Wed, Sep 10, 2014
Helicopter Accident Rate Shows Double Digit Reduction
The United States Helicopter Safety Team has released new statistics on accident rates for U.S. civil helicopters along with new data on fatal accident rates and fatalities.
For the first seven months of 2014, there have been 3.94 helicopter accidents for every 100,000 flight hours. This is a 51 percent decrease compared to the 2001-05 baseline determined by the USHST parent organization, the International Helicopter Safety Team. This also is a 22 percent reduction compared to the 5.06 rate posted in 2009 and a 12 percent reduction compared to the 4.46 rate posted in 2012.
These results are especially encouraging because they include data from the month of July which historically tallies the most helicopter accidents in the United States during the year.
In addition, the rate of fatal accidents is down so far in 2014 compared to 2013, which showed a troubling upward spike. During the first seven months of 2014, there were 0.53 fatal helicopter accidents per 100,000 flight hours compared to a rate of 0.86 for all of 2013.
The decrease also is reflected in the fatality rate. There were 1.79 fatalities per 100,000 flight hours in 2013 compared to 0.91 fatalities per 100,000 flight hours so far in 2014.
Safety experts at the USHST know that accident data from the rest of the summer has not been gathered yet and there are four months still left in the year, but the results at this time are promising. A stronger safety culture seems to be growing in the civil helicopter community.
The USHST and its parent organization, the IHST, promote safety and work to reduce accidents. The IHST organization was formed in 2005 to lead a government and industry cooperative effort to address factors that were affecting an unacceptable helicopter accident rate. Prior to 2006, the number of worldwide civil helicopter accidents was rising at a rate of 2.5 percent per year. Since 2006, the number of accidents worldwide has been decreasing by an annual rate of 2 percent.
More News
Terminal Radar Service Area Airspace surrounding designated airports wherein ATC provides radar vectoring, sequencing, and separation on a full-time basis for all IFR and participa>[...]
Very High Frequency (VHF) The frequency band between 30 and 300 MHz. Portions of this band, 108 to 118 MHz, are used for certain NAVAIDs; 118 to 136 MHz are used for civil air/grou>[...]
“From approximately November 2021 through January 2022, Britton-Harr, acting on behalf of AeroVanti, entered into lease-purchase agreements for five Piaggio-manufactured airc>[...]
Also: Virtual FLRAA Prototype, IFR-Capable Autonomous A/C, NS-32 Crew, Golden Dome Missile Defense Bombardier announced that the first production Global 8000 successfully completed>[...]
Aero Linx: The 1-26 Association (Schweizer) The Association’s goal is to foster the helpfulness, the camaraderie, and the opportunity for head-to-head competition that is fou>[...]
ANN's Daily Aero-Term (05.29.25): Terminal Radar Service Area
See All