FAA Rotorcraft Monthly Accident Briefing - August

USHST, Attached is the Rotorcraft Monthly Accident Briefing for August 2020 (1 month remaining in FY20).

Monthly Summary Totals: 9 accidents, 4 fatal accidents, 6 fatalities - The 9 accidents were the lowest for an August for the 38 FYs on record. - The 4 fatal accidents were the highest for an August since FY08. - This was the second consecutive month with 4 fatal accidents. - Two of the four fatal accidents during the month were related to firefighting. Cumulative FY20 Summary, Oct-Aug FY20, Cumulative Totals: 90 accidents, 24 fatal accidents, 48 fatalities Accidents: - The Oct-Aug total accident count of 90 was the lowest for any Oct-Aug for the 38 FYs on record. Through August, the FY20 accident count was 17 accidents lower than the next lowest year. It is 21 accidents less than the same time period in FY19. - The estimated accident rate from Oct-Aug was 3.35 per 100K hours, continuing to trend as the lowest among the most recent 10 years. Fatal Accidents: - The estimated fatal accident rate for Oct-Aug increased to 0.89 per 100K hours. It has risen to the second highest rate in the last 10 years, trailing only FY13’s rate of 1.25. - July and August each had 4 or more fatal accidents for the first time since FY08. - For the second consecutive FY, three months had 4 or more fatal accidents. For the 5 years from FY14-FY18, there was only one month in each FY that had 4 or more fatal accidents. - The June-July-August fatal accident total was 11, the highest combined total for those three months since FY10 and tied for the 5th worst June-July-August for the 38 FYs on record. - 27% of the accidents that occurred so far in the FY were fatal, increasing the likelihood that 2020 will have the highest percentage of accidents with a fatality for the 38 FYs on record. - The 24 fatal accidents were spread across 13 different industry sectors. The highest industry categories were: 1) Personal/Private: 4 2) (tie) Firefighting: 3 and Aerial Application: 3 3) (tie) Instructional Training: 2 and Business: 2 Fatalities: - The estimated fatality rate of 1.78 per 100K hours continued to trend as the second highest among the most recent 10 years. U.S. Helicopter Safety Team (USHST) Calendar Year Metrics - Goal: Reduce the 5 year average fatal accident rate to 0.55 per 100K hours by 2025. The USHST uses the fatal accident rate from CYs 2014-2018 (0.62 per 100K hours) as their baseline for measurement. - The CY 2016-2020 5 year average fatal accident rate was 0.71 per 100K hours through August 2020. 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 ReplyReply to allForward