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: Read more…
Was there still fuel on board? Yes. Did the engines flame out? Also yes. How and why? 👀 That’s probably the most confusing thing about the Glasgow helicopter crash to those who don’t fly the EC135 (which includes us). On 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 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 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 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 Read more…
We have a Boeing 747, a full runway, and engines set for take-off power 🛫 Yet… it didn’t take off. It crashed, and turned into a fireball, killing everyone on board. No technical failures or weather issues. So what happened? 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 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… Read more…
I still remember flipping my Night Vision Goggles down before departing an industrial site at 2 AM in the UK, knowing there was a wire right in front of us that we had carefully briefed beforehand 🔎 I knew it Read more…