USCG releases final report on 2010 helicopter crash
A loss of situational awareness by the pilot and a failure to take control of the aircraft by the copilot are the primary factors that caused the crash of a US Coast Guard (USCG) MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter 55 miles outside Salt Lake City on 3 March 2010, according to a USCG final action memo that was made public through a USCG statement on 22 March.
A loss of situational awareness by the pilot and a failure to take control of the aircraft by the copilot are the primary factors that caused the crash of a US Coast Guard (USCG) MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter 55 miles outside Salt Lake City on 3 March 2010, according to a USCG final action memo that was made public through a USCG statement on 22 March.
The memo noted that the pilots of CG-6028 failed to plan for or adapt to flying over cold mountainous terrain and how the conditions would affect aircraft performance. It goes on to say that the pilot ‘allowed the aircraft to slow to an airspeed where the power required to maintain flight exceeded the power available’. The memo also suggests that the copilot had recognised the error, and also had a responsibility to assume control of the aircraft when the pilot did not respond to the copilot’s warnings.
As a result, the memo directs eight actions including the implementation of a formal mountainous area flying training requirement, clarifying tactical control procedures and conducting a risk management case study to address procedural shortcomings in the preflight phase and adapting to changing conditions in flight.
Vice-Admiral Peter V. Neffenger, USCG deputy commandant of operations who authored the Final Action, commented: “This mishap is a reminder that all missions performed in the Coast Guard carry risk that, if not managed properly, can lead to potentially devastating consequences.”
The crash occurred after two Jayhawks and aircrews had taken off from Salt Lake City to continue the next leg of a cross-country flight that began at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington, and was to end at Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina. Shortly after reaching their transit altitude, one of the Jayhawks began to rapidly lose altitude, impacting the treetops, then crashed into mountainous terrain in the Silver Meadows area of Wasatch National Forest.
The crash injured four of the five air crew aboard; three were seriously injured and required extensive recovery periods.
The Jayhawks were returning to their home base in North Carolina after completing a five-week deployment to support the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.
Read the final action memo at www.tinyurl.com/waypoint-cg6028