CAA Moves to Performance Based Safety Regulation in Wake of North Sea
Accidents
The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) aims to become a performance-based
regulator over the next two years following the findings of a report into a series of
helicopters accidents in the North Sea, the last of which resulted in four fatalities.
Following the crash of the CHC Scotia AS332 L2 Super Puma (G-WSNB) on its
approach to Sumburgh, in the Shetland Isles, on Aug. 23, 2013, CAA conducted a
safety review of offshore public transport helicopter operations serving the oil and gas
sector. The ensuing document, CAP145, was published on Feb. 20, 2014.
Speaking during the first day of the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Technology: Friend
of Foe conference (July 3-4) in London, Mark Swan, CAA’s director of Safety and
Airspace Regulation, told delegates that his organization wanted to provide
performance-based regulation with a focus on risk first. He said that the CAA was six
months into a two-year process.
Human factors were key and Swan questioned whether technology complexity issues
were being sufficiently addressed by the industry and operators. He said that fatalities
should never be “normalized” and the immediate reaction after Sumburgh was to
address the issues raised, particularly with regard to human factors.
Swan said that the driving force behind producing a quick report had been to get
safety measures introduced in the shortest feasible time. There had been several
positive results from CAP1145 and the discussions within the Helicopter Safety
Action Group, which comprised manufacturers, operators and other specialists: it
produced a strong stance on safety; initiated real changes to improve safety; and
improved communication to the industry.
One of the results was that the Emergency Breathing System (EBS) for passengers
would begin being rolled out from July this year and be compulsory from January
2015.
The RAeS Technology conference, largely created by longstanding member Jim
Lyons of the RAeS’ Rotorcraft Committee, gathered together a wide range of industry
operators and rotorcraft specialists to discuss whether the increasing complexity of
helicopter avionics is providing crews with a wider range of benefits or contributing
to human factor issues.
Representatives from a range of operators provided presentations, including CHC,
Bristow and Bond, together with others who addressed the complexity of helicopters.
Two speakers, Capt. Lloyd Watson of Shell Aircraft International and Capt. Mark
Cameron of Emirates Airlines, drew on lessons learned by the fixed-wing industry
and suggested that some could be transferred over to the rotorcraft sector. Watson said
that safety was compromised as systems increased in complexity away from being
user friendly. He said that the introduction of new technology required training so that
the impact could be reassessed and that some complex systems could increase
workload rather than simplify procedures for the aircrew.
Cameron added: “Exotic devices create exotic problems,” and stressed the need for
the aircrew to be constantly aware of what the aircraft would do next, rather than
retreat from the areas that the avionics were taking over. “Pilots still need
airmanship,” he said, adding that they are required to retain their resilience, suspicion
and airmanship. (Aviation Today)