Troopers respond to NTSB crash report

WASILLA — Department of Public Safety officials have responded to a National Transportation Safety Board report blaming pilot error and the department for a 2013 fatal crash.

The March 2013 crash of Helo 1, about 6 miles west of Talkeetna, killed veteran pilot Mel Nading, 55, Trooper Tage Toll, 40, and snowmachiner Carl Ober, 56. The NTSB met and ruled on the crash investigation Nov. 5.

The statement — issued last week — acknowledges the severity of the loss.

“Our condolences go out to the families of these victims,” the statement reads in part.

“Alaska suffered a monumental loss when an Alaska State Trooper, a state pilot, and a citizen were killed in the crash of the department’s helicopter,” it continues.

The latest statement addresses neither specific recommendations issued by the NTSB concerning training for night vision goggles, nor other safety measures, like a proposed tactical flight officer program. Public Safety issued an earlier press release in February outlining a review and saying it was adding live-streaming GPS devices and a supervisory position to Public Safety’s air service.

“With its review of aircraft operations, the department is ensuring it is operating within the best practices in the industry, and strives to set an example for law enforcement aviation safety nationwide,” the statement continues.

The NTSB findings focused on night vision goggle use in the cockpit and weather avoidance as two areas where training for pilots could be improved. It also cited an audit by the Medallion Foundation, which found inadequate high-level support for a safety awareness program.

The foundation operates eight flight simulators throughout the state, including one at the Palmer airport, said foundation executive director Jerry Rock. Clients provide their own curriculum, which is then performed on the Foundation’s devices.

“We don’t do training,” he said. “We provide the devices, we provide the tools, and we show them the techniques to use as pilots. As part of our program, we go in and audit them each year, and we look to make sure they’re following the guidelines.”

The Foundation is mentioned in the February release as playing a role in the review. Foundation officials can’t comment on the specifics of a particular client, including Public Safety, Rock said.

However, speaking in general terms, the use of night vision goggles in aviation isn’t widespread, Rock said.

The use of the goggles the night of the crash, as well as the absence of a department-wide training or rating for them, played a role in the crash, according to the NTSB findings.

“The only guys that are using them are mainly the medevac guys,” he said. “We have one medevac provider here in Alaska, and I don’t think they’re using them here.”

Commercial aviation pilots, for example, generally do not use the goggles, Rock said. The visual aids are generally employed by helicopters, he said, most commonly in Alaska by members of the 210th Rescue Wing of the Joint Rescue Response Center on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.

“There’s a lot of restrictions on use,” he said. “When you use them, there’s just training that’s just totally different from anything else. You have to have a training program in place, and it has to be approved by the night vision goggle’s manufacturers.”

In addition, the successful use of the goggles requires replacing the glass covering critical instruments, like the attitude indicator and altimeter, as well as installing lenses for lights inside the cockpit, according to Rock.

Another potential cause of the crash, according to the NTSB: a sudden transition from visual flight rule onditions to instrument-only conditions. Best practices for avoiding the conditions sometimes aren’t widely circulated, and some pilots had questioned the value of training issued following the crash, according to the NTSB findings.

The best practice is simply to avoid instrument conditions in the first place, Rock said.

“Pilots should be doing a thorough weather briefing before they leave,” he said. “Needless to say, it happens all the time. You can do all the weather checks you want.”

The sudden transition between being able to see where you’re going and relying on instruments is a common cause of aviation disasters in Alaska, Rock said. Many Alaskan plane crashes occur during what is known as CFIT, or controlled flight into terrain, he said.

“They get into those conditions and they fly the aircraft right into the ground,” he said.

Pilots confronting those situations should retrace their steps, Rock added.

“The best thing you can do is to turn around and get yourself out of it,” he said.

The full NTSB proceedings will be available online until January 2015 at bit.ly/18lRjr5.

Contact Brian O’Connor at 352-2269 or brian.oconnor@frontiersman.com.