FAA Rotorcraft Monthly Accident Briefing - July

USHST, Attached is the Rotorcraft Monthly Accident Briefing for July 2020 (2 months remaining in FY20).

Monthly Summary Totals: 17 accidents, 4 fatal accidents, 5 fatalities - The 17 accidents were the highest monthly total so far in FY20. July historically has the highest rotorcraft accident total of the FY. - 35% (6/17) of the accidents during the month were Aerial Application (Part 137) flights. - The 4 fatal accidents in July tied with October for the highest monthly total so far in FY20. - The last time 4 or more fatal accidents occurred in July was FY13. Cumulative FY20 Summary, Oct-Jul FY20, Cumulative Totals: 81 accidents, 20 fatal accidents, 42 fatalities Accidents: -The Oct-Jul total accident count of 81 was the lowest for that time period for the 38 FYs on record. The next closest cumulative count for Oct-Jul was 90 in FY15. The total is 20 accidents less than the same time period in FY19. -The estimated accident rate increased from Oct-June, but the Oct-Jul rate of 3.34 per 100K hours would still be the lowest of the 10 years currently being tracked if it continues to the end of the FY. Fatal Accidents: -The estimated fatal accident rate for Oct-Jul increased to 0.83 per 100K hours. It continues a trend observed in FY18-19 of no significant year-to-year improvement. -If the current rate persists to the end of the FY, it will lag six of the annual fatal accident rates observed since FY11 (range of .5 to .62) -25% of the accidents that occurred so far in the FY were fatal. This has not changed over the past few months. Fatalities: -The Oct-Jul total fatality count of 42 would already rank as the 4th highest full year total among the last 10 FYs if the FY ended today. -The estimated fatality rate of 1.73 per 100K hours remains unchanged from Oct-Jun and would be the second highest of the 10 years currently being tracked if it continues to the end of the FY. 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 0.7 per 100K hours through July 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