At night, over the sea, approaching the hover, with poor references and a sneaky failure, things can get weird. Quickly 👀 On 28 February 2024, a Sikorsky S-92A was descending towards a hover over the North Sea. The helicopter was doing exactly what the crew expected it to do. Until… Read more…
It’s night, you’re on the approach, you can see the landing site perfectly, the aircraft is serviceable, and the weather is great. But without realising it, you start flying too low, in fact: dangerously shallow. Welcome to the black hole effect. I’ve been spoilt for years by flying with night Read more…
One of the most interesting questions I got during my command upgrade interview: You’re flying a dying patient to the main hospital helipad in London. During the flight, you get a technical issue. You run the emergency checklist. The result? “Land as soon as practicable.” So far, so good, right? Read more…
I have made more mistakes than I can count over the last 12 years since starting my helicopter pilot career. At the time, it would’ve been great if someone had sat me down and said: Jop, don’t be an idiot: avoid X, don’t do Y, and make sure you take Read more…
This is probably the shortest question you’ll answer all day. But the answer can have consequences that go far beyond the briefing. “Are you fit to fly?” We hear it every morning (or evening) before a flight. Most of us answer almost automatically, why else would you be briefing – Read more…
This SAR helicopter landed safely, and the casualty made it to hospital. Yet somebody still lost their life. That’s not how most accident reports start. In March 2022, a UK Search and Rescue Sikorsky S-92 landed at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth with a critically ill patient on board. The approach Read more…
How do you know if you’re part of a shortcut culture? 👀 The answer is usually not super clear, because it’s a bit like pointing out water to a fish. You don’t become part of shortcut culture because of one big decision. It’s a series of choices that usually align Read more…
The investigation team recreated the Leicester AW169 scenario in the simulator with a test pilot: Every single attempt resulted in a crash 💥 If I asked you: “What would you do if you suddenly lost tail thrust during take-off?” You’d probably have a pretty good answer. Lower the collective, manage Read more…
I’ve had days where departing to a patient from a busy airport in the middle of summer feels like you’re trying to thread a needle (while someone keeps nudging your elbow) 👀 The airspace is saturated, everyone’s talking, and you’re trying to focus on the next event. On days like Read more…
Good Crew Resource Management (CRM) doesn’t always look the same. We’re taught that it should look clear and structured. But take the same principles into a really dynamic mission, at night, under pressure, with multiple moving parts and different cultures… And it can start to look a little different! Moving Read more…