Unsuitable strop contributed to fatal fall
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has issued a final report into a fatal 2013 accident that saw a patient fall to his death as he was being winched into a rescue helicopter.
Image: Library picture of VH-VAS (ATSB)
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has issued a final report into a fatal 2013 accident that saw a patient fall to his death as he was being winched into a rescue helicopter. The ATSB found that, due to the compressive nature of the rescue strop around the patient’s chest, combined with his weight and pre-existing medical conditions, the patient probably lost consciousness during the winch operation. While the rescue strop was serviceable at the time, said the Board, it was not suitable for the patient and contributed to him falling from the strop following his loss of consciousness.
The ATSB also identified that the operator and Air Ambulance Victoria had limited documented guidance to assist rescue personnel in selecting the most appropriate winching rescue equipment.
The accident occurred at about 10:50 hrs on 31 August 2013. The crew of a Bell 412EP helicopter, registered VH-VAS, were tasked to pick up a patient who was reported to have sustained injuries during a fall in the hills around Macs Cove, near Mansfield, Victoria. Due to the confined winch area and the possible fouling hazard associated with nearby trees, the crew elected to conduct a double-lift extraction with the patient in a rescue strop, accompanied by a paramedic. However, as the paramedic and patient reached the helicopter’s skid‑landing gear, the patient became increasingly unresponsive and began slipping from the rescue strop. The paramedic and winch operator attempted to restrain the patient, but despite their efforts, the patient slipped out of the rescue strop and fell to the ground, sustaining fatal injuries.
The ATSB released its preliminary investigation report in October 2013, at the same time issuing a safety advisory notice to helicopter winch operators, noting the circumstances of this accident. Following this accident, said the ATSB, the operator and Air Ambulance Victoria introduced a seat-type harness for patient recovery via winch and issued guidance to their crews on the order of priority of use for rescue equipment during over-land winch operations. The Civil Aviation Safety Authority also issued an Airworthiness Bulletin clarifying the use and application of rescue/retrieval strops. In addition, various helicopter emergency medical service providers have improved information sharing to communicate operational knowledge and lessons learnt.