Richard Glenn Rutan flew west on Friday, M>[...]
Also: Virgin Galactic, B-29 Doc to Allentown, Erickson Fire-Fighters Bought, FAA Reauthorization After dealing with a big letdown after the unexpected decision by Skyreach to disco>[...]
"Aircraft Spruce is pleased to announce the acquisition of the parts distribution operations of Wag-Aero. Wag-Aero was founded in the 1960’s by Dick and Bobbie Wagner in the >[...]
ANN's Daily Aero-Term (05.10.24): Takeoff Roll
See All