Reuters: Airbus issues safety advice on Tiger helicopters flying in turbulence
Airbus Helicopters has warned pilots of its Tiger military helicopters to be careful of rapid switches from auto pilot to manual mode during turbulence, after initial indications that such a switch may have played a role in a fatal crash in Mali.
According to a source who has seen the Airbus Helicopters’ bulletin that carried the warning, the bulletin said an unexpected switch from automatic to manual flight mode “may have played a role in the accident, according to information currently available”. The bulletin did not say whether the unexpected switch had happened automatically or been done manually.
Airbus said its safety guidance - sent to operators in Germany, Australia, France and Spain - was meant to “standardise all flight manuals and remind operators that crews must adjust their attention to environmental conditions while using the auto pilot during turbulence.”
The guidance reiterated passages already in the flight manuals which instruct pilots not to intentionally enter areas with more than moderate turbulence, and to avoid flying through “areas of severe turbulence.”
I/C