Following the accident investigation into a January 2013 AgustaWestland AW109E crash near Vauxhall bridge in central London, the U.K. Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) has issued a series of recommendations surrounding obstacle avoidance. The helicopter struck the jib of a crane attached to a building on Jan. 16, 2013, resulting in the deaths of the pilot and a pedestrian on the ground.
Contributing factors that led to the accident include the pilot turning toward the crane while being unaware of how close the building was; not seeing the crane or seeing it too late to take action; and continuing the path to landing at the London Heliport despite being in clouds/fog.
The AAIB issued 10 recommendations to the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) as a result of the investigation, mainly related to obstacle avoidance in low-level conditions. Among the recommendations is that CAA requires U.K. air navigation providers to assess the procedures related to visual flight rules (VFR) routes near obstacles to comply with air traffic control (ATC) instructions; implements a mechanism to help manage and report new developments and changes in obstacle data; strengthens the reporting process for recent permits and new data; and incorporates measures designed to determine the potential implications of new en-route obstacles.
The AAIB also recommends that the CAA and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) conduct a review of FAR part 135 rules related to VFR flight planning and pre-flight risk analysis ahead of the scheduled regulatory standardization program; and assess whether helicopter terrain awareness and warning systems (H-TAWS) would improve safety for helicopter operators within Europe.
Read the full report on AAIB’s website.
