Originally Posted by
Uplinker
Not ever a heli pilot, so not judging at all, but precisely because we are human, pilots have safety procedures and limits, such as MSAs or Grid MORAs, that we must follow to keep us safe in a dynamic flying situation.
I don't know if Helis have some sort of Grid MORA equivalent?
In the US, in general they do not. Nothing that is mandated by the FAA. Various operators may implement their own rules and procedures in addition to FAA regulations. Some of those additional rules, procedures, systems and processes may be required to get a commercial, Part 135 operating certificate. But, in general, the answer is almost universally no.
It's apparently worth pointing out (again), that in the US, helicopter day VFR operations in Class G airspace enjoy the following weather minimum requirements: 1/2 mile visibility and clear of clouds. Class G in the US is found nearly everywhere at 600 AGL and below, sometimes 1200 AGL and below, except where Class B, C, D and E extend to the ground. The accident helicopter was operating in Class G airspace.
Of course, just because it is legal does not make it safe. And just because it is safe for some pilots does not make is safe for others. Everything is relative. Including a pilot's risk personal minimums. As was well said already, we can all stay perfectly safe by remaining on the ground. Put one foot on a step stool in your kitchen and you are asking for it!
Obviously some helicopter Ops do involve flying low, and I understand the need to fly at tree-top height for search and rescue, or with underslung loads, but in such situations, is there not an observer to look out while the pilot is looking down, or vice versa?
Again, the answer is "not required", not that that isn't the norm. However, in this particular case, the pilot was merely trying to get from point A to point B and not engaged in SAR, external load, or any other sort of more complex operation.
Shame there isn't a GPS App like a Sat-Nav but with all the wires and pylons on, that could track and alert the pilot about the presence of either nearby. Such a thing would seem pretty useful for helicopter ops? Amazed it hasn't already been done.
It has been done already. Indeed, the accident helicopter was reported as being a 407GXP. This model has all the hardware necessary to run the Garmin HTAWS functionality as a software add-on, as well as the Garmin WireAware add-on to HTAWS. WireAware has been around since at least 2015 and provides warnings against a vast database of power lines throughout the US. Whether or not this helicopter was equipped with HTAWS or WireAware I can't say.
All things being equal, this pilot might have been doing everything as perfectly as it could be done under those conditions. Flying slow and cautiously. He might have been perfectly cognizant of those powerlines. And yet it takes only one "rogue cloud" or a few seconds of distraction under those conditions for things to turn out differently. It's low safety margin flying and, as is plainly evident from the discussion here, there are some who believe it is too low to be allowed. Others successfully execute in this regime quite frequently. It's an argument as old as the invention of aircraft. It's risks are proven over and over again. Some are willing to run those risks. Others are not. Until it becomes outlawed entirely, there will always be pilots who are willing.