What the Liberty Helicopters Accident can Teach us about Emergency Egress

I think we all understand the importance of the safety briefing, but sometimes even, properly-briefed passengers can have difficulty exiting the helicopters owing to circumstances beyond their control. In the fog of an emergency, accessing a restraint strap with an attachment point on one’s back, could be beyond the ability the occupants of the aircraft. Recently, the NTSB released their preliminary report on the accident and they came down hard on the restraint system used with the aircraft, doors-off.

The harness system was comprised of off-the-shelf components consisting of a nylon fall-protection harness that was attached at the occupants' back by a locking carabiner to a lanyard, the report says. This allowed the passengers to move in the helicopter. Passengers could turn to face out of the helicopter's open sides to take photos, and a "small pouch was attached to the harness and contained a cutting tool."

The FAA issued an order suspending "doors off" flights involving "restraints that cannot be released quickly in an emergency." But NTSB Chairman Robert L. Sumwalt said "the FAA has not outlined how or when they plan to take action."

Anything that can impede the evacuation of the passengers from the helicopter, including a difficult to access release mechanism for the restraint system, should be viewed with suspicion.