On June 11, 1931, Marinello Nelli, Italian test pilot and the only aircraft occupant, was killed in Rome while operating Corradino D’Ascanio’s D’AT3 prototype. This event has the dubious honor of being one of the earliest recorded fatal helicopter crashes.
On June 11, 1955, ironically 34 years later, competitive motorsport suffered what remains its deadliest mass fatality accident during the 24-hour Le Mans motor race in France. Driver Pierre Levegh and 80+ spectators were killed, with over 100 suffering non-fatal injuries.
So why the comparison between motorsport and aviation, and more specifically, helicopter aviation? I admit it. It was an attempt to capture your interest with something other than the usual wonky safety statistics. But more importantly, there are in fact several uncanny similarities and regrettable differences between the two industries regarding the history of evolution and adoption of safety-enhancing technologies and risk reduction strategies. I’ll focus on a couple.
Tragedy Driving Change
Like many industries shaped by technological advancement, humans paid a heavy toll during the early years of aviation and motorsport. We share an unfortunate bond between tragic loss and technological advances intended to prevent repeat tragedies. The grim adage often attributed to aviation, “Safety regulations are written in blood” can also be applied to motorsport. There are numerous examples to illustrate this point, dating back to some of our first milestones in the air and on the track. Early airframe and vehicle designs consisted of highly flammable, combustible, volatile, and toxic materials that ultimately resulted in significant loss of life in several high-profile accidents, including the 1955 Le Mans crash and the 1937 Hindenburg disaster in Lakehurst, NJ. As these hard lessons were learned engineers and regulators scrambled to design and codify protection and survival systems for drivers, spectators, and aircraft occupants.
In modern times many in the aviation safety sector refer to charts like the ones below to illustrate safety success stories when correlating reduced accident rates to technological, management, and behavioral improvements. US helicopter accident rates have followed a similar encouraging trajectory for several decades after the fielding of several safety-enhancing technologies and implementation of targeted safety programs, policies, and procedures.
Elevated Risk – Do Our Investments Match?
Operating at the leading edge of human and technical performance is not cheap. We can do more, or spend more, to mitigate the risk, yet some risk usually remains. Motorsport and vertical aviation have historically accepted higher levels of residual risk. There is, however, a limit on how much one may be willing to invest to eliminate more risk to achieve optimal safety and performance.
As our first Apollo astronauts bluntly explained in the film adaptation of the The Right Stuff, “Funding makes this bird go up. That’s right. No bucks, no Buck Rodgers.”
The lengths that motorsport and helicopter aviation are willing to go “buying down” risk is where we start to see notable differences.
In vertical aviation, for instance. Once the initial investment in the design, development, and certification of a new helicopter is complete, the heavy financial lift is largely complete. The downstream costs for safety upgrades and special type certifications are often shouldered by the owners and operators unless an FAA mandate is incentivized through grant funding. While high-performing and well-resourced helicopter operators are beginning to reap the benefits of emerging safety-enhancing technologies and programs, most smaller operators remain on the sidelines. Adoption of enhanced flight management systems, health usage and flight data monitoring, flight operations quality assurance, and fatigue tracking systems are slowly increasing in popularity, but most helicopter operators have far to go before achieving risk management parity with commercial air carriers.
Motorsport has clearly outpaced vertical aviation in its funding to reduce risk and achieve peak performance. Formula One in particular spares no expense, but that did not happen overnight. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s serious injury or death was commonplace. Common sense safety solutions like seatbelts, full-face helmets, and improved track barriers were reluctantly accepted after repeated grisly accidents that forced action. Even the proven life-saving halo cockpit protection device was widely ridiculed by top F1 drivers like Lewis Hamilton who in 2016 said, “This is the worst-looking device in F1 history…I’d rather just trust the existing protocols.” After driver Roman Grosjean’s 2020 Bahrain crash, he acknowledged from his hospital bed, “I wasn’t for the Halo some years ago, but I think it’s the greatest thing we brought to Formula 1, and without it I wouldn’t be here today.” Hamilton also came around after the Bahrain crash, admitting, “…no one can now doubt the validity of that…it was a lifesaver.” But when we link safety with performance, the financial picture changes dramatically.
In 2019, the Mercedes’ F1 program reportedly spent close to $450 million during that season alone. With present-day cost caps in place, each F1 team is now limited to a paltry $135 million per season with some added allowances for engines, salaries, and non-race-related expenses. Imagine the possibilities if the global helicopter industry were funded in a similar manner. Although a question remains, how many would accept the help?
Many helicopter owners and operators still refuse to invest in proven safety technologies or even occupant safety. Crashworthy fuel systems and seat structures remain on shelves collecting dust in OEM warehouses waiting for someone to buy them. Deemed too uncomfortable or inconvenient for many pilots, helmets, visors, and flame-resistant clothing are traditionally used only by military, public safety, and air medical operators. Ask any accident investigator how they feel about arriving on scene at a survivable-impact crash only to witness needless fatalities due to the absence of widely available occupant protection systems and equipment.
Volunteers Making a Difference
Absent charity on the F1 scale or major regulatory change, the US Helicopter Safety Team (USHST) has stepped forward to help fill the gap with a growing and committed group of volunteers.
The USHST is comprised solely of dedicated volunteers representing the US government and industry stakeholders. Its mission is to develop, deliver, and promote valuable safety resources focused on improving the US helicopter community’s safety culture and performance.
Motorsport also relies heavily on volunteers. Since the beginning of Formula One, for instance, volunteer marshals have helped facilitate safe operations. They are usually the first on scene after an accident, giving first aid, supporting fire safety, and can be seen waving yellow and blue flags to warn drivers of upcoming hazards.
While USHST volunteers are not placing themselves in harm’s way responding to hazards like an F1 Marshal, they do indeed “wave the yellow flag” by developing and delivering targeted helicopter safety enhancements that can help prevent a repeat of the most common fatal helicopter accidents.
Call to Action
History in motorsport and aviation continues to reinforce the same painful lessons. We don’t need to suffer another preventable fatal accident to drive meaningful action. Yet that often seems to be the path we have chosen. Proven safety technologies and human performance solutions already exist. We have the knowledge, skills, and abilities. The question is, do we have the will to act decisively, without waiting for the next tragedy to force our hand?
I’m hopeful. Just as motorsport has transformed much of its safety culture through persistence and investment, we too can commit the resources, partnerships, and leadership necessary to protect every pilot, passenger, and crew member who entrusts their lives to vertical aviation. Our response must be deliberate, decisive, and immediate. It may be a lofty USHST vision, but getting each helicopter flight to the finish line with zero fatalities is a vision we can all live with.