Resource Hub Additional pilot training and technology can help save lives in an IIMC event. Twice as likely. That’s the likelihood of being involved in a loss of visual reference accident in a helicopter versus an airplane in Canada. Commercial helicopter operations are often conducted at low altitudes, in adverse weather conditions, without the training, technology, and procedures to give a helicopter pilot a fighting chance of surviving an unexpected loss of visual references, also known as inadvertent flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IIMC). That needs to change. Despite this alarming statistic, the requirements for helicopters authorized to conduct reduced visibility operations in uncontrolled airspace in Canada are far less stringent than those for their fixed-wing counterparts. In fact, helicopters authorized to conduct reduced visibility operations in uncontrolled airspace are permitted to operate at half the visibility applicable to airplanes, but without the same level of defences. For over three decades, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) has been calling on Transport Canada to implement more rigorous regulations to mitigate the risks associated with commercial helicopter operations in reduced visibility. In recent years, we’ve investigated similar occurrences involving helicopters flying under visual flight rules and losing visual reference due to flat light and whiteout conditions. We recently released our investigation report into one of these accidents. On April 25, 2021, an AS 350 B2 helicopter, operated by Great Slave Helicopters 2018 Ltd., collided with terrain. The subsequent investigation (A21C0038) identified a number of safety deficiencies and confirmed what we already knew — these risks are still life threatening. The investigation found that as the helicopter approached the highest elevation on Griffith Island, Nunavut, the uniformly snow-covered and featureless terrain, an overcast sky, and snow squalls likely created flat light and whiteout conditions. This led to an unexpected loss of visual reference of the horizon. While the pilot was likely attempting to visually manoeuver the helicopter in response to an IIMC, an unintentional descent resulted in the helicopter colliding with terrain, killing all three on board — the pilot, an aircraft maintenance engineer, and a biologist. Currently, there are no regulatory requirements in Canada for commercial helicopter operators to ensure that pilots have the necessary training and technology to assist with the avoidance of, and most importantly recovery from, an IIMC. Rather than equip pilots with these skills and technologies, some operators rely solely on the “avoid-at-all-costs” approach. This is not a realistic strategy. No one plans to find themselves flying in IIMC. By definition, its very name means unplanned. You can’t simply rely on the “avoid-at-all-costs” approach against something you never planned to happen. Instead, there needs to be additional, potentially lifesaving defences in place for pilots. Furthermore, single-pilot operators are not required to have standard operating procedures (SOPs), which would provide pilots with pre-determined successful solutions for specific situations that may be encountered, including an IIMC. So, what can be done? Following the investigation, the TSB issued four recommendations to Transport Canada (A24-01, A24-02, A24-03, and A24-04) to improve commercial helicopter safety. These recommendations aim to address the lack of regulatory requirements for training, technology, and SOPs to support pilot decision-making. While we are hopeful our recommendations will bring about real change, operators do not have to wait for the regulator to make their operations safer. Operators can voluntarily implement safety initiatives that go beyond the regulatory requirements by proactively offering additional training and technology — not because they have to, but because it is the right thing to do. Too many pilots and passengers have paid the ultimate price because the same risks persist decades later. Enough lives have been lost. It is time to take action. For more information, I invite you to have a look at our safety booklet on how to improve your odds of recovery from IIMC, and share it with your colleagues.
