aircraft accidents during firefighting operations
TRANSCRIPT
Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment
AIRCRAFT ACCIDENTS DURING FIREFIGHTING OPERATIONS: CAUSALITY, TRENDS AND
CHALLENGES IN SAFETY
INDEX
1. Brief introduction: role of the State in forest firefighting
2. Forest firefighting in Spain: statistical data
3. Accidents: causalities, contributing factors, trends, current
situation
4. Challenges in safety
1. Introduction: role of the State in forest firefighting
1. Role of the State in forest firefighting
Decentralised State: 17 Regions with broad competences
State Forest Law + Regional Forest Laws
Regions: firefighting and fire prevention
State:
Support of Regions with aircrafts and human resources
International representation of Spain
General coordination of forest firefighting and prevention
Forest Firefighting Committee (technical working group)
Gather all the information of Forest Fires in Spain (HERMES,
EGIFWEB).
Statistics: more than 50 years of data
Defining common standards in firefighting operations, training,
professional skills
2. Forest firefigthing in Spain: statistical data
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
16,000
18,000
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
NUMBER OF WILDFIRES 2006-2016
Wildfires <1 ha
Wildfires >1 ha
Total wildfires
2.1. Forest fires in Spain
0
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
BURNT AREA 2006-2016 (ha)
Forest Land
Other wooded land
TOTAL (forest + other wooded)
2.1. Forest fires in Spain
2.1. Forest fires in Spain
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
Temporary distribution: number of wildfires
Wildfires 2006-2015
2.1. Forest fires in Spain
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
Temporary distribution: burnt area (ha)
Burnt area 2006-2015
2.2. Forest firefighting aircrafts: State aircrafts for 2017 summer campaign
TYPE NUMBER
STATE-OWNED
AIRCRAFTS
TWIN ENGINE WATER SCOOPERS (CL-215T / CL-415)
(5.500/6.000 litres) 18
SURVEILLANCE HELICOPTERS BK-117 4
HIRED
AIRCRAFTS
SINGLE ENGINE AIRCRAFTS AT-80210
(3.100 litres)
SINGLE ENGINE WATER SCOOPERS AT-802FB6
(3.100 litres)
TYPE I HELICOPTERS Kamov K32a8
(4.500 litres)
TYPE II HELICOPTERS SOKOL / BELL 412 19
(1.500 litres)
SURVEILLANCE AND AIR TRAFFIC COORDINATION
AIRPLANES (Cessna 337G)4
TOTAL 67
2.2. Forest firefighting aircrafts: Regional aircrafts for 2017 summer campaign
TYPE NUMBER
Single engine aircrafts AT-802 / AT-502
(3.100 - 1.900 litres)
SINGLE ENGINE WATER SCOOPERS AT-802FB
(3.100 litres)
TYPE I HELICOPTERS Kamov K32a
(4.500 litres)
TYPE II HELICOPTERS PUMA / SOKOL / BELL 412 /
BELL 212
(1.500 litres)
TYPE III HELICOPTERS Agusta A109 / Eurocopter
AS350 B3 / B2 / EC130 / BELL 206 / BELL 407
(1.000 litres)
Surveillance airplanes (Vulcanair P68 / Cessna
337G / AS350B3 / AS355N / EC120)25
TOTAL 195
21
5
5
24
115
HIRED AIRCRAFTS
2.2. Forest firefighting aircrafts: Regional and State comparison 2017
FIREFIGHTING REGIONS STATE TOTAL
Number of aircrafts 195 67 262
Water Capacity (litres) 259.380 185.600 445.980
% of water capacity 58 42 100
2.2. Forest firefighting aircrafts: Trends
0
50
100
150
200
250
19
71
19
72
19
73
19
74
19
75
19
76
19
77
19
78
19
79
19
80
19
81
19
82
19
83
19
84
19
85
19
86
19
87
19
88
19
89
19
90
19
91
19
92
19
93
19
94
19
95
19
96
19
97
19
98
19
99
20
00
20
01
20
02
20
03
20
04
20
05
20
06
20
07
20
08
20
09
20
10
20
11
20
12
20
13
20
14
20
15
20
16
20
17
NU
MB
ER A
IRC
RA
FTS
YEAR
FOREST FIREFIGHTING AIRCRAFTS
REGIONAL HIRED AIRCRAFTS
STATE OWNED AND HIRED AIRCRAFTS
90s
CRISIS
00s
80s
2.2. Forest firefighting aircrafts: Trends
Scoopers Airtankers Water
Water
+ firebrigade
transport
130.740 31.583 2.917 6.795 5.646 26.703 3.737
Number of
wildfires
Number of
wildfires with
aircrafts
Number of wildfires with dispatchment of:
Airplanes HelicoptersAir Traffic
Coordination
aircraft
Aircrafts in 25 % of wildfires
Airplanes in less than 10 % of wildfires
Important: coordination between airplanes and helicopters
during firefighting operations
3. Accidents during firefighting operations
3.1. General perspective
Number of accidents helicopters similar to airplanes
Difficult to determine trends
50 % during flight maneuver, 33 % during approach and landing
Causality vs Contributing Factors: accident is caused by a sum of
factors
3.1. General perspective
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016
Nu
mb
er
of
airc
raft
s
Year
Accidents and serious incidents: trends
Number of firefightingaircrafts
Number of accidents andserious incidents
3.2. Contributing factors 2006-2015: types
1. Aircraft
2. Crew
3. Flight and maneuver
4. Management of firefighting operations
5. Meteorology
3.2. Contributing factors: Aircraft
Mechanical failure
Poor coordination between aircraft manufaturer, aircraft operator and
national authorities: Service Bulletin and Airworthiness Directive
implementation
3.2. Contributing factors: Crew
Pilot experience: aircraft type, firefighting operations, flights over
difficult orographical conditions
Flight training in the operating environment (“surrounding area” of the
detachment)
Fatigue, cumulative stress (22-day-in-a-row workshifts)
Lack of CRM and MCC training
Fuel control during flight and before flight
3.2. Contributing factors: Flight and maneuver
Compliance of SOPs (Flight Manual, Operator’s Manual, Fire
Brigades Procedures, easy Check Lists, double check, Emergency
Procedures, etc)
Landing of helicopters
Water charge (scoopers and helicopters)
Flight planning (route, geographical coordinates, radio navigation
system, official cartography, rate of climb) vs fast dispatchment
Ropes in pools and helicopters with airframe-mounted water tanks
Power lines: non legally-binding proposal of Parliament to take
measures
3.2. Contributing factors: Management and coordination of firefighting operations
Poor operational planning: water charge order
Communication
Poor air-to-air and air-to-ground communication
During critical phases of flight
Aerodromes: runway length, marking (axis)
Absence of ATC aircraft.
Absence of specialised training of Air Traffic Coordinators
(aeronautics and fire behaviour)
3.2. Contributing factors: Meteorology
Adverse meteorological conditions (strong winds, topographical
turbulences, reflected light, temperature inversion and smoke)
VFR in IMC (fog, smoke)
Tailwind during take-off and landing
3.3. Current context
Highly demanding aeronautical legislation: two acts (Royal Decrees)
RD 750/2014: regulates LCI and SAR operations
RD 1070/2015: regulates technical requirements of aerodromes and
heliports.
Flight time limitations: 8 hours (1 day), 80 hours (1 month), 700 hours (1
year)
Cooperation among Public Administrations in Forest Firefighting Committee
and other Working Groups
4 State ATC aircrafts to support Regions
Difference between Regions in procedures for Air Traffic Coordination
4. Challenges in safety in firefighting operations
Air Traffic Coordination
Defining common and minimum standards in coordination
with Regions and aeronautical authorities:
Protocols in absence of ATC aircraft
Minimum skills of Air Traffic Coordinator and Incident
Commander
Number of aircrafts to dispatch an ATC aircraft
4. Challenges in safety in firefighting operations
Power lines: beacons (Lower House Proposal)
Flight Time Limitations and RD 750/2014 Amendment (pilot previous
flight experience): Specific Working Group
A lot of work to be done
Thank you very much for your attention