Health & Safety Report 2017

Figure 21: Fatal and All Accident Rates per 100,000 Flying Hours

5

Annual Fatal Accident Rate Annual All Accident Rate

Five-Year Average Fatal Accident Rate Five-Year Average All Accident Rate

4

3

4

2

1

Accident Rate per 100,000 Flying Hours

0

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

Source: Oil & Gas UK

4.4 Accident Analysis A breakdown of reportable accident causes from 1997 to 2016 is provided in the charts overleaf 13 . From 1997 to 2016, operational causes (flight and ground) accounted for 38 per cent of accidents, 38 per cent were due to technical failures and 24 per cent caused by external factors. All the operational accidents that occurred during flight were attributed to pilot error. Eighty-eight per cent of the technical failures were attributed to dynamic component failures (main rotor gear box, main rotor blade and tail rotor). A structural issue accounts for the remaining 12 per cent.

For the 24 per cent of accidents due to external factors, all resulted from weather-related events, including four lightning strikes and an encounter with a water spout.

13 For accident events to be identified using a recognised international code, categorisation and causation follows the International Civil Aviation Organisation/Commercial Aviation Safety Team Common Taxonomy Team Taxonomy. Operational (F) = an event related to the helicopter while in flight or abnormal contact with terrain. Operational (G) = an event related to the helicopter while on the ground.

Technical = an event involving system/component failure or malfunction, fire/smoke. External = an event involving icing, turbulence, wind shear, thunderstorm or bird strike.

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