CANADA - Canada's Transportation Safety Board (TSB) has issued several recommendations to Transport Canada regarding inadvertent helicopter flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). They come on the heels of an investigation into an April 25, 2021, helicopter crash in Resolute Bay, Nunavut. Operated by Great Slave Helicopters, the aircraft collided with terrain, killing all three onboard—the pilot, an aircraft maintenance engineer, and a biologist.
TSB investigators found that “insufficient regulatory requirements and defenses to protect against loss of visual reference accidents” led to the crash. “For more than 30 years, the TSB has been calling for the implementation of safety measures to mitigate the risks that persist in helicopter reduced visibility operations,’’ said TSB chair Kathy Fox. “These are systemic safety issues that continue to put at risk the lives of thousands of pilots and passengers every year.’’
The Board's recommendations include requiring commercial helicopter operators to ensure pilots possess the skills necessary to recover from inadvertent flight into IMC; requiring commercial helicopter operators to implement technology that will assist pilots with the avoidance of, and recovery from, inadvertent flight into IMC; requiring private and commercial operators conducting single-pilot operations to develop standard operating procedures based on corporate knowledge and industry best practices to support pilot decision-making; and enhancing requirements for helicopter operators that conduct reduced-visibility operations in uncontrolled airspace to ensure that pilots have an acceptable level of protection against inadvertent flight into IMC accidents.
According to the TSB, loss of visual reference was a factor in 13 helicopter accident investigations between 2010 and 2018.
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