The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued two new safety alerts at Heli-Expo 2014 covering maintenance procedures (SA-032) and simulator training (SA-031).

Citing several recent maintenance-related accidents, the NTSB called on mechanics to get proper training, use work cards to document all completed maintenance steps, get independent inspection of critical maintenance items, verify that all work is performed in accordance with manufacturer procedures, work with flight check pilots to ensure all checks are completed and review training materials regarding human performance errors triggered by items such as fatigue, pressure and company procedures that are at variance with the manufacturer’s guidance.

The NTSB also called for the increased use of simulators and scenario-based training in simulators to improve pilot decision making skills and better prepare them for various emergencies and challenging flight conditions, including autorotation, NVG missions in low-light conditions, degraded visual conditions and inadvertent IMC encounters.