Understanding Differences in Helicopter Mission Sets Prior to Human Error Analysis

Abstract

Helicopters are essential for completion of many critical missions that are impossible for fixed-wing aircraft since they can operate around rough terrain and require minimal ground infrastructure. Like many complex environments, human error is thought to be a contributing factor for roughly eighty percent of helicopter accidents.

While the aviation industry favors umbrella strategies within the United States Federal Aviation Regulations, this approach may be less than optimal for rotor-wing operations given the diversity of tasks within different mission sets. To understand the differences in tasks across mission sets, interviews were conducted with pilots to create Hierarchical Task Analysis (HTA) models of tasks required to successfully complete Helicopter Air Ambulance (HAA) and Maritime Search and Rescue (SAR) missions. The HTA models were compared to identify differences in tasks across missions. The tasks identified within the HTA models will be combined with findings from subsequent accident report analysis studies to develop mitigation strategies specific to helicopter missions.

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