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 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 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? Read more…
“A former pilot stated in an interview that he had received text messages on “more than one occasion” from current company pilots and medical crewmembers stating they were “scared to fly.” One nurse reported she believed the pilots were safe, 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: 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…