Accident Briefing for January 2020

U.S. Helicopter Safety Team,Attached is the Rotorcraft Monthly Accident Briefing for January 2020.

Monthly SummaryTotals: 5 accidents, 2 fatal accidents, 11 fatalities-Five or less accidents during January has only occurred 4 times in the past 38 FYs. It last occurred in FY17.-The January FY20 accident total was half of the total from January FY19.-This was the 6th time in the last 38 FYs that 10 or more fatalities occurred during the month of January. Three of those six times have been in the last 8 years.

Cumulative FY20 Summary, Oct-JanFY20

Cumulative Totals: 28 accidents, 9 fatal accidents, 27 fatalitiesAccidents:-

The estimated accident rate for Oct-Jan was 2.61-2.96 accidents per 100K flight hours.-The count of accidents was comparable to the same time period in FY19 (29) and an improvement over FY18 (36).-50% of the accidents so far in the FY occurred in two industries: Personal/Private (8 accidents) and Instructional/Training (6 accidents)

Fatal Accidents:-The estimated fatal accident rate for Oct-Jan was 0.84-0.95 fatal accidents per 100K flight hours.-The count of fatal accidents (9) is identical to the same time period in FY19 and comparable to FY18 (10).-32% of the accidents that have occurred so far in the FY were fatal, trending well above the recent historical averages of 16-17%.-Four of the last five fatal accidents were Part 135 operations. One each occurred in the following Part 135 industry sectors: offshore, HAA, air tour, and commercial (passenger transport).

Fatalities:-The estimated fatality rate for Oct-Jan was 2.51-2.85 per 100K flight hours.-The 27 fatalities so far in the FY were the highest total for Oct-Jan since FY13.-The fatality total for Oct-Jan was the 4th highest for an Oct-Jan in the past 38 FYs.-Of the 27 fatalities, 16 (59%) were attributable to 2 of the 9 fatal accidents (9 fatalities in S-76B, Calabasas, CA and 7 fatalities in AS350B2, Lihue, HI).Lee RoskopSafety Management Section, AIR-682 Rotorcraft Standards Branch, Policy & Innovation Division 817-222-5337 lee.roskop@faa.govWe value your feedback. Click here to send us your feedback.