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New flying rules since Harding tragedy

Friday, November 28, 1997 Published at 14:27 GMT

New flying rules since Harding tragedy
Flying regulations have been tightened since the helicopter crash which killed the Chelsea vice-chairman Matthew Harding.

The Civil Aviation Authority has already acted on the recommendations made in the Air Accidents Investigation Branch report into the accident.

In letters to helicopter operators, the CAA has laid out rules which apply to pilots who fly by visual means only and who are not qualified to fly using navigational-aiding instruments.

The CAA has said:

The minimum height for any flight at night shall be not less than 1,000ft above the highest obstacle within 10 miles each side of the intended route

Stricter weather criteria should apply for night flying, so that pilots flying by visual means should only operate when forecasts indicate that no cloud will be present below a height of 500ft above the minimum en-route altitude

Operating manuals should instruct pilots how to terminate flights should weather conditions deteriorate below the specified levels

For pilots operating public transport flights by night, the six-monthly assessment flights should include training in how to cope with aircraft getting into unusual difficulties.

In a letter to operators dated February 12, the CAA said it was important for the helicopter industry to recognise that in regulating night visual contact flights, the CAA "only provides a regulatory framework within which safe operations are possible."

It went on: "Individual operators have a responsibility not to despatch such flights in circumstances which might lead to safety margins being eroded.

"All operators must manage their operations actively and responsibly. It is incumbent on operators to despatch flights only in circumstances which safely match their operating capabilities and the prevailing conditions."

Internet Links

Air Accidents Investigation Branch
Aviation safety web pages

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