Mark Huber is an aviation industry veteran who has worked in the flight training, aircraft sales, aircraft component, and airport development businesses. He has flight time in more than 50 different and diverse aircraft, including helicopters, aerobatic aircraft, vintage warbirds, jet fighters, business jets and turboprops, and transport-category aircraft. He has jumped out of several of these—on purpose—with a parachute. His defense and aviation journalism has been published in a variety of national and international periodicals.

Contributor

Mark Huber

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) faulted technology, training, and procedures for a 2021 night helicopter winching operation during a search-and-rescue mission that went dangerously sideways. Fortunately, no injuries resulted when a Leonardo AW139 nearly hit a cliff while operating near Katoomba, New South Wales.&nbsp;
As the helicopter was lowering a paramedic to an injured hiker, it began to bank and drift toward the nearby cliffs. In response, the pilot, aided only by night vision goggles (NVG) and the aircraft’s landing lights, inputted maximum upward nose pitch of 51 degrees and received an over-torque engine warning while executing a successful escape maneuver, during which the paramedic was grabbing onto the flight step. The helicopter then returned to Bankstown, where an aircraft inspection revealed no faults or damage.
The ATSB found that the helicopter’s external lighting was insufficient for the pilot to maintain safe visual reference. The operator has since fitted the helicopter with a searchlight. The ATSB also noted regulatory gaps and the operator’s lack of risk assessment and flight crew currency training for winch operations conducted with NVGs.&nbsp;
Subsequent to the incident, Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority revamped rules governing the use of NVGs in conjunction with searchlights and provided guidance regarding capability, while the operator has instituted a six-month recurrency training requirement for night winching operations and a pre-mission and on-mission risk assessment protocol governing those activities. The ATSB continued to caution that night winching regulations “only set out minimum requirements, and they should assess the risks of their operations and modify procedures, manuals, and risk assessments accordingly.”

News about significant aircraft accidents and information from accident reports.

Night Winching Near-collision Prompts Reforms

A helicopter nearly hit cliff while winching paramedic during night-time search and rescue mission prompting regulations and additional NVG training. 

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Matt Thurber

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

Preparation and training resulted in a survivable accident

Bombardier Safety Standdown: Surviving the Fire

Aircraft caught fire and burned after hitting a vehicle

Five Killed in HondaJet Rejected Takeoff Crash at KFFZ

David Jack Kenny

Preliminary and final accident reports, November 2024

Business Aircraft Accident Reports: November 2024

Gordon Gilbert

Fatal accidents were down year over year from 12 to 10

Year-to-date Bizav Accidents Decline

Aircraft touched down on the runway then departed onto a grassy area

Passenger Lands King Air C90 after Pilot Medical Issue

News and issues regarding all manner of civil and military rotorcraft and their powerplants, including helicopters, tilt rotors and unmanned air vehicles.

Black Hawk had landed on a private airstrip that was also a snowmobile trail

Snowmobiler Who Collided with Army Helo Awarded $3.3M

All five passengers drowned after autorotation into NYC's East River

Jury Awards $116M in Doors-off Helitour Crash

News about bills, laws, regulations and other governmental decisions affecting aviation and aerospace. Topics include FAA re-authorizations, taxes on fuel and aviation activities, environmental legislation, ICAO decisions, governmental mediation of labor conflicts and World Trade Organization disputes and decisions.

News and information on safety procedures and concerns.

More In Accidents