UN staff Union demands publication of accident reports
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UN staff Union demands publication of accident reports
There have been a number of previous posts regarding the contracted helicopter accidents that have occurred during UN operations. Not only have they sufferred a horrifying accident rate, but the UN has NEVER released any of the accident reports as they "are not in the public interest".
I thoroughly commend the Union efforts to release the past accident reports, so they can understand the effects of these poorly regulated, inadequately managed contracts.
In previous posts on this topic, I have stated that none of these helicopter accident reports have ever been made public. I recently discovered that this was incorrect, with one accident in the NTSB database http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?e...05X00332&key=1. Read this for an insight into how the UN conducts its operations and the kind of operator it selects.
I won't hold my breath for the release of the reports, but there is hope for the families of those that were previously killed due to the incompetency of the UN and its contractors due to inadequate oversight, qualification or capability.
And all this from the the parent organization of ICAO - they should be ashamed of there complicity in this avoidable, continuing, disgrace.
Is the IHST paying attenton here? These people need your assisitance in this matter.
I thoroughly commend the Union efforts to release the past accident reports, so they can understand the effects of these poorly regulated, inadequately managed contracts.
In previous posts on this topic, I have stated that none of these helicopter accident reports have ever been made public. I recently discovered that this was incorrect, with one accident in the NTSB database http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?e...05X00332&key=1. Read this for an insight into how the UN conducts its operations and the kind of operator it selects.
I won't hold my breath for the release of the reports, but there is hope for the families of those that were previously killed due to the incompetency of the UN and its contractors due to inadequate oversight, qualification or capability.
And all this from the the parent organization of ICAO - they should be ashamed of there complicity in this avoidable, continuing, disgrace.
Is the IHST paying attenton here? These people need your assisitance in this matter.
UN Staff Union urges release of probes into helicopter crashes
www.chinaview.cn
UNITED NATIONS, March 4 (Xinhua) -- The UN Staff Union called on Tuesday for the release of all investigations of the UN's helicopter crashes.
The union's committee on staff security made the appeal in a statement released one day after the deadly crash of a UN helicopter in Nepal, killing seven UN staff and three crew members.
The committee "calls for full accounting of the causes behind the accident," said the statement.
Noting that aircraft safety issues present a risk to UN personnel serving in the field, the committee said that since 1997,there have been 10 fatal helicopter crashes involving UN or UN contracted helicopters, in which a total of at least 90 personnel have died.
The most tragic helicopter crash occurred in Sierra Leone on June 29, 2004, killing 24 peacekeepers and other personnel.
Calling for the results of all previous investigations to be made public, the committee said that "the families and colleagues of the victims have a right to know the cause of these accidents and if adequate air safety standards were met."
Mourning the victims killed in Monday's crash in Nepal, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday that "these colleagues lost their lives while serving the United Nations and the cause of peace in Nepal."
General Assembly President Srgjan Kerim also expressed his sadness and sent his "sincere condolences to the families of the victims," said Janos Tisovszky, Kerim's spokesman.
"The tragic accident is a sad reminder of the fact that UN personnel have to operate in dangerous conditions and face a multitude of risks during their daily work," Kerim was quoted as saying. The helicopter was returning to the capital from the guerrilla cantonment site at Sindhuli when it lost contact. The victims consist of four arms monitors from Gambia, Indonesia, South Korea and Sweden, as well as three national staff from Nepal and the three-member crew from Russia and Belarus.
www.chinaview.cn
UNITED NATIONS, March 4 (Xinhua) -- The UN Staff Union called on Tuesday for the release of all investigations of the UN's helicopter crashes.
The union's committee on staff security made the appeal in a statement released one day after the deadly crash of a UN helicopter in Nepal, killing seven UN staff and three crew members.
The committee "calls for full accounting of the causes behind the accident," said the statement.
Noting that aircraft safety issues present a risk to UN personnel serving in the field, the committee said that since 1997,there have been 10 fatal helicopter crashes involving UN or UN contracted helicopters, in which a total of at least 90 personnel have died.
The most tragic helicopter crash occurred in Sierra Leone on June 29, 2004, killing 24 peacekeepers and other personnel.
Calling for the results of all previous investigations to be made public, the committee said that "the families and colleagues of the victims have a right to know the cause of these accidents and if adequate air safety standards were met."
Mourning the victims killed in Monday's crash in Nepal, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday that "these colleagues lost their lives while serving the United Nations and the cause of peace in Nepal."
General Assembly President Srgjan Kerim also expressed his sadness and sent his "sincere condolences to the families of the victims," said Janos Tisovszky, Kerim's spokesman.
"The tragic accident is a sad reminder of the fact that UN personnel have to operate in dangerous conditions and face a multitude of risks during their daily work," Kerim was quoted as saying. The helicopter was returning to the capital from the guerrilla cantonment site at Sindhuli when it lost contact. The victims consist of four arms monitors from Gambia, Indonesia, South Korea and Sweden, as well as three national staff from Nepal and the three-member crew from Russia and Belarus.
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Human Error Caused UNMIN Chopper Crash
http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/ful...eDate=20080618
Kathmandu, June 18
The government-formed commission to investigate into the UNMIN chopper crash in Ramechhap district concluded on Tuesday that the human error was the reason behind the incident, which took lives of 10 persons on March 3.
The MI-8MTV-1 helicopter Ra-27019, operated by Vertical-T for the United Nations Mission in Nepal, crashed in Bethan-9 in Ramechhap, killing all seven passengers and three-member crew.
"The investigation has concluded that the chopper crashed due to the violation of regulation, lack of experience and familiarisation with local terrain and weather as well as poor handling of flight control system by the flight crew in an emergency situation," said Dron Raj Regmi, the chief of the commission.
The report raised doubts over the ability of Russian pilot. However, it failed to elaborate why and how both engines were shut down. "There was no record of the crew's conversation in the flight deck," Regmi said. The Cockpit Voice Recorder also could not be used in the course of investigation, as it was not set to the starting position before the first flight of the day, he said.
"The crew conducted flight in a helicopter certified for Visual Flight Rules into Instrumental Meteorological Condition and encountered the clouds. Severe turbulence and absence of visual cues led to spatial disorientation among the crew members, leading to loss of control of the helicopter," the report states. "The flight crew decided to take the flight to 4,000 metres to avoid difficult terrain and weather without acquiring a weather forecast and without route planning."
The report adds that after the engine shut, the pilot in command was unable to bring the helicopter safely to the ground in autorotation. The Russian pilot was said to have only 10 hours of flight experience in Nepali terrain and also had problem in communicating in English.
The commission has recommended the Civil Aviation Authority of Russia to take steps to prohibit the wrong practice of flight crew of helicopter carrying out Instrumental Flight Rules flights for VFR certified helicopters.
"The UN should designate responsible persons for engineering, quality control, chief pilot, store in-charge," the report adds.
It states that the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal should make the foreigners operating aircraft here aware of safety regulations of the country.
The report was handed over to the secretary at Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Lilamani Paudyal
http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/ful...eDate=20080618
Kathmandu, June 18
The government-formed commission to investigate into the UNMIN chopper crash in Ramechhap district concluded on Tuesday that the human error was the reason behind the incident, which took lives of 10 persons on March 3.
The MI-8MTV-1 helicopter Ra-27019, operated by Vertical-T for the United Nations Mission in Nepal, crashed in Bethan-9 in Ramechhap, killing all seven passengers and three-member crew.
"The investigation has concluded that the chopper crashed due to the violation of regulation, lack of experience and familiarisation with local terrain and weather as well as poor handling of flight control system by the flight crew in an emergency situation," said Dron Raj Regmi, the chief of the commission.
The report raised doubts over the ability of Russian pilot. However, it failed to elaborate why and how both engines were shut down. "There was no record of the crew's conversation in the flight deck," Regmi said. The Cockpit Voice Recorder also could not be used in the course of investigation, as it was not set to the starting position before the first flight of the day, he said.
"The crew conducted flight in a helicopter certified for Visual Flight Rules into Instrumental Meteorological Condition and encountered the clouds. Severe turbulence and absence of visual cues led to spatial disorientation among the crew members, leading to loss of control of the helicopter," the report states. "The flight crew decided to take the flight to 4,000 metres to avoid difficult terrain and weather without acquiring a weather forecast and without route planning."
The report adds that after the engine shut, the pilot in command was unable to bring the helicopter safely to the ground in autorotation. The Russian pilot was said to have only 10 hours of flight experience in Nepali terrain and also had problem in communicating in English.
The commission has recommended the Civil Aviation Authority of Russia to take steps to prohibit the wrong practice of flight crew of helicopter carrying out Instrumental Flight Rules flights for VFR certified helicopters.
"The UN should designate responsible persons for engineering, quality control, chief pilot, store in-charge," the report adds.
It states that the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal should make the foreigners operating aircraft here aware of safety regulations of the country.
The report was handed over to the secretary at Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Lilamani Paudyal
