“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, but the administration and management were unsafe.” Welcome to another 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 29 November 2013, a police EC135 crashed through the roof 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…
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…
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? Just… 1 wrong number. The crew used the wrong takeoff 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…
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 was there. But I still just couldn’t see it. Even Read more…
On the night of January 29, 2025, two professional crews flew in night VMC towards one of the most controlled pieces of airspace in the world 🌎 One was a CRJ700 inbound to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The other was a US Army Black Hawk on a routine NVG Read more…
There are accidents that are caused by very loud and obvious things: Mechanical failures, fire warnings, things that are obviously wrong 👀 Then there are accidents caused by sneaky threats that weren’t managed well enough. The Morecambe Bay crash is one of those. On the evening of 27 December 2006, Read more…
This accident still makes a lot of pilots uncomfortable. Not because it’s complicated, or hard to understand, but because it’s a scenario we’ve seen play out time and time again in the rotary industry… 💥 This wasn’t a technical issue. It was a perfectly serviceable helicopter, with an experienced pilot, Read more…