Investigation reveals likely cause of fatal helicopter crash in Kimberley
The investigation into the helicopter crash that killed two young pilots in Western Australia was likely the result of their bosses not having proper risk management procedures.
On July 25 last year, pilots Peter Ritter (29) and Gavin U’Ren (30) lost their lives in the accident that occurred when their helicopters collided at an altitude of approximately 45 meters near Mount Anderson Station in the Kimberley region.
“Both pilots failed to detect that their flight paths were converging prior to the collision,” Australian Transport Safety Bureau chief commissioner Angus Mitchell said in his findings published on Wednesday.
The investigation found helicopter operator Pearl Coast Helicopter allowed pilots to set their own separation between helicopters.
Separation standards refer to the minimum standard to which aircraft must operate to avoid the risk of collision.
Mr Mitchell said the Broome-based family helicopter company, which specializes in aerial stock picking, “the tools it uses to consider and manage operational risk are not suited to its core business of aerial picking”.
“Additionally, the risk of collision was not identified in operational risk assessments, and operator manuals did not provide documented procedures to enable pilots to establish and maintain adequate separation between helicopters.”
Instead, the final report stated that pilots were allowed to adjust their own separation standards based on personal preference.
The superintendent said the incident demonstrated “the need for risk management to identify, assess and mitigate risks”.
“Pilots routinely flew with reduced vertical and lateral separation, and over time this became an accepted operating preference,” he said.
“Airborne collection plays a critical role in Australia’s agricultural sector.
“This tragic accident should act as a trigger for all collection operators to evaluate their risk management practices and whether they are scaling these adequately for their operations.”
Pearl Coast Helicopters has since conducted a review of its operations manual and defined procedures for flights involving more than one aircraft, the report said.
Pearl Coast Helicopters has been contacted for comment.
