Accidents
Aussie Helo Operator Proactively Addresses Rollover Accident
The chartered helicopter was attempting to pick up passengers from a rocky ledge.

An Australian helicopter charter firm whose Bell 206B3 experienced a rollover on Oct. 7, 2014, while it was attempting to retrieve a number of passengers from a rocky ledge near the top of Mount Cook in Queensland has taken several proactive safety actions as a result of the accident, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) noted in a final report issued on January 27. The operator pledged to allow sufficient time before a flight to thoroughly research helicopter landing sites previously unused by them; reinforce a culture where pilots or staff should not be subject to undue pressure to complete tasks they judge to be unsafe or outside their individual capabilities; carry a satphone on any flights north of Mossman and west of Mareeba, Queensland; and cease operations at Mount Cook until a regulation-compliant helicopter landing pad has been installed.