FAA Rotorcraft Monthly Accident Briefing - May
Attached is the Rotorcraft Monthly Accident Briefing for May 2020.
Note: We think there has been a significant reduction in flight hours for some rotorcraft industry sectors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but we still cannot quantify the magnitude. The calculation of monthly and cumulative rotorcraft safety rates are still suspended until a revised forecast of FY2020 rotorcraft flight hours is available. Monthly Summary Totals: 4 accidents, 2 fatal accidents, 2 fatalities -The 4 accidents were the lowest total for the month of May for the 38 FYs on record. -This was the second time in FY20 there were 4 accidents during the month (other instance was November). Cumulative FY20 Summary, Oct-May FY20, Cumulative Totals: 53 accidents, 13 fatal accidents, 32 fatalities Accidents: -The Oct-May total accident count of 53 was the lowest for the 38 FYs on record. The next closest cumulative count for Oct-May was 62 in FY17. Fatal Accidents: -The Oct-May total fatal accident count of 13 was 5 lower than the same timeframe in FY19 (18 fatal accidents). It was comparable to the range of Oct-May totals for the 5 years from FY14-FY18 (range of 12 to 15 fatal accidents for Oct-May during those years). -25% of the accidents that have occurred so far in the FY were fatal, a slight increase from Oct-April and still trending above the recent historical averages of 16-17%. Fatalities: -The Oct-May total fatality count of 32 was better than both FY18 and FY19 but lags the recent 4 year block from FY14-FY17 where fatalities from Oct-May ranged between 19 and 24. U.S. Helicopter Safety Team (USHST) Calendar Year Metrics -Goal: Reduce the 5 year average fatal accident rate to 0.55 per 100K flight hours by 2025. The USHST uses the fatal accident rate from CYs 2014-2018 (0.62 per 100K hours) as their baseline for measurement. -Rate metrics on USHST’s progress were suspended for April and May due to uncertainty in the number of flight hours. -The count of 6 rotorcraft fatal accidents from Jan-May is below the 5 year average count for CYs 2014-2018 from Jan-May of 8.4 fatal accidents. Lee Roskop Safety Management Section, AIR-682 Rotorcraft Standards Branch, Policy & Innovation Division 817-222-5337 lee.roskop@faa.gov We value your feedback. Click here to send us your feedback. Attachments area
