Health & Safety Report 2016

A breakdown of reportable accidents from 1996 to 2015 is provided in the following charts 19 .

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Figure 21: Breakdown of Reportable Accident Causes, 1996 to 2015

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From 1996 to 2015, operational causes accounted for 40 per cent of accidents, 35 per cent were due to technical failures and 25 per cent caused by external factors.

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All of the operational accidents that occurred during flight were attributed to pilot error. Eighty-six per cent of the technical failures were attributed to dynamic component failures (main rotor gear box, main rotor blade and tail rotor). A structural issue accounts for the remaining 14 per cent.

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For the 25 per cent of accidents due to external factors, all resulted from weather-related events, including four lightning strikes and an encounter with a water spout.

19 In order for accident events to be identified using a recognised international code, categorisation and causation follows the International Civil Aviation Organisation/Commercial Aviation Safety Team Common Taxonomy Team Taxonomy.

Operational (F) = an event related to the helicopter while in flight or abnormal contact with terrain Operational (G) = an event related to the helicopter while on the ground Technical = an event involving system/component failure or malfunction, fire/smoke External = an event involving icing, turbulence, wind shear, thunderstorm or bird strike

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