13-Oct-2009Source: Steattle PI
The attourney contended that, had the company instead moved to fortify the fuel tank aboard the R44 Astro helicopter or enclose the fuel in a rubber bladder, the victims of the crash would have survived. The alleged flaw, he argued, represents an unnecessary threat to any who board the helicopter, which is among the most... Read more
13-Oct-2009Source: Stuff
A resident annoyed at frost-fighting helicopters allegedly flashed lights and threw a rock at a helicopter flying near Seddon in Marlborough early yesterday.... Read more
7-Oct-2009Source: News Tribune
The relatives of a Lake Tapps-area man who died in a helicopter crash three years ago have filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the aircraft’s manufacturer and some of its suppliers.... Read more
6-Oct-2009Source: Vertical
The Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS) today applauded the White House for nominating Mark R. Rosekind, Ph.D., an expert on fatigue and its effects on productivity and safe flight operations, to the National Transportation Safety Board.... Read more
6-Oct-2009Source: Angel MedFlight
“Blue Cross did not deny coverage but dragged its feet in response to the family’s request despite federal law requiring health insurance companies to respond to emergency transportation requests within 48 hours,†said Michael Ward, staff counsel at Angel Medflight.... Read more
5-Oct-2009Source: Seattle Times
The News Tribune of Tacoma reports the surviving children of Russell Lee Tom claim the helicopter he was piloting – a Robinson Helicopter Co. R44 – was poorly designed “defective and unsafe.” Their suit was filed in Pierce County Superior Court on Wednesday.... Read more
3-Oct-2009Source: Huffington Post
Pamela Altman sued tour company Liberty Helicopters, helicopter owner Meridian Consulting I Corp., manufacturer American Eurocopter and several of their insurers. Her suit charges that Liberty and Meridian have a “horrid history of accidents” and that American Eurocopter failed to equip the helicopter with sufficient safety equipment.... Read more
1-Oct-2009Source: Seattle PI
A federal report says that parts from a helicopter that crashed in California last year killing nine people have mysteriously disappeared.... Read more
1-Oct-2009Source: Flightglobal
After more than 20 years of stagnation, global helicopter safety performance is showing signs of improvement.... Read more
29-Sep-2009Source: RotorNews
A new medical journal study, the largest of its kind to date, finds that 5 percent of urgent-care patients experience a critical event such as a major resuscitation, rapid loss of blood pressure, respiratory arrest and even death during air-medical transport... Read more
28-Sep-2009Source: Boston Globe
Pilots flying over Massachusetts reported seeing laser beams flashed in their direction eight times during 2008, with the rays hitting everything from commercial airliners landing at Logan International Airport to a State Police helicopter to the blimp floating over a Red Sox playoff game, according to a review of FAA data.... Read more
28-Sep-2009Source: Vertical
Opportunities for improving medical helicopter safety, traumatic brain injury (TBI) awareness and support, and a look at regulatory issues affecting helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) are among the topics of this year’s Air Medical Transport Conference (AMTC), the largest gathering of its kind in the nation.... Read more
28-Sep-2009Source: Vertical
The FAA presented Erickson Air-Crane with a “Gold Certificate of Excellence†honoring Erickson’s participation in the FAA sponsored Aviation Maintenance Training program in 2008 as well as a “Special Recognition Award†signifying participation with the program for the past five years.... Read more
25-Sep-2009Source: FAA
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Randy Babbitt today announced a new focus on improving the agency’s response to public safety complaints and whistleblower contributions, as well as renewing efforts to ensure consistent interpretation of agency regulations and policies.... Read more
24-Sep-2009Source: Amherst Daily News
An official with the Newfoundland-based company said a chip indicator on the Sikorsky S-92 sensed there were lose fragments of material in the oil, which can cause problems in the main gearbox... Read more
24-Sep-2009Source: Sikorsky
Sikorsky announced the introduction of a new functionality offered on the S-92® helicopter to provide offshore oil operators with an automated approach that reduces cockpit workload and allows safer operations under challenging weather and operating conditions.... Read more
24-Sep-2009Source: FAA
As part of a strategy to reduce emerging aviation risks using national safety data, the agency’s Office of Aviation Safety today launched a new Accident Investigation and Prevention Service that integrates the work of the Offices of Accident Investigation and Safety Analytical Services.... Read more
22-Sep-2009Source: FAA
A new surveillance system introduced by the FAA in Colorado allows air traffic controllers to track aircraft not covered by radar in remote, mountainous regions.... Read more
22-Sep-2009Source: HeliHub.com
Duxford, UK – 22 September 2009 – HeliHub.com today launches a major update at Helitech 2009, adding a range of safety-related information including detailed Accident data. Every known accident from 1st January 2009 is now listed, together with links to relevant web reports. As with our News data, we have provided “tags” against each key... Read more
18-Sep-2009Source: Eurocontrol
EUROCONTROL Agency has been informed of an incident that happened on 15 September 2009 over the Southern North Sea:... Read more
18-Sep-2009Source: BALPA
The TUC, meeting in Liverpool threw its weight behind a call from the pilots’ union BALPA (British Airline Pilots’ Association) for a North Sea oil and gas Safety Summit.... Read more
18-Sep-2009Source: Philadelphia Inquirer
he pilot of a small plane involved in an Aug. 8 midair collision over the Hudson River read back the wrong radio frequency to an air traffic controller but was not corrected by the controller, a federal safety official said yesterday.... Read more
18-Sep-2009Source: Mail Tribune
A report issued Wednesday on a 2008 helicopter crash that killed seven Southern Oregon firefighters revealed discrepancies in documents that recorded the weight of the helicopter.... Read more
17-Sep-2009Source: NTSB
NTSB Chairman Deborah A. P. Hersman testified on the status of the ongoing investigation into the mid-air collision over the Hudson River. The collision occurred on August 8 between a helicopter and an airplane. All 9 persons on board both aircraft were killed. Chairman Hersman provided an overview of the ongoing investigation based on facts... Read more
9-Sep-2009Source: Oil & Gas UK
The new system enables air traffic controllers to see helicopters on their radar screens at Aberdeen Airport at a far greater range from the shore than has previously been possible using solely shore-based radars.... Read more
4-Sep-2009Source: Telegraph
The disaster over the Mull of Kintyre, in which 25 of the top MI5, Army and RUC Special Branch officers combating terrorism in Northern Ireland were lo;;ed, has been blamed on the “gross negligence” of the pilots. But a document obtained by The Daily Telegraph indicated that those in charge of RAF helicopter safety gave... Read more
4-Sep-2009Source: FAA
The EASA, which is the Technical Agent for the Member States of the European Community, has issued EASA AD No. 2008-0142-E, dated July 30, 2008, to correct an unsafe condition associated with hoist cable assemblies installed on Agusta Model AB412 and AB412 EP helicopters.... Read more
3-Sep-2009Source: FAA
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is planning to modify the airspace over the Hudson River by revising procedures to create safe, dedicated operating corridors for all the aircraft that fly at lower altitudes around Manhattan.... Read more
2-Sep-2009Source: FAA
This Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) alerts owners and operators of Eurocopter France (Eurocopter) model helicopters of the potential of having the incorrect emergency float system installed on a helicopter that has been converted to a Model AS350BA.... Read more
2-Sep-2009Source: Scoop
Over the Top picked up four awards at the recent Aviation Industry Association Conference which also signalled the official launch of the New Zealand Helicopter Association (NZHA).... Read more
2-Sep-2009Source: NTSB
The NTSB issued 19 recommendations regarding Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS). These recommendations address various safety issues including pilot training; safety management systems to minimize risk; collection and analysis of flight, weather, and safety data; flight data monitoring; development of a low altitude airspace infrastructure; and the use of dual pilots, autopilots, and night vision... Read more
28-Aug-2009Source: Flightglobal
An AW139 aircraft had an occurrence resulting in major damage to the aircraft tail boom while ground taxiing. There were no injuries to the crew or passengers.... Read more
28-Aug-2009Source: American Eurocopter
This prestigious award aims to promote aviation safety within the air medical community and American Eurocopter will contribute up to $10,000 to the winner to further their safety efforts.... Read more
28-Aug-2009Source: NTSB
The NTSB today issued five safety recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) resulting from the Safety Board’s ongoing investigation of the midair collision over the Hudson River near Hoboken, New Jersey on August 8, 2009. The collision of a Eurocopter AS350 BA helicopter, and a Piper PA-32R-300 airplane caused nine fatalities, including the pilot... Read more
28-Aug-2009Source: NTSB
The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a public Board meeting on Tuesday, September 1, 2009 at 9:30 a.m., in its Board Room and Conference Center, 429 L’Enfant Plaza, SW, Washington, DC.... Read more
27-Aug-2009Source: FAA
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently published a memo announcing the approved use of Audio Visual Warning Systems (AVWS) in the National Airspace System (NAS) and the administration’s intentions to update Advisory Circular 70/7460-1K, Obstruction Marking and Lighting, the recommended marking standards for obstacles that penetrate the NAS.... Read more
25-Aug-2009Source: CharterX
“At the outset of the investigation, the organizations sign an agreement to abide by NTSB party rules,†says the NTSB in a press release issued this evening. “Among the rules parties agree to is that they will not reveal investigative information being learned through that process, nor publicly comment on it.â€... Read more
21-Aug-2009Source: Vertical
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21-Aug-2009Source: RotorNews
The International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST), formed in 2006, is comprised of a team of helicopter community stakeholders dedicated to reducing helicopter accidents by 80 percent in ten years.... Read more
18-Aug-2009Source: Helsingin Sanomat
The Finnish passenger helicopter service Copterline has reached out-of-court settlements in two lawsuits that it has raised in the United States against the manufacturer Sikorsky. The case involves a crash in which a Copterline helicopter built by Sikorsky fell into the Gulf of Finland soon after leaving the Estonian capital Tallinn en route to Helsinki,... Read more
18-Aug-2009Source: Aviation Week
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14-Aug-2009Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal
Bond Offshore Helicopters has confirmed that it has retired the flight number given to the aircraft involved in one of the oil industry’s worst disasters earlier this year.... Read more
14-Aug-2009Source: FAA
The FAA today convened a New York Airspace Working Group that will review current operating procedures over the Hudson and East Rivers and recommend safety improvements in two weeks to FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt.... Read more
14-Aug-2009Source: Evening Express
The near-miss happened on March 20 when an air traffic controller gave a pilot the okay to climb – not realising a second helicopter was above him.... Read more
14-Aug-2009Source: Flightglobal
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12-Aug-2009Source: NY Daily News
The FAA, she charged, has failed to make changes. “We believe if the recommendations were implemented, aviation safety would be improved,” the blunt-speaking Hersman said. She said 225 aircraft fly within 3 miles of the crash site every day, and pilots below 1,100 feet are free to choose their routes without monitoring from air-traffic controllers.... Read more
11-Aug-2009Source: NY Daily News
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10-Aug-2009Source: New York Times
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5-Aug-2009Source: FAA
The aviation authority of Italy, with which we have a bilateral agreement, states in the MCAI that during the installation of a fire extinguisher bottle on a new helicopter, it was found that the electrical receptacle/connectors on the bottle which commands the firing of the extinguishing agent were swapped between engines No. 1 and No.... Read more
3-Aug-2009Source: Robb & Robb
Gary C. Robb of Kansas City’s Robb & Robb, LLC delivered an address on Monday, July 27, 2009 on “Litigating a Helicopter Crash Case” to the Aviation Law Section at the Annual Convention of the American Association for Justice (AAJ), held in San Francisco, California.... Read more
31-Jul-2009Source: American Eurocopter
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29-Jul-2009Source: Redding Record Searchlight
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28-Jul-2009Source: FAA
This Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) informs you, owners or operators, of an airworthiness concern regarding possibility of separation of the cabin door while in flight for the following Schweizer Models: 269A, TH-55A, 269A-1, 269B, 269C, serial numbers 001 through 1917, 269C-1, serial numbers 0001 through 347, and 269D, serial numbers 0001 through 0073.... Read more
28-Jul-2009Source: KPHO
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22-Jul-2009Source: Naples News
Collier County’s Medflight program has been cleared of an allegation that it violated inspection requirements for its medical transport helicopter that could have led to overuse and safety concerns.... Read more
22-Jul-2009Source: FAA
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13-Jul-2009Source: Irish Times
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