Fatality and Injury Rates for Two Types of Rotorcraft Accidents

An analysis of the frequency of four different types of rotorcraft accidents was conducted to determine if the number of fatalities and injuries between accident conditions was different. Accidents involving rollover, no rollover, fire, and no fire were studied to determine if accidents with a rollover or fire might be creating evacuation delays that contribute to the fatality and injury rates. A search of the FAA Accident Incident Data System from January 1986 to March 1997 produced 2704 accident records for this analysis. A Chi-Square test for independence was used to determine the difference between the rollover and no rollover and fire and no fire accident categories. Further analyses were performed on combinations of the two main categories to determine if an event such as a rollover and fire produced more fatalities or injuries than a rollover without a fire. There were more fatalities in the no rollover category (P=.0001) and more injuries in the rollover group (P=.001). Accidents with a fire produced more fatalities than accidents without a fire, (P=.0001). Rollover accidents without a fire produced more fatalities (P=.0001) than no rollovers without a fire, and more injuries were produced in the rollover no fire group (P=.0001) than the no rollover no fire category. The group of accidents where the rotorcraft rolled and caught fire lead to more fatalities (P=.0001), and the no rollover group with fire generated more fatalities (P=.0001). Rollover accidents injure more people, and accidents with no rollover kill more occupants. It appears as if the no rollover condition produces greater impact forces, preventing the rotorcraft from bouncing and rolling; consequently, the higher fatality rate. Fires produce more fatalities but not more injuries. Autopsy data might explain this, but smoke inhalation during the evacuation and the speed of the evacuation warrant more attention, since it may be a contributing factor in the number of fatalities.

• Record URL:
  • http://www.faa.gov/data_research/research/med_humanfacs/oamtechreports/2000s/media/0517.pdf
• 
• Record URL:
  • https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/58245
• Corporate Authors:

  Federal Aviation Administration

  Civil Aerospace Medical Institute, P.O. Box 25082
  Oklahoma City, OK  United States  73125

  Federal Aviation Administration

  Office of Aerospace Medicine, 800 Independence Avenue, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20591
• Authors:
  • Palmerton, David
• Publication Date: 2005-10

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 9p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air transportation crashes; Aviation safety; Chi square test; Fatalities; Fire; Injuries; Rollover crashes
• Uncontrolled Terms: Rotorcraft
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01010922
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: DOT/FAA/AM-05/17
• Files: NTL, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Dec 1 2005 7:32AM