Safety action Whether or not the ATSB identifies safety issues in the course of an investigation, relevant organisations may proactively initiate safety action in order to reduce their safety risk. The ATSB has been advised of the following proactive safety action in response to this occurrence. Helicopter operator As a result of this occurrence, the helicopter operator has advised the ATSB that they are taking the following safety action: Review of practice autorotations The company is reviewing the conduct of practice autorotations in conjunction with other organisations. Communication to instructors Company flight instructors have been reminded to be familiar with current company policies and procedures. Team discussions will be held prior to conducting autorotations. Safety message The United States Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) reported that a high number of accidents were associated with the practice autorotation with a power recovery. However, engine failure and subsequent autorotation often lead to accidents or serious incidents. The benefits of practice autorotations must be weighed against the risk of incidents during practice autorotations. This incident highlights the complexity and dynamic nature of autorotation training sequences. Autorotation practice provides pilots with skills to be used in emergency situations, but carries inherent risks. This autorotation sequence involved a high workload for both the student and instructor, given the number of tasks to be completed in a short timeframe. High workload sequences often lead to load shedding and one way to reduce this workload, and the risk of missing something important, may be to commence the autorotation sequence from a higher altitude, allowing more time to complete all the tasks. The American Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) found that more accidents happen each year from practice autorotations than from actual engine failures. The following links provide information regarding accidents related to practice autorotations: General details Occurrence details Date and time: 21 February 2014 100- EST – Occurrence category: Accident Primary occurrence type: Hard landing Location: Sunshine Coast Airport, Queensland Latitude: 26° 36.20' S Longitude: 153° 05.47' E
Safety action Whether or not the ATSB identifies safety issues in the course of an investigation, relevant organisations may proactively initiate safety action in order to reduce their safety risk. The ATSB has been advised of the following proactive safety action in response to this occurrence. Helicopter operator As a result of this occurrence, the helicopter operator has advised the ATSB that they are taking the following safety action: Review of practice autorotations The company is reviewing the conduct of practice autorotations in conjunction with other organisations. Communication to instructors Company flight instructors have been reminded to be familiar with current company policies and procedures. Team discussions will be held prior to conducting autorotations. Safety message The United States Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) reported that a high number of accidents were associated with the practice autorotation with a power recovery. However, engine failure and subsequent autorotation often lead to accidents or serious incidents. The benefits of practice autorotations must be weighed against the risk of incidents during practice autorotations. This incident highlights the complexity and dynamic nature of autorotation training sequences. Autorotation practice provides pilots with skills to be used in emergency situations, but carries inherent risks. This autorotation sequence involved a high workload for both the student and instructor, given the number of tasks to be completed in a short timeframe. High workload sequences often lead to load shedding and one way to reduce this workload, and the risk of missing something important, may be to commence the autorotation sequence from a higher altitude, allowing more time to complete all the tasks. The American Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) found that more accidents happen each year from practice autorotations than from actual engine failures. The following links provide information regarding accidents related to practice autorotations: General details Occurrence details Date and time: 21 February 2014 – 100- EST Occurrence category: Accident Primary occurrence type: Hard landing Location: Sunshine Coast Airport, Queensland Latitude: 26° 36.20' S Longitude: 153° 05.47' E
ao-2014-033_final.docx