To fully understand the NTSB recommendations, it might be worth reading the relevant accident reports.
Temsco #1
Temsco #2
Temsco #3
Coastal
Temsco committed to the NTSB that they would;
According to the operator's director of operations, and the Juneau base manager, the following operational and training changes have been incorporated.
(1) Competency checks of company pilot's ability to navigation solely by reference of instruments. These checks will be incorporated into the annual 135.293/.299 pilot check rides.
(2) Installation of radar altimeters in helicopters providing tours over snow-covered glacial terrain. All new helicopters will have factory installed radar altimeters, and existing helicopters will be retrofitted within one year.
(3) Relocation of the factory installed ELT from the right baggage compartment to the passenger cabin area, and relocate the ELT antenna from the tail boom area to the nose of the helicopter. In addition, portable antennas will be provided in the event the airframe mounted antenna or antenna wiring is damaged.
(4) Incorporate "flat light" conditions training into the annual pilot training.
(5) Provide hand-held, FM radios for each helicopter, in the event that the helicopter's radios are rendered inoperative.
When you are carrying paying tourists in new aircraft the cost of a rad-alt is peanuts to the cost of the entire aircraft (especially if you install a $5,000 stereo system
).
Any other costs incurred in operating safely will be peanuts in relation to your insurance premium after a disaster of this nature.
Whether it becomes mandated will be interesting to see, and quite how you define "snowy-climes" might also pose a challenge, as seasonally that covers a lot of territory!
A couple of other lessons from this might include notifying the appropriate authorities that you have a (number of) machine(s) missing, rather than have the local media calling the FAA for information about 3 A-stars crashing on the glacier (
say, what)
!!!!!
Some time later, a TV crew appeared to film a show about this incident. In the segment however, only two helicopters crashed on the ice
because they did not think the TV viewing public would believe that 3 could crash successively!
As regards flat-light conditions, anyone who has been ski-ing has probably run into this exact condition - totally featureless terrain and the inability to determine any physical definition. CFIT in these conditions is not limited to helicopters and mountains, but also fixed wing aircraft in relatively good visibility and flat ground but a featureless landscape, sky and horizon.
Intentional IFR flight in the area these accidents occurred in would be guarantee the demise of anyone unfortunate enough to try it. I've met a couple of fixed-wing guys who inadvertently tried it (exhibiting severe shock) and also pulled quite a few wrecks out where they weren't so lucky!
John, you will be pleased to hear that Alaska has removed the requirement to carry a gun at all times in the State, as it is impossible to take it through Canada! It is however a pretty good idea if you are going to do much travelling to buy one there - if you ever faced up to a bear in the woods, you would wish you had it. As regards mosquito nets and bug-dope - never, ever, consider going anywhere in the North without them in your survival gear, as they WILL kill you!
