Police pilots v Civilan pilots
Ref the tradgic accident in Newman WA. I think from where I sit that we shouldn't try to pinpiont the blame of an accident on the background of a pilots previous employment, but more to the point the background of the inhouse training and prior experience of a pilot to forfill a particular specialised type of operational flying required to carry out his or her roll within the job your employed to carry out . My thoughts go back to the EMS chopper that crashed in fog due to fuel starvation in Marlborough central QLD killing all five on board. Then 9 months later their new state of the art chopper ditches by their 10000hr plus chief pilot 132nm out to sea under NVFR rules! I recall the service had a near fatal incident not long befor these involving an oxygen explosion. I read the BASI report on the Marlborough accident but have yet to read anything on the ditching incident. I should think that is a lot for young players to learn from both accidents as has been brought out in the WA accident. I understand from reliable sourses that the rescue service was independendtly audited by three different companys. Nothing has been made public as yet. I, as I'm sure the community of central QLD, would like to read the Basi report on the ditching as well as the recomendations from the Safety audits. What were the CASA findings in both cases? Are the same pilots still operating there? Where they involved in the tail rotor accident not long after the ditching? What conditions have been changed if any? Was the board found to be lacking in its roll? What measures have been put in place to prevent incidents turning into accidents in the future.
Just plane bad luck or just bad management.
Burger