Digging for Options. Pilots are mission oriented. In civilian aviation the motivation to fly is no more pronounced than when providing helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS). Lives are at stake making the drive to succeed particularly intense. Our most recent SMS Perspectives noted the recent NTSB release1 of the details of a weather related accident where a medical team (surgeon, technician) and the pilot were fatally injured on a flight to procure an organ for transplant, a time critical mission. It was a night VFR flight with enroute weather both marginal VMC and IMC (mist, fog). In accordance with James Reason’s analysis method (“Swiss cheese” model), the pilot is the last line of defense. (In fact, in this case, the only line of defense because of numerous organizational deficiencies.) In hindsight, perhaps the flight should not have been attempted, yet interviews with other pilots revealed that they would have accepted the trip. However, the judgment to launch and the assumption of the responsibility for the flight’s safety require the evaluation of options should conditions change. What if the weather is worse than forecasted? What if mechanical or instrument anomalies are encountered? What are the alternatives if flight risk increases, and are these options adequate to ensure safe conclusion of the flight? Yes, perhaps the flight should have been undertaken, but only with the knowledge that viable options were available when adversity was encountered. Most situations we experience are far less dramatic with a much lower pressure to fly. Nonetheless, the same principles always apply. Evaluate options, and never get down to the last one. Always have an out. And, as has been pointed out in this forum in the past, available choices may not be readily apparent—digging for them demands keen and thoughtful analysis.
Posted on: Sun, 21 Jul 2013 06:28:50 +0000
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