Proceedings of the Air Commission of the International Commission for Alpine Rescue

Transcription

1 Proceedings of the Air Commission of the International Commission for Alpine Rescue

2 Proceedings of the Air Commission of the International Commission for Alpine Rescue Details General Detail Abstract Summary report on the proceedings of The Air Commission of the International Commission for Alpine Rescue. Krynica, Poland, to Written By Jim Fraser, Kintail Mountain Rescue. Delegates Stuart Johnston, Tayside Mountain Rescue & MRCofS Jim Fraser, Kintail Mountain Rescue Ken Marsden, Glencoe Mountain Rescue. Jim Fraser, Kintail Mountain Rescue Team Page 2 of 7

3 Table of Contents 1 Introduction Workshop Workshop - Air - PZL W-3A Sokoł Workshop - Air - Eurocopter EC135 Ambulance Air Commission Accident Reports Austria Canada France Norway USA Rescues France Norway Human External Cargo (HEC) Shock Loads Personal Carrying Device Systems (PCDS) Downdraught Night Vision Imaging Systems (NVIS) Cost Of Mission Summary...7 Jim Fraser, Kintail Mountain Rescue Team Page 3 of 7

4 1 Introduction The proceedings took place over four and a half days. This commenced with arrival administration and briefing on the afternoon and evening of Tuesday 2 nd October and ended with joint sessions on Saturday 6 th October. The Air Commission conducted its business in eight sessions across two days, 4 th and 5 th October. The congress concluded with joint sessions of all commissions, Terrestrial, Avalanche, Air and Medical. Air commission proceeding were conducted in English except for one presentation in French that was translated into English by the Canadian member. The joint session of the commissions was in English, French, German and Polish and translations were provided on wireless headsets. 2 Workshop On Wednesday 3 rd October, there were four outdoor demonstrations in the morning and four in the afternoon. The morning demonstrations were overhanging cliff rescue, cellular phone detection, motorised rope climber and A-frame lower with Dyneema rope. The afternoon demonstrations were cellular phone alert system, static helicopters, A-frame lower and cableways. 2.1 Workshop - Air - PZL W-3A Sokoł This is made by part of Agusta Westland in Poland. It is a 6.4 tonne helicopter with good mountain flying characteristics that has been in service with the Polish armed forces, coastguard, police and border guards since the 1980s. Aircraft used for rescue may be from any of those agencies but the border guards often fly mountain rescue operations. The aircraft operator provides the flight crew and mountain rescue provides the rear crew. The aircraft is fitted with a hoist and also a double hook rail for Human External Cargo (HEC). Hoisting, longlining and abseiling are used during rescue operations. 2.2 Workshop - Air - Eurocopter EC135 Ambulance This is the same aircraft type that is used by the Scottish Air Ambulance air wing. This Polish example from the ambulance service LPR had accommodation and equipment broadly similar to that seen in Scotland. The exception was the addition of a rail for Human External Cargo and provisions for fitting a hoist. New procedures for HEC were shown in a later presentation. 3 Air Commission Flying and rescue representatives attended from Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Montenegro, Norway, Poland, Scotland, Slovenia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States of America. These included pilots, operations inspector, rear crew and rescuers. Two manufacturers, from England and Switzerland, were also represented. 3.1 Accident Reports Austria, Canada, France, Greece, Italy, Norway, Sweden and the USA presented accident and nearmiss reports. These reports included blade strike, walking into blade, wire strike, hoist wire failure, tail rotor control failure, downdraught, Human External Cargo (HEC) and a winchman not clipped in to the hoist. Summaries of some of these reports are provided below. Particular concern was expressed about accidents involving Human External Cargo. A Norwegian member encouraged members not to fixate on the helicopter as the only rescue solution. Jim Fraser, Kintail Mountain Rescue Team Page 4 of 7

5 3.1.1 Austria Three persons in a party of eight fell into a crevasse at 3400m. An AS350 and an MD902 were dispatched to the scene. A casualty was head-down, 40m down the crevasse and dead. On the following day, in winds 50km/h gusting 160km/h, two helicopters attend and both turn back. A third helicopter is dispatched. The pilot had not been passed a message about conditions on-scene. He was carrying three persons on a longline. He lost visual references and jettisoned the rope believing the persons are on, or very near, the ground. They fell from 5m (some separate reports state 10m) and all are injured, two seriously, one of whom later dies. Management coercion to fly is believed to have played a part in this accident Canada A training flight was delayed by weather (snow). With only the pilot onboard, the AS350 took off vertically in the confined space and rose about 25m before crashing. The Pilot was killed instantly. A final report is awaited. Engine snow ingestion is believed to be the cause France An EC145 of the Sécurité Civile was attempting the rescue of three climbers from about 4000m using a hoist. The first climber was unclipped from a belay rope that was around a boulder and clipped to the hoist by the rescuer. When lifting these two persons, a small secondary hook on the back of the main hook entangled the belay rope and all four persons were on the hoist wire. Engine alarms sounded in the aircraft and the pilot had to decide whether to cut the hoist and probably kill all four persons or attempt to regain control as he rapidly descended to a more manageable altitude. He landed all persons safely at a site 400m below Norway Just as the hoist was starting to take-in, the winchman realised that he was not attached to the hook. He grabbed the hook and, throwing his leg around the person in the strop, stood in the strop handle. He reached the aircraft without further incident USA Four climbers had fallen and three were stretcher cases. A Chinook arrived on-scene and started winching casualties. One casualty had been winched up and the stretcher was lowered again. A climber went to try to retrieve it and fell over 700m to his death. The cause is believed to be downdraught. 3.2 Rescues Summaries of some of the rescue presentations are provided below France An unconscious casualty, from a party of four, was hanging in a harness on the Dent du Geant. In a night operation, partly under NVG, at over 4000m, the Gendarmerie deployed rescuers to the top of the tooth in an EC145. Rescuers retrieved the party to the snow platform 300m below where a medical camp had been established and the aircraft landed there to evacuate the casualties to a nearby hut at 2500m where a medical base had been established. A hoist was used but rescuers were hoisted out before arrival and final deployment was done in the fashion of longline. Eleven such hoist operations were necessary Norway A Sea King SAR aircraft of the RoNAF was asked to do a fly-by to look for missing climbers (Alpine Rescue Group members) on Fjordcruise on the Kjeragveggen. They were spotted hanging on a rope below a missing large flake. Their temperatures were checked with the infra-red camera. Members of the Alpine Rescue Group deployed to establish a rescue rope before darkness. Jim Fraser, Kintail Mountain Rescue Team Page 5 of 7

6 On the second day, the aircraft deployed hoisting points for Super Longline. Low cloud and icing prevented completion. Instrument flying, special visual flying on radar, and flying under power lines was necessary to enable a return to base in the early afternoon. On the third day the recovery was completed. Super Longline uses a rope extension to the winch wire so that the aircraft can remain above high obstructions. Guide lines, rather like highlines, are used by rescuers on the cliff to help control the extension rope. Methods for release, or cutting, of these lines are vital to the safety of the technique.the second winch is used to operate an ascender that pulls up the rope extension so that the stretcher can be recovered to the door. 3.3 Human External Cargo (HEC) Human External Cargo encompasses a number of techniques. For alpine rescue, it often involves longlining techniques when one or more persons are hanging from a fixed line below the aircraft. North Americans tend to use the Canadian term short haul for the same technique. The line may be attached to the cargo hook or to a rail fitted to the side of the aircraft. The distance below the aircraft varies from one practitioner to another, and to suit the terrain, but is typically 30 metres. Some operate with 180m. Lowering on a winch/hoist before approaching the deployment site is a similar technique and involves many of the same risks though the regulations are different. A number of HEC accidents or near misses were presented to the commission. No figures were presented that would enable an objective assessment of the accident rate. The measures used to minimise our time on the wire during Helicopter Hoist Operations (HHO) are clearly taken extremely seriously by all UK helicopter providers. Those accustomed to that regime may find the format of alpine rescue HEC deeply concerning. The President of the Air Commission expressed concern about the fatal HEC accidents that had occurred and encouraged members to pay close attention to HEC safety. 3.4 Shock Loads Several presentations addressed shock loading of hoist and HEC cables. Results of an assessment of the loads on the human body were also presented. It was shown that cables can be shock loaded to breaking point remarkably easily. Drops as small as 100mm were shown to be potentially catastrophic. However, in practice the hoist mountings and the aircraft s air cushion reduce the effect. It was also shown that the loads that are acceptable on the human body prevent us from increasing the strength of the cable. Dynamic devices such as slipping clutches in hoist drives and shock absorbing elements such as dynamic rope for longlining are an effective solution. This type of equipment is already available. 3.5 Personal Carrying Device Systems (PCDS) This refers to the harness or strop used to suspend a person below the aircraft. At present each item must be approved for each aircraft type. Climbing harnesses belonging to rescuers are already used in many countries. Some countries use the casualty s climbing harness for winching or longlining from an incident site. Members have been asked to provide details of devices and aircraft used. This is to help to persuade EASA to provide a derogation that allows any CE-marked climbing harnesses to be used without further approval processes. 3.6 Downdraught The Chinook incident reported by the USA prompted a discussion about downdraught. This can also be referred to as downwash or outwash. The President has undertaken to ask helicopter manufacturers for downdraught diagrams so that solutions and mitigation can be assessed. Jim Fraser, Kintail Mountain Rescue Team Page 6 of 7

7 3.7 Night Vision Imaging Systems (NVIS) NVIS is used by many of the countries represented. Some differences in approach according to Latitude was detectable. Members have been asked to provide information about the use of NVIS for rescue flying. 3.8 Cost Of Mission Members have been asked to provide information about the cost of missions. 4 Summary This was a good event and produced useful information about downdraught, night vision systems, hoists, human external cargo, carrying systems, regulatory matters and aircraft types. Discussions outside of the commission sessions produced further information about regulatory matters, training regimes and carrying devices. These discussions continue. Several of these subjects are particularly relevant to Scottish MR at a time when our aeronautical support is about to undergo great change. Other subjects, such as human external cargo, can help us to reassess the deployment model that has been the UK norm since the 1950s. The main theme for IKAR 2013 in Croatia will be Terrestrial and Air working together. At the Air Commission, human external cargo and the interface with terrestrial rescue will be the main topics. Night vision and downdraught are part of ongoing work by members and can be expected to form part of proceedings at the next congress. There will be a practical day on the terrestrial and air theme and there is expected to be flying time. For the UK, what is planned for IKAR 2013 is a great gift. By then, all the new UK SAR helicopter contracts will have been signed, the Gap contract will be operational and the Main contractor(s) will probably have signed contracts for the purchase of new aircraft. Terrestrial and air collaboration, which is key to the success of the UK SAR Helicopter Service will be the congress theme. The Croatians use medium-sized helicopters for a mix of maritime and land SAR just as the British do. Downdraught and night vision are very much on the table. The timing and the content are never going to be better than this. Not only do we have to be there but also we have to take others there from amongst our aeronautical partners in the local SAR family. At a minimum, we should try to have representatives from Bristow and the main contractor(s). Considerable opportunities also exist for useful future engagement with our neighbours in Norway. Jim Fraser, Kintail Mountain Rescue Team Page 7 of 7