R116 flying limits may yet be lifted
Flight-time plans for Search and Rescue pilots criticised
THE Government plans to compromise on strict new rules limiting the maximum flight time for rescuers as part of the new Search and Rescue contract, a Senator has claimed.
The contract has been put out to tender but concerns are growing that part of it will see an easing of the current rules on how long flight crews can spend in the air.
In the wake of the tragic 2017 Irish Coast Guard Rescue 116 crash, where Captain Dara Fitzpatrick, chief pilot Mark Duffy, and winch operators Paul Ormsby and Ciarán Smith were killed, the Irish Aviation Authority imposed major curbs on flying times.
Under the new Search And Rescue (SAR) regime, the amount of flying time a pilot could do was reduced to 12 hours, significantly lower than the 17 hours the crew of R116 were believed to have been in the air.
However, Senator Gerard Craughwell has expressed concerns that the Government is planning to ease the rules.
He was referring to last month’s correspondence from Transport Ministers Eamon Ryan and Hildegarde Naughton after Mr Craughwell had raised the new Flight Time Limitations’ impact on future SAR operations.
In the letter, the Ministers said:
‘Have we learned nothing from R116?’
‘It is important to note that the new regulatory framework underpinning this aspect also provides a basis for any operator, new or existing, to apply for a variation from the maximum flight duty period of 12 hours.
‘This would allow for full 24-hour crew rosters with the approval by IAA subject to the development of a fatigue risk management system by the operator concerned.’
Responding by letter, a deeply concerned Mr Craughwell noted: ‘It was my understanding that Flight Time Limitations (FTL) and rest requirements had been addressed following the Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) report into the fatal crash of R116.’
The Senator said under new rules: ‘I understand that the operator must establish and maintain a maximum flight duty period of 12 hours, with the total duty time not exceeding 14 hours, in accordance with the provision of Aeronautical Notice 0.58.’
Mr Craughwell conceded that under current rules: ‘the FTL scheme may be subject to variation (eg, 24-hour roster) where an operator has developed an approved, performance-based approach, that requires the operator to implement a Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS).’
But, Mr Craughwell added: ‘I fervently hope that your department has not proceeded to tender based on a hope that the 24hour rule will be waived in favour of the new operator.’ The Senator asked: ‘Have we, in terms of policing the safety of pilots, learned nothing from the loss of four lives with R116?’ His concerns about the State’s ability to police a 24-hour regime are based on a hugely critical report by the AAIU into the R116 crash. In a scathing observation, the report noted: ‘Neither the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport nor the IRCG [Irish Coastguard] had aviation expertise available within their own personnel resources and lacked the capacity to remain an “intelligent customer” in relation to contracted helicopter operations or auditing.’
Instead, it said, ‘The IRCG relied on an external contractor to conduct annual audits of the operator’s bases.’
But it noted: ‘The IRCG appears not to have appreciated the severity of some of the matters the auditor raised, and it appears that the auditor’s reports and supporting evidence were not scrutinised by the IRCG.’
The report also noted: ‘From the IAA’s Annual Safety Reviews, it appeared that the IAA was responsible for, and carrying out, oversight of SAR helicopter operations in Ireland, but after the accident, the IAA questioned whether it had the necessary mandate.’
Commenting on the R116 tragedy, the report said: ‘Based on the information in the 72-hour activity study, at the time of the accident, the commander had likely been awake for more than 18 hours and the co-pilot 17 hours.’
Senator Craughwell said: ‘The Government needs to clarify as to whether they are planning to set aside the findings of the report into the tragic deaths in R116 as part of any new tender.’
‘Commander was awake for 18 hours’