HNZ wins SAR in Oz

[Always look on the]

Once bitten twice shy?.......

Almost on the anniversary of this incident it would appear that HNZ have thoroughly investigated and completed their usual management of change process having identified the causal factors in yet another SAR winch training accident:

https://www.watoday.com.au/national/....html#comments

The paramedic was unable to face forward when arriving at the deck. This could be resolved by either better training of the staff - he may well have been rotating slowly ("As he was being lowered towards the boat on the winch, the paramedic was rotating slowly. When he was about three metres from the deck, he noticed the top edge of the side of the boat was close.) but he only has to face forward once in the transfer and that's immediately before he arrives at the deck. It requires technique and a little bit of physical effort.
Alternatively,

1. if the conditions were such that for some reason he shouldn't face forward (I can't think of any), or
2. he was not suitably trained/ capable to face forward and provide himself with the safety of seeing the deck coming up and being able to prepare himself for the landing

Then the answer is to use a hi-line. However, given the previous incident, perhaps HNZ are now uncomfortable/unfamiliar with the required techniques and safe use of the hi-line.

I would hope that nobody thinks that these events are completely avoidable, as SAR is a dynamic task carried out in a potentially hazardous environment. Even in training it is possible to get injured but surely it's time that there was a common standard that all companies conducting SAR operations should have to achieve.

The ATSB and CASA have a record of unfortunate incidents, some times tragic, from a mix of different operators across Australia. A national organisation with legislative power to enforce a minimum standard should go some way to improving the service that these companies provide.

After all as the HNZ eye witness - the insightful a/c captain- said:

“A post-flight brief was conducted with the crew discussing whether they could mitigate this happening again,” they said. “Given the physical nature of the work, it was agreed – ‘not likely’.”