Welcome to the Spring 2025 US Helicopter Safety Team e-newsletter!
We sincerely appreciate your time and participation with the US Helicopter Safety Team. If you are first joining us or participate regularly, we are excited to have you as a member of the team and hope you will take advantage of your USHST resources. If you would like to share your experiences & feedback, please visit us at https://ushst.org/join-ushst/ or let us know if you would be interested in volunteering.
The USHST is comprised of experienced, dedicated volunteers from across our industry who are committed to eliminating fatal accidents. Our volunteers are from the helicopter OEMs, flight schools, FAA, NTSB, and industry advocacy groups, led by VAI – Vertical Aviation International. We’ve all come together to reduce accidents in our helicopter community. The USHST also participates with the Vertical Aviation Safety Team (VAST), which consists of international regional helicopter safety teams, which we are part of.
Most recently, we have witnessed several tragic events involving fatal helicopter accidents.
- March 15, 2025 – Danville, VA – The pilot had completed a sightseeing flight but elected to make a precautionary landing when “fog…restricted inflight visibility.” Witness video and photos show the helicopter departing into murky, low-visibility conditions, and the non-instrument-rated pilot entered instrument meteorological conditions shortly before impact. On-scene examination revealed no preimpact mechanical failures, pointing to spatial disorientation or loss of visual reference in fog as the initiating factor. – (1) Fatality
- April 10, 2025 – Hudson River at Jersey City, NJ – A fatal in-flight breakup over the Hudson River, involving a Bell 206L-4 Long Ranger on a sightseeing flight around New York City. Tragically, all six onboard (a family of five tourists and the pilot) were killed. (6) Fatalities
- March 10, 2025 – Madison, Mississippi – Air Care 3, a Eurocopter Deutschland EC 135 P2+ air-medical helicopter, crashed into a wooded swamp near Ross R. Barnett Reservoir. The aircraft was destroyed by post-impact fire; the pilot and two crew members were fatally injured. (3) Fatalities
- May 23, 2025 – Roberts County (near Miami), Texas – A privately operated Robinson R44 Raven II light helicopter crashed off FM 2699 about 7.5 mi northwest of Miami, Texas; the sole occupant, 31-year-old pilot Travis Chester, was killed. (1) Fatality
Statistics
Lee Roskop from the FAA’s Aviation Safety Coordinator (Rotorcraft) AIR-723 has compiled the following statistics for your review.
Monthly Summary
April Totals: 5 accidents, 1 fatal accident, 6 fatalities
- The 5 accidents were the lowest for the month of April since FY15 and only the third time in the 43 FYs on record with 5 or less accidents during April.
- The 6 fatalities all occurred in a single accident (air tour/sightseeing flight).
- The fatality total was the highest for the month of April since FY06 and only the fourth time in the 43 FYs on record with more than 5 fatalities during the month of April.
Monthly Summary
April Totals: 5 accidents, 1 fatal accident, 6 fatalities
- The 5 accidents were the lowest for the month of April since FY15 and only the third time in the 43 FYs on record with 5 or less accidents during April.
- The 6 fatalities all occurred in a single accident (air tour/sightseeing flight).
- The fatality total was the highest for the month of April since FY06 and only the fourth time in the 43 FYs on record with more than 5 fatalities during the month of April.
FY25 Summary
FY25 Totals: 49 accidents, 13 fatal accidents, 30 fatalities
Accidents (includes both fatal & non-fatal accidents):
- The FY25 estimated accident rate for Oct-Apr was 2.97 per 100K hours (4% lower than the same period in FY24 and 5% lower than the 5-year average for the same period).
- 31% of the accidents so far in FY25 have been in the personal/private industry sector, a percentage two times higher than the next closest industry sector.
- Distribution of accidents by Operating Part for FY25 through April was:
- Part 91 – 61%, Part 133 – 4%, Part 135 – 14%, Part 137 – 8%. Remaining accidents: 4% operated as public aircraft and 8% operated outside the U.S.
Fatal Accidents:
- The FY25 estimated fatal accident rate for Oct-Apr was 0.79 per 100K hours (59% higher than the same period in FY24 and 18% higher than the 5-year average for the same period).
- Industry sectors with more than one fatal accident from Oct – Apr were: Personal/Private (5 total), Helicopter Air Ambulance (2 total), Air Tour/Sightseeing (2 total, both operated Part 91)
- Distribution of fatal accidents by Operating Part for FY25 through April was:
- Part 91 – 54%, Part 133 – 0%, Part 135 – 15%, Part 137 – 8%. Remaining fatal accidents: 8% operated as public aircraft and 15% operated outside the U.S.
Fatalities:
- The FY25 estimated fatality rate for Oct-Apr was 1.82 per 100K hours (73% higher than the same period in FY24, 26% higher than the 5-year average for the same period).
- The consecutive months of March and April together accounted for 12 fatalities, the highest two-month fatality total since July and August of 2023 (14 fatalities).
- 27% of the rotorcraft accidents from Oct – Apr had a fatality. The percentage would be the highest on record if it continues through the end of the FY.
- Distribution of fatalities by Operating Part for FY25 through April was:
- Part 91 – 60%, Part 133 – 0%, Part 135 – 20%, Part 137 – 3%. Remaining fatalities: 3% on public aircraft and 13% on aircraft operated outside the U.S.
U.S. Helicopter Safety Team (USHST) Calendar Year Metrics
The USHST’s 5-year goals for 2025-2029 are based on individual 14 CFR Operating Parts, tracked by the 5-year average fatal accident rates per 100K hours.
| 14 CFR Part | Baseline, CY2018-2022 (per 100K hours) | Goal, CY2025-2029 (per 100K hours) | Progress, CY2021-2025 (per 100K hours) |
| 91 | 0.81 | 0.73 (10% reduction) | 0.62 |
| 133 | 1.73 | 1.56 (10% reduction) | 0.40 |
| 135 | 0.33 | 0.17 (50% reduction) | 0.35 |
| 137 | 1.11 | 1.00 (10% reduction) | 1.50 |
USHST uses the following as conditions for the fatal accidents included in rate calculations.
- U.S. registered aircraft
- Operating in the U.S./U.S. territories (includes offshore)
- Not operating as Public Aircraft (public use)
USHST Peer Pilot Program
The USHST PPP is a volunteer peer-based program where a helicopter pilot dealing with a personal or professional issue can speak with an industry peer volunteer regarding a non-life-threatening mental well-being concern in their lives. The volunteers are experienced colleagues who share and understand the helicopter profession, identifying with the pressures and risks, both real and perceived, that both helicopter pilots and crew encounter. Completely confidential and free of charge.
Making Progress
We recently qualified several USHST Peer Pilot volunteers and are happy to welcome our first participants to the Peer Pilot Program. The program is at no cost to USHST members and does not involve the FAA, your medical, or your employer. NO cost, NO risk, and NO judgment. You can go directly to the USHST Peer Pilot Program website—https://www.ushstpeer.org/, reach us from the USHST.org webpage, or through the Hughes App (Download here: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/hughes-app/id1491944548).
The USHST Foundation
The USHST Foundation has been created to accept donations to fund projects and services such as the Peer Pilot Program. As a community, we can purchase official USHST-branded merchandise here: https://vaigiftstore.com/ushst/
All proceeds directly fund USHST programs.
Official USHST-branded merchandise consists of a variety of apparel and collectible items, including a limited-edition USHST Challenge Coin!
Modern Skies Coalition
USHST has recently joined the Modern Skies Coalition to promote FAA modernization and safety. You can learn more about this important advocacy at: https://modernskies.com/
The FAA Rotorcraft Collective
The USHST and the FAA’s Rotorcraft Collective have been working on several videos to enhance safety. The most recent installment features our Peer Pilot Mental Health Program, sponsored by Airbus – Please check it out on YouTube.
Helicopter Safety Enhancements or HS-E’s
A summary report can be found here: https://ushst.org/h-se-details/
HS-E’s are one of the USHST’s cornerstone safety products. Each HS-E is a thoroughly researched document that is composed by subject matter experts to provide a depth of understanding about a specific topic. HS-E’s can also consist of white papers with recommended practices, calls to action, videos, posters, webinars, or checklists. CFI’s – these can be a great resource for your students! In each e-USHST Newsletter, we will examine one of the HS-E’s from the USHST library.
I’d like to introduce Crystal Klaas, Project Manager at Pulsar Informatics. She has led her team to develop HS-E 23-04 – Fatigue Working Group for Helicopters. You can learn more about their important work here https://ushst.pulsarinformatics.com/
The (FREE) HUGHES App
You can join the USHST and receive both a membership card as well as a free subscription to the Hughes App.
Download it here: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/hughes-app/id1491944548
