Sky Capt. Greybeard

From the preliminary ATSB report, an extract; "At 1224, the helicopter departed Macs Cove to return to the scene. On arrival the crew noted that some trees had been cleared to create a larger winching area and that the patient had been moved to this area. After about 5 minutes the paramedic signalled to the crew that he was ready to winch and the crew positioned the helicopter over the winching area in an approximately 80 ft hover, about 20 ft above the tree canopy. Initially the winching procedure appeared to proceed normally. The aircrewman reported that the paramedic appeared to have his arms and legs wrapped around the patient, as is the normal procedure. When the paramedic and patient were approximately 30–40 ft above the ground, the aircrewman noticed that they had moved towards the edge of the winch area and close to the upper branches of the trees. The paramedic stated that he came in contact with the branches and had to use both hands to fend off as he came through the tree canopy. The helicopter was moved back and right about 5 ft and the winch continued. The aircrewman reported that once the paramedic and patient were clear of the canopy, at about 15 ft below the aircraft, he noticed that the patient was moving or wriggling. The aircrewman stopped the winch for a control check, and shortly after resuming the winch noticed that the patient’s arms were not in the usual position in the strop and that the paramedic appeared to be shouting at the patient. The aircrewman elected to continue winching in, and informed the pilot that the patient was slipping. As the paramedic and patient reached the height of the helicopter’s right skid-landing gear, the paramedic was facing the helicopter and the patient was facing outwards. The paramedic reported attempting to pin the patient against the skid in an attempt to stop him slipping. The aircrewman continued winching until the paramedic’s head was level with the middle of the door opening. At this stage the aircrewman informed the pilot that he could see the patient slipping further. He dropped the winch pendant and reached down, grabbing the patient’s shoulder in an attempt to stop his fall. The aircrewman stated that by this stage the patient appeared to be unresponsive and limp. Despite the crew’s efforts, the patient slipped out of the strop and fell to the ground, sustaining fatal injuries. Preliminary investigations indicate that the aircraft, winch and rescue equipment were serviceable at the time of the accident, and that the crew were qualified to carry out the task. " Refer ATSB AO-2013-136

From today's Herald Sun; A PARAMEDIC grabbed an injured hunter's shoulder in a vain attempt to stop him slipping to his death as the man was winched up to a helicopter. Robert Davis, 68, slid out of the rescue harness and fell about 30 metres to his death during the August 31 rescue from dense bushland. A preliminary Australian Transport Safety Bureau report found Mr Davis was "limp and unresponsive" when being winched up to the chopper. The bureau has issued a safety warning to rescue crews that a patient's size, weight and medical condition, and the potential to slip out of the harness, should be taken into consideration, and "may indicate that other recovery options offer reduced risk". Air Ambulance Victoria is exploring alternatives to the current rescue strop. The report said the paramedic on the ground and the aircrew could not get the portable radio to work and had to communicate using hand signals. The Sydney man, who was believed to weigh more than 100kg, had been hunting in dense woodland at Macs Cove, near Lake Eildon, when he broke his ankle on August 31. He was less than 1.5km from the nearest road but the terrain was steep, so the crew tried to winch him to safety. In a winch rescue, the paramedic travels with the patient, wrapping his arms and legs around his charge. The report said at 10-15 metres, the pair came too close to trees and the paramedic had to use both hands to fend off the branches. When they were clear of the trees, the aircrew noticed the patient was moving or wriggling and his arms were not in the usual position in the strop. The paramedic appeared to be shouting at him. Mr Davis began to slip out of his harness. The paramedic on the winch tried to pin him against the chopper's skid to stop him. When he was within an arm's length the chopper crewman grabbed Mr Davis. He was limp and unresponsive, but it remains unclear whether he suffered a medical problem during the rescue or whether this was related to how he was slipping from the harness. The report said the patient fell to the ground, suffering fatal injuries. The ATSB report found the aircraft, winch and equipment were working, there were no organisational or systemic problems, and the crew were qualified for the rescue. It will now focus on the rescue strop design and its "potential limitations" for patients of some weights. It will also look at medical problems that could arise during winching. AV chief executive Greg Sassella said equipment, including radios, had been checked and cleared and use of hand signals during winching was common. He expressed his condolences to the family. AV, the State Coroner and WorkSafe are each conducting separate inquiries. [email protected]

Well done to 'Head in the Clouds' for some facts on this issue. Single line winching is the Australian standard, and believe it or not Kaz3g, the rescue strop is the industry standard. If we look at this terrible incident, it appears the problem may have occurred when the patient was transferred from the door into the cabin. Unlike smaller aircraft such as the BK117, the 412 doesn't have a winch boom. This means that the distance of the winch cable from the door must be sufficient for the winch load to miss the skids. In the 412, it can seem a long way between the cable and the door when your hanging by your harness with a patient in distress in the rescue strop. When the patient is winched to the door, careful coordination is required between the rescue crewman and winch operator to get the patient on board. A common technique is for the rescue crewman is to ascend with the patient in the strop, secured between the legs. This enables the legs of the crewman to grip the waist of the patient, and this helps the crewman maintain close contact. The crewman can then use one or both arms on the way up to keep the patients elbows down, ensuring they stay within the strop. Once at the door, the crewman will grab a hand hold in the doorway and thrust with the hips, pushing the patient into the doorway. The winch operator will grab a handle on the back of the rescue strop, and together they will drag the patient on board and secure by seatbelt or wander lead prior to unhooking the winch cable. It appears that in this tragic incident, a major fault has occurred in this procedure. There has been a lot of speculation in the professional fields, and my guess is that the size and injury to the patient have made the transition in the doorway more difficult. The aim of the rescue crewman is to get the tailbone of the patient over the edge of the floor when the patient is thrust in with the hips. If the tailbone is on the floor, then the winch operator can slide the patient along the floor relatively easily. If the tailbone of the patient is below the edge of the helicopter floor, the lower half to the patient hangs outside and a great deal of effort is needed to correct this. This is due the curvature of the spine above the buttocks. If the patient has a broken ankle, then the patient is obviously in pain or on medication, and the crew cannot rely on the patient's assistance in the rescue. I am waiting to see what the official investigation produces, and my thoughts are with the crews who have undoubtedly replayed this tragedy over and over again. My backseat second-guessing will be no help to anyone involved in the incident, but I am sure that the lessons learned will help the entire industry improve a practice that in inherently dangerous by necessity. And to 'Gnarly Gnu', stay under you rock, you cretin. Hopefully Darwinian theory is at work and your pathological ignorance has prevented you from breeding.

You got the height restriction correct, Kyle. It's in CASR 101. Surely that is the real safety issue? Please keep us all updated on this. Thanks.