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Operator’s training and assessing procedures for marine pilot transfer operations in degraded visual cueing environments
Date issue released
Safety Issue Description

The operator's training and assessing procedures for marine pilot transfer operations did not provide assurance that pilot under supervision experience, helicopter instrumentation, and instructor capability were suitable for line training at night in a degraded visual cueing environment.

Issue number
AO-2018-022-SI-005
Issue Status
Closed – Adequately addressed
Transport Function
Aviation: Air transport
Issue Owner
Heli-Aust Whitsundays Pty Limited
Mode of Transport
Aviation
Issue Status Justification

The ATSB is satisfied that the proactive safety action taken by the operator appropriately addresses this issue.

Proactive action
Action number
AO-2018-022-PSA-04
Organisation
Heli-Aust Whitsundays Pty Limited
Action Status
Closed
Action description

The operator advised that, since the time of the accident, it had proactively made changes to its training and checking procedures. Those changes include:

  • additional instructors employed for the training and checking function.
  • instructor/trainer/check pilots are required to complete a standardisation check from the left (non-command seat) and are checked from the left seat during completion of their recurrent base checks on type.
  • graduated process for inducting newly recruited pilots for each of the operator’s bases, to qualify initially for day operations and complete a period of day consolidation before being transitioned to night operations.
  • training pathways have been defined and are dependent on the skills and qualifications held by the training pilot.