Helicopter accidents are on the decline for the first time and the International Helicopter Safety Team hopes it’s a trend that will continue. The communications lead for the group, Tony Molinaro, an FAA public affairs officer, said in a podcast interview the accident numbers are looking better these days because of the education and awareness work of the IHST. “This is a great effort that’s both government and industry led,” he said. 2014 was a “pivotal year,” said Molinaro, because the numbers of helicopter accidents in the U.S. declined year over year and that includes fatal crashes. “We’re thinking a renewed effort in education and communication is really paying off,” he said.
Although emergency medical services and newscopter accidents grab the headlines, private helicopter flights top the accident list, followed by training and agriculture. Molinaro said there is a strong focus on those areas to reduce accidents. He said technology is helping somewhat with better equipped and better built aircraft but it’s really the human factor that makes the difference. He said other countries are also seeing a turnaround in their accident numbers and Canada went through 2014 without a single helicopter fatality.
