Our practice has been to leave a handwritten sign on the panel whenever one of the helicopters is not airworthy.
The other day I read about a fatal accident involving a 206 up in Canada. The mast nut had been removed to be stripped and refinished. The accident pilot failed to preflight the rotorhead, and three different maintenance people failed to remember to tell him that the ship was not airworthy. After a couple of minutes of flight, the main rotor separated from the mast, and everyone on board was killed.
I am (I'm not sure why I was chosen!) Safety Officer for both of our ships. As a result of reading about the above accident, I decided we ought to get more formal about grounding the ships when they're not airworthy. My solution involved a couple of things.
First, I made up large red placards saying "GROUNDED" which are to be attached to the pilot's cyclic stick whenever the ship is not airworthy, and made it mandatory that the placard be used.
Second, when not needed, the placards are to be stowed in the baggage compartment underneath the pilot's seat (right seat), so everybody knows where to find them if needed.
Last, I asked that every pilot, if they encounter something they don't like in preflight, or if something happens inflight that makes them unsure that the ship is airworthy, to placard it as well (thus any pilot can ground the ship). The placard cannot be removed until theaircraft is deemed to be airworthy.
I'm sharing this because it might have application to other aircraft which are piloted by more than one pilot.
Just a thought from a big chicken
The other day I read about a fatal accident involving a 206 up in Canada. The mast nut had been removed to be stripped and refinished. The accident pilot failed to preflight the rotorhead, and three different maintenance people failed to remember to tell him that the ship was not airworthy. After a couple of minutes of flight, the main rotor separated from the mast, and everyone on board was killed.
I am (I'm not sure why I was chosen!) Safety Officer for both of our ships. As a result of reading about the above accident, I decided we ought to get more formal about grounding the ships when they're not airworthy. My solution involved a couple of things.
First, I made up large red placards saying "GROUNDED" which are to be attached to the pilot's cyclic stick whenever the ship is not airworthy, and made it mandatory that the placard be used.
Second, when not needed, the placards are to be stowed in the baggage compartment underneath the pilot's seat (right seat), so everybody knows where to find them if needed.
Last, I asked that every pilot, if they encounter something they don't like in preflight, or if something happens inflight that makes them unsure that the ship is airworthy, to placard it as well (thus any pilot can ground the ship). The placard cannot be removed until theaircraft is deemed to be airworthy.
I'm sharing this because it might have application to other aircraft which are piloted by more than one pilot.
Just a thought from a big chicken