Collision with terrain involving Robinson R22 helicopter, VH-YPC, 70 km north west of Halls Creek, WA on 25 August 2014
What happened
On the afternoon of 25 August 2014, the pilots of two Robinson R22 helicopters were ferrying the helicopters from Yeeda to Springvale via a refuelling stop at Leopold Downs, within the Kimberley region of Western Australia. The pilot who was ahead by about 10 NM (18 km) arrived at Springvale about 40 minutes after last light but the pilot of the second helicopter, registered VH‑YPC, did not arrive as expected.
A search using helicopters began early the next morning and the overdue helicopter was soon found in a seriously damaged state, close to the intended track and 25 NM (46 km) west of Springvale. The pilot had been fatally injured.
What the ATSB found
The ATSB found that the pilot of VH-YPC, who did not hold a night visual flight rules (VFR) rating or instrument rating, continued flying towards the destination after last light (end of civil twilight), then in dark night conditions without local ground lighting, inadvertently allowed the helicopter to descend into terrain.
Safety message
This accident highlights the inherent high risk of night flying in remote areas due to the absence or degradation of the visual references for establishing an aircraft’s attitude and position. This risk is increased to unacceptable levels when night flying is attempted by pilots without night VFR or instrument flying qualifications. To avoid the usually fatal consequences of disorientation, day VFR pilots need to plan to arrive at their destination at least 10 minutes before last light and to have a realistic ‘Plan B’ to use when it becomes apparent that an intended flight cannot be completed in daylight. It is important, also, for operators and others involved in the operation of aircraft to actively support safety-first pilot decision making.
The ATSB is concerned about the frequency of accidents – many fatal – that involve pilots flying with reduced visual cues. This has been highlighted on the ATSB website as a SafetyWatch priority along with a number of strategies to help manage the risk and links to relevant safety resources.
Chopper pilots urged to land before last light, following Kimberley crash investigation
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has released its findings on a helicopter crash in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.
On August 25th, two Robinson-22 aircraft were making their way from Yeeda to Springvale Stations, when one failed to arrive after dark.
The ATSB's report indicates that the missing helicopter crashed at high speed, about 46 kilometres west of Springvale.
34-year-old pilot and father, Justin McDonald, was killed as a result.
ATSB Manager of Aviation Safety Investigations, Ian Sangston, says flying after last light was a contributing factor in the accident.
"The key finding was that the pilot, who did not hold a visual flight rules (VFR) rating, or an instrument rating, continued towards his destination after last light, and then into dark night conditions, without any local ground lighting," he said.
"Unfortunately the pilot inadvertently allowed the helicopter to descend into terrain.
"It's very important in such conditions, for people to take safe options and to make sure they're appropriately qualified and their helicopters are appropriately equipped."
Mr Sangston said he was unsure just how many pastoral chopper pilots may be operating without night qualifications.
"It's a hard question, I'd probably say the majority of pilots would hold a night VFR rating, but as to the pastoral industry in the north and west of Australia, I don't know if that proportion would be as high."
Due to the risk of disorientation, regulations require pilots with day VFR ratings to arrive at least 10 minutes before last light.
If pilots believe they cannot complete a journey within that timeframe, the ATSB encourages having a realistic 'plan B' in place.
"If the pilot feels they can't meet this requirement, they really need to be thinking about do they need to be making the flight," Mr Sangston said.
"In this example, the pilots landed to refuel and they were concerned about the headwind they were flying into and the time it was taking to get there, but they still took off.
"So what we're trying to say is if you're able to stay at an intermediary position, why not take the safe option and do that.
"Know your limitations and avoid flying in conditions with reduced visual cues."
Mr Sangston said the Bureau continues to see a consistent number of accidents, in which flying in dark night conditions remains the chief cause.
"Between 1993 and 2012 there were 26 accidents in Australia in night conditions," he said.
"There were another 10 accidents where there was inadvertent flight into cloud and these 36 accidents resulted in 58 deaths, nearly all of them occurred in night flight.
"So yes, it's very much a focus of ours."
No safety recommendations were made as a result of the ATSB's investigation and the report states that its findings 'should not be read as apportioning blame or liability to any particular organisation or individual.'