USCG report on July 2010 crash

Although the US Coast Guard (USCG) dismissed charges of negligent homicide, dereliction of duty and destruction of government property against Lt Lance Leone in early March, a final report released by the service on 19 March states that actions and omissions on the part of Leone were contributing factors in the crash of a USCG helicopter in 2010.

On 7 July 2010, CG 6017, an MH-60T helicopter on a positioning flight deviated from its flight path to overfly a Coast Guard vessel and impacted electrical transmission lines near La Push, Washington, US, resulting in the deaths of three crew members and the destruction of the aircraft. Lt Leone was the sole survivor.

Following an investigation into the incident, charges were levied against co-pilot Lt Leone. At a military hearing in December, it was alleged that he had failed to warn the pilot in command of the wire-strike hazard and had failed to speak out against the decision to deviate from the flight plan. However, Captain Andrew Norris, the investigating officer, recommended in a report in January that the charges be dismissed, as there was not enough evidence to sufficiently prove that Lt Leone’s actions had caused the crash.

The report by Vice-Commandant (VC) Sally Brice-O’Hara released on 19 March is the final action of the administrative investigation into the crash. Listed as a contributing factor in the accident is the failure of the pilot in command, Lt Sean Krueger, and Lt Leone ‘to carry out their responsibilities to comply with established altitude restrictions and policy regarding low-level flight, and to maintain situational awareness’. VC Brice-O’Hara adds that the high speed and low altitude of the aircraft created a situation in which there was little margin for error; Lt Krueger flew for almost 10 minutes at an altitude below 200 feet.

Furthermore, a ‘breakdown in crew resource management’ was also found to be have contributed to the crash. VC Brice-O’Hara notes that although Lt Krueger twice said he was descending below 200 feet, neither Lt Leone nor the other crew members acknowledged or challenged this. Nor was there any discussion between Krueger and Leone regarding the helicopter’s low altitude during the flight, despite the planned altitude of 1,000 feet filed on the flight plan.

Another contributing factor to the incident was, said VC Brice-O’Hara, a ‘complacent cockpit environment’. She listed procedural lapses, including a failure by the pilot in command to sign the flight plan, use of ‘non-standard terminology’ by the pilots during start-up. The report adds: “Casual, non-operational chatter between the [pilot in command] and [co-pilot] while operating at a low altitude and high speed contributed to the overall lack of situational awareness exhibited by the aircrew.”

A lack of effective aeronautical hazard markings on the power transmission lines may have contributed to the incident, said VC Brice-O’Hara. In summary, however, she stated that a failure to follow established USCG police and procedure, coupled with an ‘apparent complacency’ in the planning and conduct of the flight, were significant factors in the accident.

Read the full report at www.tinyurl.com/waypoint-cg

Image: Lt Lance Leone pictured in March 2009 after rescuing two sailors in difficulty / USCG