Hey Cats, would love to see that risk assessment for my own edification. Care to contact me on email? The 600 winches in a year is a good figure but the number of winches done by the org I currently work with would likely exceed that by 10 times ... but I'll check on that tomorrow to make sure I'm not blowing gas. I don't mean to sound like 'mine is bigger than yours' but just to provide a comparison and maybe a larger sampling of an organisation that does have the installed cable cut.
I just can't see how the removal of one of the two firing points actually provides an equivalent level of safety. I'm thinking a loss of control...say a tail rotor into a tree or even a tail rotor shaft fail...helicopter has large yaw rate...someone on the winch cable...crewman unable to operate hand held cut due to being thrown across the cabin....pilot still has hands on the controls but can't cut due no capability to do so...
The argument then arises, how likely is such an event? Well accident statisitics reveal that tail rotor failures (for varieties of reasons), for example, happen a lot more often than cable cuts caused by EMI or even poor design or maintenance (especially since the incorporation of the ADs). My concern is that if, on the balance of probablities if it is possible to foresee a real, not remote, risk that the planned action (manual cutting) may not effectively deal with, then someone maybe exposed to litigation following an accident.
It is likely that to say the activity is "CASA approved" is not a strong defence. Equally although the manufacturer's recommendations will be persuasive as a defence, they are not binding. (anyone with a legal background, please feel free to comment)
So, if there is a rigorous risk assessment that takes into account the foreseeable real risks vs the remote unlikely, then it may be worth publishing that assessment because it should be taken into consideration by the certifying authorities and manufacturers, and by other operators.
Enjoying the discussion Cats...keep it coming please.