Welcome to the Winter 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, the USHST is publishing a quarterly eNewsletter, featuring safety tips, statistical data and shared experiences in our community. If you would like to share your experiences & feedback at https://ushst.org/join-ushst/ or let us know if you would be interested in volunteering or want to volunteer a friend!
The USHST is comprised of dedicated volunteers from industry and government who are committed to eliminating fatal accidents. Our volunteers are from the FAA, NTSB, and Vertical Aviation International, who have come together to reduce accidents in our community. The USHST also participates with the VAST – Vertical Aviation Safety Team, which consists of International Regional Safety Teams, which we are part of.
Most recently, we have witnessed two tragic events involving fatal accidents.
- A mid-air collision over the Potomac River between a US Army Blackhawk helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet on approach to Runway 33 at Regan Airport in Washington, D.C. There were no survivors.
- A MEDEVAC Lear 55 Air Ambulance that crashed within a minute of departing Runway 24 at Northeast Philadelphia Airport. All six on board and a person on the ground were lost in this accident.
None of these accidents are civilian helicopters, but the impacts are no less painful. As the investigations provide insights into these accidents, we want to focus on making our systems stronger and safer to compromise.
The USHST acknowledges and understands the impact on the crews operating on scene; the US Helicopter Safety Team would like to offer immediate Peer Pilot support to the Helicopter First Responders. We can be contacted at: safety@USHST.org
The USHST’s Peer Pilot Program will officially launch at VERTICON in Dallas, March 11-14, 2025. “Considering the recent tragedy involving a midair collision between AA 5342 and a US Army Blackhawk, The USHST is offering immediate support to the Helicopter First Responders, involved with the Potomac River Search, Rescue & Recovery efforts” according to Chris Baur, Chairman of the US Helicopter Safety Team Foundation. “I can understand from my own first hand experiences as a veteran SAR Pilot, the impact and sacrifices on a helicopter pilot & crewmember” said Baur.
About the 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.
End of Year & Monthly Summary (December 2024)
December Totals: 4 accidents, 1 fatal accident, 1 fatality
- For the 43 years on record, this was the fifth time for any December that there were less than 5 rotorcraft accidents during the month. Two of those five times have been in the past five years.
- Of the 4 accidents during the month, two involved the law enforcement industry segment. One of the two was fatal.
FY25 Summary
FY25 Totals: 17 accidents, 5 fatal accidents, 12 fatalities
Accidents (including both fatal & non-fatal accidents):
– The FY25 estimated accident rate for Oct-Dec was 2.51 per 100K hours (30% lower than the same period in FY24 and 30% lower than the 5-year average for the same period).
Fatal Accidents:
– The FY25 estimated fatal accident rate for Oct-Dec was 0.74 per 100K hours (24% higher than the same period in FY24 and 2% lower than the 5-year average for the same period).
Fatalities:
– The FY25 estimated fatality rate for Oct-Dec was 1.77 per 100K hours (98% higher than the same period in FY24, 28% higher than the 5-year average for the same period).
U.S. Helicopter Safety Team (USHST) Calendar Year Metrics
– The end of December 2024 marked the end of the USHST’s latest 5-year goal period (1/1/2020 – 12/31/2024).
– USHST’s 2020-2024 Goal: Reduce the 5-year average fatal accident rate to 0.55 per 100K hours by 2025.
– Based on the FAA’s forecast hours for CY2024, the estimated 5-year average fatal accident rate for CYs 2020-2024 was 0.62 per 100K hours.
– The single-year rates per 100K hours over the course of the 5 years progressed as follows:
- 2020: 0.79
- 2021: 0.76
- 2022: 0.58
- 2023: 0.58
- 2024: 0.44
– The CY2024 single-year rate of 0.44 was the lowest for the 25 calendar years on record where flight hours are available and 14% lower than the next lowest rate (0.51 in 2016). The CY2024 rate will be confirmed after the results from FAA’s GA Survey for 2024 are finalized (expected in late 2025).
– For the years used in the final rate calculation, the USHST used helicopter accidents that meet the following criteria:
- U.S. registered aircraft
- Operating in the U.S./U.S. territories (includes offshore)
USHST Foundation – Peer Pilot Mental Health Program
We recently selected eight volunteers to become the first USHST Peer Pilot Volunteers, who are currently in training. The USHST Peer Pilot Program will launch at VERTICON 2025. The USHST will host a Peer Pilot Mental Health Program on Tuesday, March 11, at 1:05p-1:55p at the VERTICON Connect in the C1 Ballroom.
Join the USHST & VAI for perhaps our most important Safety Town Hall, where we’ll focus on “rotor resilience” as we explore the importance of mental health across the vertical aviation industry. This event will delve into recognizing and responding to early signals of mental strain in ourselves and our colleagues’ signals that, if addressed early, can break fatal-accident chains.
We’ll also introduce the US Helicopter Safety Team Peer Pilot Program. This program offers anonymous, caring support from those who understand the unique pressures of the aviation industry. Whether you’re looking for someone to talk to or need guidance on the best pathways to mental wellness, this program is packed with heart-wrenching stories and lifesaving resources you won’t want to miss. The event will be held in the C1 Ballroom on Wednesday, March 12 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm.
New! 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/ and the proceeds will fund these programs. Official USHST branded merchandise consists of a variety of apparel, and collectable items including a limited edition USHST Challenge Coin!
The FAA Rotorcraft Collective
The USHST and the FAA’s Rotorcraft Collective have been working on several videos to enhance safety. The most recent is PED’s Can Cause Deadly Distractions. Please check it out!
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, or videos, posters, webinars, or checklists. CFIs—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.
The Helicopter Flying Handbook has been revised (2019) and is available along with the Helicopter Instructor’s Handbook and the FAR/AIM Files section in the Main Menu of the Hughes App. (See below for information to get your free subscription.). There is a new feature, Chat with your files, where you can Ask Howard questions and search content in these documents using AI.
There is also a Push to Talk Podcast –Volunteer Work In Aviation (And Why You Should Consider It)
You can join the USHST and receive both a Membership Card as well as a free subscription to the Hughes App https://apps.apple.com/us/app/hughes-app/id1491944548
You can learn more about the Hughes App collaboration with the USHST in this Airbus Podcast “Push to Talk” with Bruce Webb.
Thank you for your dedication to helicopter safety!
By: Chris Baur, Industry Chairman, US Helicopter Safety Team &
CEO, Hughes Aerospace Corp