Wednesday, March 31st, 2010
The IAGSA Safety Policy Manual (SPM) is currently undergoing a complete review by various member committees. The rewrite and amendments are scheduled for completion late in 2010.
The following amendment to the CRM section will be incorporated in that amendment.
CREW RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Airborne geophysical survey operations are typically conducted in challenging environments remote from the direct support infrastructure and resources of the operator’s home base. The temporary nature of field bases and the relatively small teams assigned to a survey underscores the vital safety role for every person assigned to the survey project and the need for a team approach to ensure safety is maintained. The implementation of Crew Resource Management (CRM) principles by aircrew has been recognised for many years as an essential element of the safety equation and increasingly it is being applied to maintenance and other ground activities. The use of CRM principles by all crew members on a survey project is an effective means to engage everyone in maintaining the safety of the operation.
Operators provide Crew Resource Management training for all crew members assigned to survey operations including: geophysicists; pilots; equipment operators; maintenance engineers; field technicians and field support staff at intervals not exceeding two years.
Friday, March 6th, 1998
A Piper Navajo, PK-TPP operated by Indonesian Air Transport on contract to World Geoscience crashed while on a survey flight killing the two pilots and the equipment operator. The accident occurred near Pelembang, Southern Surmatra.
The accident is currently being investigated and more details will be provided as they become available.
Monday, February 2nd, 1998
A helicopter chartered by World Geoscience Indonesia (WGI) crashed killing the two people on board, the pilot and a WGI employee. The helicopter (LAMA) was completing a magnetic/radiometric survey a short distance from Medan in North Sumatra. It is not known whether the aircraft was on survey at the time of the accident when it appears to have hit power lines.
The accident is currently being investigated and more details will be provided as they become available.
Friday, November 7th, 1997
On November 7, 1997 during final approach following a seven-hour survey, a Cessna 404 Titan operated by Geoterrex made an emergency landing 3.7 nm short of the runway at its base in the Egyptian desert. There were two persons on board, the pilot and an equipment operator. There were no injuries and the aircraft can be repaired.
The emergency landing was carried out after both engines quit, apparently due to fuel starvation.
The investigation continues into the cause(s) of the accident.
Tuesday, October 7th, 1997
An American registered AS 315B operating, under contract to one of our members, in the Mochis area of Mexico took off from Mazatlan on a ferry flight to Yencora with instructions to refuel in Obregon. There were only the pilot and engineer on board. En route, the pilot decided he had enough fuel to reach his destination and by passed Obregon. He was forced to deviate for weather resulting in two unplanned refuelling stops, both times with the low fuel light on. The engineer, himself a 4500 hr. pilot, decided to stay on the ground after the second refuelling stop.
On the third attempt to reach his destination, Yencora, it appears that the aircraft ran out of fuel and the pilot carried out an autorotation severely damaging the helicopter. The pilot walked away without injury and the equipment in the helicopter was not damaged by the accident.
The accident is still under investigation, with the investigation focussed on the reasons for the pilot’s questionable behaviour.
Tuesday, September 30th, 1997
World Geoscience Corporation regrets to advise that (2) of the company’s staff from the Picodas Prague office were killed along with the pilot in the Czech Republic on the 30th September at 11.15 at a location called KOZI HRBETY. They were returning to Prague via Liberec from a test range area in the North of the country in a Polish Kania twin engine helicopter, when they encountered low visibility and crashed into a mountain. An engineer flying with them was thrown from the helicopter and survived with a broken pelvis. The accident occurred at an altitude of 1400 meters and approximately 100 meters below the summit.
The Safety Manual has now been amended taking into account the recommended practices coming out of the Cape Town meeting and subsequently approved by the Executive Committee. The initial draft version of the manual that was on this site has now been updated to correspond to the hard copy.