Atsb transport safety report
Differences between operation types and fixed/rotary-wing accidents
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Differences between operation types and fixed/rotary-wing accidentsThere is significant variability when comparing the accident rate of aeroplanes and helicopters by operation type (Table 23). There were no high or low capacity regular public transport (RPT) helicopter aircraft operations in Australia during the period 2002 to 2011. Table 23: Accidents, fatal accidents, and number of fatalities by operation type and aircraft type, 2002 to 201112
CharterCharter aeroplanes and helicopters have similar accident rates (35 versus 40 accidents per million hours flown over the last 10 years). Year-on-year comparisons between charter aeroplane and helicopter accidents show greater fluctuations in the helicopter accidents rates, as the total number of charter helicopter accidents is small (30 between 2002 and 2011). Fatal accidents over the last 10 years in charter helicopter operations are lower (as a proportion of total flying activity) than for fixed-wing aeroplanes (2.5 versus 3.9 per million hours flown). Correspondingly, there were fewer fatalities in charter helicopter accidents (13) than in charter aeroplane accidents (22). However, when corrected for flying activity, the number of fatalities per million hours flown was higher for charter helicopters than for charter aeroplanes (15.7 versus 5.5 per million hours flown). This indicates that while more fixed-wing charter aircraft were involved in fatal accidents, they tended to have either less people on board or were more survivable for some of the occupants than those accidents involving helicopters. Aerial workWhen the accident rate in aeroplanes and helicopters performing any type of aerial work was compared, the helicopter accident rate (about 81 per million hours flown) was higher than the aeroplane rate (about 70 accidents per million hours flown). There are, however, significant differences in the types of aerial work that are performed by fixed-wing aircraft, and that performed by rotary-wing aircraft. For example, about 75 per cent of agricultural hours are flown by fixed-wing aircraft. As a result, aerial agriculture (as a sub category of aerial work) to some extent skews the accident rate for aeroplanes. 
Wirestrike, Robinson R22 Beta II helicopter (VH-HSW), 90 km SW of Cunnamulla, Queensland (AO-2011-080) (image courtesy of Queensland Police) The fatal accident rate in aerial work for helicopters (about 13 per million hours flown) is similar to the aeroplane fatal accident rate (slightly over 9 per million hours). Aeroplanes and helicopters perform a similar number of hours in aerial work – in 2010, about 195,000 hours were flown by fixed-wing aircraft, and about 210,000 hours by rotary-wing aircraft. In the last 10 years, less people were killed in aerial work accidents involving helicopters than those involving aeroplanes. The number of fatalities per million hours flown was also lower for helicopters (8.8) than for aeroplanes (17.6). Flying trainingHelicopters performing flying training were involved in a lot more accidents that fixed-wing flying training aircraft. The average rotary-wing accident rate in the 2002 to 2010 period was 95.5 accidents per million hours flown, which was more than double the rate of aeroplanes (36.7 accidents per million hours). Most flying training is done in fixed-wing aircraft – in 2010, almost 400,000 hours (compared with 44,000 for helicopters). The fatal accident rate in helicopters performing flying training was six times higher than for aeroplanes. The rate of fatalities per million hours flown was even higher (3 fatalities per million hours for aeroplanes, compared with 19 for helicopters). Given the limited number of people on board training flights, this suggests that fixed-wing training accidents were generally more survivable than helicopter training accidents. A review of the fatal accidents involving helicopters involved in flying training since 2002 found that most involved a loss of control from a hover, or a catastrophic failure in-flight (such as the loss of rotor blade) – both situations where the accident is highly likely to be uncontrolled. In comparison, fatal accidents involving fixed-wing flying training aircraft often involved collisions with other aircraft or objects. In many of these cases, the aircraft were able to conduct a forced landing. In the last 10 years, 18 people were killed in flight training accidents (7 in helicopters, and 11 in fixed wing aircraft).
Helicopters also had a higher fatal accident rate, with about twice as many fatal accidents involving helicopters than aeroplanes when corrected for flying activity (32 versus 17 fatal accidents per million hours flown); however, for the 15 fatal helicopter accidents in private/business operations between 2002 and 2010, there were 18 fatalities. In comparison with this figure, private/business aeroplanes had 56 fatal accidents, but 117 fatalities. In other words, there were more fatalities in an aeroplane accident than in a helicopter accident. The difference in the number of accidents between helicopters and aeroplanes is reflective of the difference in their use in private and business flying – in 2010, private/business fixed-wing aircraft flew about 323,000 hours, whereas helicopters flew for only 60,000 hours of private and business use. 
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