The official report into the tragic accident on the 6th January 2012 of Robinson R22 Beta, G-CHZN, which took the life of our friend and colleague Bob Crofts-Bolster, was published on the AAIB website on the 13th February 2013.
Bob Crofts-Bolster
This long-awaited report comes after a year of detailed investigations which resulted in two safety recommendations to EASA and the FAA, recommending that the regulators amend the certification requirements to reduce the risk of ‘loss of main rotor control’ accidents in future light helicopters. The report also identifies significant limitations in the PPL(H) syllabus which fails to cover the mandated requirements of SFAR 73 awareness training.
SFAR 73 required (and continues to require) awareness training to be undertaken to cover energy management, mast bumping, low rotor rpm (blade stall), low-g hazards and rotor rpm decay.
Between 1981 and the publication of their study in 1996 the NTSB investigated or researched 31 R22 and three R44 accidents involving in-flight loss of main rotor control and contact of the main rotor blades with the tail boom or fuselage.
Accident Robinson R22 G-CHZN
The report is an indictment on the safety record of the Robinson R22 type of helicopter and the response of the various regulatory authorities, and which has seen more than 16 fatal accidents involving loss of main rotor control including G-CHZN since the NTSB's initial safety recommendations in 1996 which were intended to address this aircraft's appalling safety record.
The FAA’s response was simply to amend their Advisory Circular (AC) 27.661, which concerns ‘Rotor Blade Clearance’. It did not specifically require that data be gathered on the response to large, abrupt cyclic inputs as originally intended by the NTSB study. Nevertheless, the NTSB closed this recommendation in March 2000 and recorded ‘Acceptable Action’.
This accident to G-CHZN resulted in yet another needless fatality caused by main rotor divergence which resulted in mast bumping, the rotor blades striking the airframe and rotor blade separation.
The AAIB report concludes:
"Fatal accidents involving the R22 continue to occur due to main rotor divergence, the causes of which are rarely determined conclusively because the pilot’s control inputs leading up to the divergence are rarely known. If the helicopter manufacturer succeeds in developing a lightweight flight data recorder for the R22 that includes recordings of control positions, it is likely that there will be new insights into the causes of main rotor divergence.
Work is being carried out to investigate changing the certification requirements to allow a longer pilot reaction time to a loss of rpm, because the probability of a fatal outcome following a loss of power in a light helicopter is high."
We would note that whilst data recording is a valuable tool in determining the causes of accidents it is, by definition, a record of events to be analyzed 'after the fact' and we believe enough lives have already been lost to establish beyond any reasonable doubt that the Robinson R22 helicopters and similar types are inherently unsafe.
We call for the EASA and FAA to take immediate action to suspend the airworthiness certificates for this and similar types of light helicopter aircraft until their mechanical design is modified to meet the new certification requirements being considered.
The European Parliament will soon be asked to support or reject pilot fatigue proposals for the whole of Europe. As a professional airline pilot I believe the European Aviation Safety Agency’s (EASA) proposals represent a backwards step in flight safety in the UK.
EASA HAS FAILED IN ITS MANDATE
Pilots have tried to improve EASA’s plans by our membership of the EASA rulemaking group, but our concerns have been ignored while the airlines’ demands have almost all been met. It has been a one-sided debate.
And while EASA’s mandate from the European Parliament was to take into account the latest scientific and medical evidence, this has not happened. The overwhelming body of scientific evidence, which would suggest that what is being proposed is unsafe, has been ignored. Even some of the views expressed by the three scientists that EASA contracted to provide a limited scientific overview of their proposals have been ignored. And pilots’ and safety campaigners’ calls for a thorough independent scientific review of the final proposals as package – a very sensible suggestion – has been rejected.
EASA’s desire is to harmonise flight safety standards across Europe. I know that in certain countries – especially smaller ones with limited air traffic – these proposals represent a small improvement, but only because the existing baseline standards for Europe are so low. In contrast, the UK has the heaviest air traffic and the best air safety record in Europe. I can’t accept that the UK’s flight safety standards have to fall to satisfy that harmonisation agenda.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR UK PASSENGERS AND PILOTS
Looking at the differences between the current UK standards (CAP 371) and the EASA proposals you cannot but come to the conclusion that EASA’s are less safe and given we have the busiest skies on Europe, the greatest risk will be here in the UK.
For instance, the new EU rules would increase the maximum number of early starts from three to seven; many long-haul flights could fly with just two rather than the current three pilots, which means they wouldn’t be as safe for the landing; and restrictions around home standby could mean pilots would be landing aircraft having been awake for up to 24 hours! Please have a look on the BALPA website for a comparison graphic - http://www.keepflyingsafe.co.uk
WHAT YOU CAN DO
We need your help to wake up the EU Parliament!
Visit http://wakeup.balpa.org to see an overview of the EASA opinion – what is changing for the worse and what we have managed to protect.
As part of the next phase of activity we need all members to do 4 things – it should take no more than 15 minutes of your time.
1) Write to your MEP using the letter template here but please try to personalise as much as possible.
To make it as easy as possible we have set up group email addresses which bundle all the MEP’s from each region together so you simply need to choose from:
Also if you have any problem downloading the templates please email and BALPA can send them to you.
2) Maintain the dialogue with your MPs if you have written to them before. BALPA has created a new letter template here. Again please send any responses to communications@balpa.org
Further to the earlier news of the tragic death of Bob Crofts-Bolster which I posted here, Bob's Funeral Service was held on Wednesday 25th January at St. Luke's Church near Chiddingstone, Kent. The service was attended by so very many people, (I am sure well over 100), comprising family, friends and colleagues, past and present.
RIP Robert Crofts-Bolster 1961 - 2012
Photo with thanks to Anoop Bamrah
His wife, Helen opened the service with the full 13 minutes of Pink Floyd's "Shine on you crazy diamond", which was a song they both loved. As Helen said in her address, words cannot express the loss, but the love that surrounds him was evident for all to see. His brother, Rick, and Helen both spoke movingly and with great dignity about Bob's life and of his love for his family. All of us who know Bob were privileged to have witnessed and shared in these last words. The service concluded with the Beatles song, "Hello, Goodbye" as Bob was carried out to the awaiting procession of vehicles which took him and his family to the nearby village of Chiddingstone where he was buried at St. Mary's Church.
Although the weather was overcast, it remained dry and Bob was buried in full view of the North Downs; a most picturesque location which he loved in life and which I am sure he will approve of as his final resting place. As we listened to the closing words of the priest, our silent prayers were punctuated by the sounds of departing flight traffic from Gatwick - which I, for one, felt was an appropriate soundtrack.
A wake was held afterwards at the Castle Inn pub, next to Chiddingstone Castle, (who did an excellent job given the comparatively small size of the establishment). It was a wonderful gathering of so many people who came together as strangers but who left as friends, knowing that we all shared in Bob's love and respect for each one of us - as we all do for him.
The day was a beautiful and poignant reminder not only of the fragility of this life, but also of how death is as much a part of it. It was a message to keep looking forwards, not back. If we see death as an ending, then life is futile. But tomorrow brings another day of possibilities and hope, even when the future seems bleak. Sometimes it is enough to just put one foot in front of another, because every step brings us closer to our destiny. But the purpose of life is to forge the legacy we leave behind, as we prepare for the next. Firstly, for his dearly beloved children Charlotte and Rosie who will always walk and grow in his footsteps, then for his wife Helen who will keep Bob's love alive in their hearts - not just as a memory but as an inspiration for the future, and for his brother Rick and his father Raymond, for whom Bob clearly remains as much a part of who they are today as he always did.
As for the rest of us, Bob set an example of balance in his life which I hope many of us will wish to emulate. I think every father and husband in the church could not help but reflect on their own choices with respect to their family and work relationships. It is not so much whether one is more important than the other, it is about whether when we look back on our own lives will we be satisfied with the legacy that we leave behind for those who truly love us.
Thank you Bob, for being such a good example. Goodbye buddy. You will be missed, but always carried in our hearts.
________________________________________________
Helen Crofts-Bolster has requested that if anyone would like to donate to a charity in Bob's memory, donations to 'Aviation without Borders' would be welcome.
Cheques should be made payable to "Aviation without Borders".
If you wish to make a donation, please contact his best friend Adrian Orchard, at adrian@orchard.me.uk. Adrian is also the best point of contact for messages of condolences to the family and he has invited anyone with stories or anecdotes about Bob to contribute these to his memory.
You would know the secret of death.
But how shall you find it unless you seek it in the heart of life?
The owl whose night-bound eyes are blind unto the day cannot unveil the mystery of light.
If you would indeed behold the spirit of death, open your heart wide unto the body of life.
For life and death are one, even as the river and the sea are one.
In the depth of your hopes and desires lies your silent knowledge of the beyond;
And like seeds dreaming beneath the snow your heart dreams of spring.
Trust the dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity.
Your fear of death is but the trembling of the shepherd when he stands
before the king whose hand is to be laid upon him in honour.
Is the shepherd not joyful beneath his trembling, that he shall wear the mark of the king?
Yet is he not more mindful of his trembling?
For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun?
And what is it to cease breathing, but to free the breath from its restless tides,
that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered?
Only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing.
And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb.
And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance.
It is my very sad duty to announce that our good friend and colleague Bob Crofts-Bolster was killed in a helicopter crash (G-CHZN) near Ely at around 11:30am on Friday 6th January 2012. He was the only person on board.
Our thoughts are with his entire family and friends, especially his wife Helen and children Charlotte and Rosie.
The Funeral Service will be held on Wednesday 25th January in Chiddingstone, Kent. Helen has requested that if anyone would like to donate to a charity rather than send flowers, donations to 'Aviation without Borders' would be welcome.
Cheques should be made payable to "Aviation without Borders".
If you wish to make a donation, pay your respects or attend the funeral, please contact his best friend Adrian Orchard, at adrian@orchard.me.uk. Adrian is also the best point of contact for messages of condolences to the family and has invited anyone with stories or anecdotes about Bob to contribute these to his memory.
Whenever tragedy strikes close to home, I am reminded of how fragile our lives are and how we should each conduct ourselves as if it were our last day on earth. Regrettably, I fail to do this all this time. I leave important things unsaid, differences with family unresolved and grievances unforgiven. This, unfortunately, is often the human condition.
But most importantly as a Christian, I am thankful that Bob and I have talked about spiritual matters in the past and I know that he believes in God. He has been described as a "seeker" in his faith and Bob had many relevant and personal questions which we talked and prayed through.
We cannot possibly know his final relationship with Jesus Christ, but I do pray that he has come to know the salvation offered freely to him through the grace and mercy of God to all who believe in the gospels and who accept Jesus as our Lord and saviour. This faith is beautifully described in Colossians chapter 3, and I commend this reading to anyone who grieves for Bob’s eternal soul. In particular, I note the qualities of God’s chosen people in verse 12:
Col 3:12 (NIV)
"Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience."
These qualities of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience were all abundantly evident in Bob. I pray not only that he is now safe and happy with our Lord Jesus but that those whom he has left behind, especially Helen, Charlotte and Rosie, will take comfort in the knowledge that his great love for them endures beyond this life forevermore, no matter what things were left unsaid.
With the proposed Implementing Rules and AMCs for the EIR a new entry level of instrument training and experience will be introduced. Compared with the existing IR as foreseen in Part-FCL the EIR requires less training, though nevertheless slightly more detailed flight training than for the Basic Instrument Flight Module of the IR (according to Part-FCL). As the EIR focuses mainly on the en-route part of an IFR flight, the future EIR holder should be enabled to fly safely under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) and in Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC) in the en-route phase of flight. The rating will not only allow the holder to get used to the en-route IFR procedures and to cope with unforeseen deteriorating weather conditions, but will also be a module to be credited for the full IR using the new modular route proposed.
This notice of proposed amendment will have a fundamental impact on the continuing privileges for existing holders of a UK IMC rating and the upgrade path to a full Instrument Rating.
Thank you for all your support so far. Now the time has come to tell EASA directly what you think. The more responses, the more EASA will have to listen to your side of the argument.
Do not be silent on this issue; the operators will certainly be making their voices heard. Overall entering your comments into EASA’s CRT should take no more than one hour of your time.
This method will allow you to have the BALPA guidance notes in PDF form handy while you respond so you can toggle between them and the CRT. This is important as they have spent a long time analysing the NPA and identified 13 Key Points that we'd like you to respond to, (see disclaimer below).
The CRT is not very user‐friendly but once you have completed the first Key Point, it becomes much easier to use. We hope the guidance is useful to you and If you have any comments or questions please call +44 208 476 4000 and ask to speak to one of the BALPA CRT team.
The closing date for responses to the EASA website is 20th March 2011
This method of using the EASA CRT should work for everyone. Please proceed with your response as follows:
Note: If you have not yet registered with EASA to use the CRT, please click EASA CRT Registration Form and complete your registration before you continue.
Disclaimer!
The PDF notes provided in the links below are part of the service that BALPA provides to inform members and help promote the profession. They are provided here without prejudice for your convenience only. Persons interested in joining BALPA should visit Here.
Responding Using the EASA CRT
First, click Here to download the guidance .pdf with notes on the Key Points that we'd like you to target with your responses. This should open using Acrobat Reader in a separate tab on your browser.
N.B. The link below will navigate you away from this page. Please see the instructions for actually submitting comments within the guidance .pdf
You will need to locate the row for NPA 2010-14 "Implementing Rules on Flight and Duty Time Limitations and rest requirements". Right Click anywhere on that row and select "Add/Edit comments".
Once you have the .pdf guidance notes open, please click Here to visit the CRT on the EASA site.
Technical details
The CRT is a web-based application. It has been successfully tested and is supported on Internet Explorer 6+ (SP2 must be installed), Firefox 2.x & 3.x.
It has been successfully tested on Opera 9.x, Safari 3.x and Google Chrome, but those browsers cannot be considered as supported.
CRT does work without know issues with MS Office 2003 up to SP 3, but later versions cannot be guaranteed, nor any other office tools.
Documents in the CRT will be provided in two formats; Acrobat (.pdf) and FlashPaper (.swf). The required programs, Adobe Reader and Adobe FlashPlayer, are available for free download, see links below.
Even given the changeover of European Aviation Regulation to EASA in 2012, the UK CAA say they have developed a five-year plan that will move aviation regulation in the UK forward, ensuring that they deliver effective, proportionate and good value regulation in the long term, aimed at achieving carefully targeted outcomes. Now they would like your views.
Following a Strategic Review undertaken in 2009 and early 2010, the CAA has been developing its Five Year Strategic Plan. The Plan sets out our strategic objectives and how we expect to achieve them, as well as the outcomes we expect our activities to deliver for consumers and the wider public.
