A study of rotorcraft accidents was conducted to identify safety issues and research areas that might lead to a reduction in rotorcraft accidents and fatalities. The primary source of data was summaries of National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) accident reports. From 1990 to 1996, the NTSB documented 1396 civil rotorcraft accidents in the United States in which 491 people were killed. The rotorcraft data were compared to airline and general aviation data to determine the relative safety of rotorcraft compared to other segments of the aviation industry. In depth analysis of the rotorcraft data addressed demographics, mission, and operational factors. Rotorcraft were found to have an accident rate about ten times that of commercial airliners and about the same as that of general aviation. The likelihood that an accident would be fatal was about equal for all three classes of operation. The most dramatic division in rotorcraft accidents is between flights flown by private pilots versus professional pilots. Private pilots, flying low cost aircraft in benign environments, have accidents that are due, in large part, to their own errors. Professional pilots, in contrast, are more likely to have accidents that are a result of exacting missions or use of specialized equipment. For both groups judgement error is more likely to lead to a fatal accident than are other types of causes. Several approaches to improving the rotorcraft accident rate are recommended. These mostly address improvement in the training of new pilots and improving the safety awareness of private pilots.


    Access

    Access via TIB

    Check availability in my library


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    An Analysis of U.S. Civil Rotorcraft Accidents by Cost and Injury (1990-1996)


    Contributors:

    Publication date :

    2002-05-01


    Type of media :

    Report


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English






    ANALYSIS OF US CIVIL ROTORCRAFT ACCIDENTS FROM 1990 TO 1996 AND IMPLICATIONS FOR A SAFETY PROGRAM

    Iseler, L. / De Maio, J. / American Helicopter Society | British Library Conference Proceedings | 2001


    U.S. Civil Rotorcraft Accidents, 1963 Through 1997

    Harris, Franklin D. / Kasper, Eugene F. / Iseler, Laura E. | NTRS | 2000


    US Civil Rotorcraft Accidents, 1963 Through 1997

    F. D. Harris / E. F. Kasper / L. E. Iseler | NTIS | 2000