Railway crossings and Robinson helicopters added to list of nation's biggest transport safety concerns

Thursday, 27 October 2016

Level crossings added to watch list.

Growing concerns about the safety of railway crossings and the popular Robinson helicopter have seen them added to a list of high-priority issues by the nation's transport safety watchdog.

The Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) revealed its updated 'watch-list' of the nation's most serious transport concerns on Thursday.

Railway crossings and Robinson helicopters - which comprise 40 per cent of the nation's helicopter fleet - were added to a list that includes the threat posed by unskilled recreational boaties, a general under-use of tracking technologies, and a lack of rules governing alcohol and drug abuse in the the aviation, rail, and marine sectors.

Morningside Drive rail crossing in Auckland - one of many level crossing the nation's transport safety watchdog has 'pressing' safety concerns about.

Transport accident commissioner Stephen Davies Howard.

* Turbulence warning after Mark Didsbury killed in Robinson R66 helicopter crash

* Investigation finds no clear reason for helicopter crash

Cars are getting stuck and pedestrians are vulnerable at NZ's railway crossings.

* Skipper's licences a priority, says transport watchdog**

RAIL CROSSINGS A GROWING CONCERN

Tejas Patel was killed after being hit by a train at Auckland's Morningside station in January 2015.

The safety of pedestrians and vehicles using railway level crossings is an emerging issue across the country, especially in Auckland.

A tragedy at Morningside train station has resulted in extensive changes around Auckland's rail network.

TAIC Commissioner Stephen Davies Howard said safety systems at rail crossings were not keeping pace with changes in vehicles, trains, rail infrastructure, passenger numbers and pedestrian behaviours.

He pointed to the death of pedestrian Tejaskumar Patel at Auckland's Morningside station in 2015, where the pedestrian 'maze' at the time forced pedestrians to face a particular way before crossing the tracks, despite later modifications to the station meaning trains ran in both directions.

Crash body escalates chopper concerns.

Similar mazes are in place at many railway stations across the country.

Davies Howard said there had also been several incidents where road-legal vehicles had become stuck on rail level crossings, or had been too long to clear a level crossing and then stop at an adjacent road intersection, as required.

'We found there is no routine procedure for measuring the profile or vertical alignment of the road at rail level crossings, which means there could be other level crossings in New Zealand on which low-slung but road-legal vehicles could become stuck.'

According to data from TrackSafe NZ, there were 254 collisions between cars and trains at public road level crossings in this country between 2004 and 2015.

There has also been 31 collisions between pedestrians and trains since 2004, with approximately 78 per cent happening at crossings where automatic alarms were installed.

The wreckage of a Robinson R66 helicopter, which crashed near Turangi on March 9, 2013, killing pilot Mark Didsbury.

Auckland Transport spokesman James Ireland said it actively warned pedestrians about level crossing safety, encouraging them to remove headphones and look both ways before crossing.

AT was currently consulting residents about the closure of the level crossing at Sarawia St and Laxon Terrace in Newmarket. The crossing was the busiest in the country, and AT was proposing it be replaced by a bridge at the cost of $6.2 million.

Mark Didsbury was killed in a Robinson R66 helicopter crash near Turangi on March 9, 2013.

Campaign for Better Transport founder Graeme Easte, whose organisation is pushing for all level crossings to be replaced by underpasses and bridges, said no amount of work would make level crossings in Auckland completely safe.

'This report doesn't take us terribly much further than we already are, it's just a reminder that we need to do more.,' he said.

The crash site of a Robinson R44 near Queenstown in February 2015. Both the instructor and trainer died.

A KiwiRail spokeswoman said there were increasing risks around rail crossings, particularly in Auckland, where trains and traffic levels were increasing.

A Road-Rail Integration group had been set up by NZTA and KiwiRail in the past year to look at a number of issues including safety.

Stephen Anthony Nicholson Combe, 42, and James Louis Patterson-Gardner, were both killed in the Queenstown helicopter crash.

'THE OUTCOME IS USUALLY CATASTROPHIC'

The Commission's main worry with the Robinson helicopter was the potential for 'mast bump', which has happened 14 times since 1996, claiming the lives of 18 people.

These incidents have raised concerns about the risks of flying Robinson helicopters in the mountainous terrain and strong winds that are common in this country.

Mast bump is contact between an inner part of the main rotor blade and the main rotor drive shaft atop the fuselage, otherwise known as the 'mast'.

The outcome is usually catastrophic with the helicopter breaking up in-flight, which is fatal for those on board, making it difficult to determine the exact cause of the mast bump, Davies Howard said.

'We know the condition results when Low-G occurs – a bit like when you leave your stomach behind when going over a hump on a country road – or from an inappropriate control input..'

About 300 Robinson helicopters are currently registered in New Zealand - mostly R22 and R44 models - comprising about 40 per cent of the total helicopter fleet.

In May, the Commission found that mast bump lead to the subsequent in-flight break up of a Robinson R66 helicopter in the Kaweka Range in 2013, which killed Wairarapa pilot Mark Didsbury.

His brother, Guy Didsbury, said he was pleased safety concerns surrounding the Robinson helicopters had been put into focus by the commission.

'I'm no expert, but it certainly seems like there's an issue there.'

While he would have preferred action was taken sooner, Didsbury said the move was a step in the right direction.

In August the commission also concluded that mast bump caused a Queenstown helicopter crash that killed Instructor Stephen Combe and 18-year-old instructee James Patterson-Gardner in February 2015, but found no clear reason for why it occurred.

Patterson-Gardner, was son of Louisa 'Choppy' Patterson, the owner of the Over The Top, which operated the helicopter. The firm has an unblemished safety record.

She 'applauded' the commission on Thursday for its 'warning and courage'.

'I have suffered the ultimate loss and I don't want others to suffer,' she said.

'Any aircraft that is prone to unknown, in-flight break-ups, killing people, should not be allowed to operate in New Zealand conditions, particularly for commercial activities like tourism, where the public have a trust in safety systems and certifications.'

THE TRANSPORT WATCH-LIST

1. Recreational boat users - essential knowledge and skills

The problem: Maritime rules place no obligations on recreational boat users to demonstrate they understand and practise safe boating behaviour before getting on the water.

The solution: New rules needed to place some form of obligation on recreational boat users to demonstrate they understand, and can practise, safe boating behaviour before they are able to skipper recreational craft.

2. Substance use and abuse

The problem: Industry arrangements are uneven across the transport sector whe it comes to managing drug and alcohol impairment, and more could be done to manage this risk.

The solution: A comprehensive set of measures is needed, including a set maximum alcohol limit across the aviation, rail, and marine sectors, rules prohibiting people from operating aircraft, vessels or rail vehicles if they are substance impaired, and random drug and alcohol testing.

3. Technologies to track and to locate

The problem: Operators of aircraft, ships and boats, and rail vehicles underuse currently available tracking and locating technologies.

The solution: Regulators could do more to encourage and, where reasonable, require operators to use these technologies.

4. Safety for pedestrians and vehicles using level crossings

The problem: Safety is being compromised because of ambiguities in the responsibilities between the road and rail authorities.

The solution: The regulator, business operators, and road control authorities need to work closely to ensure the interface between rail and surrounding infrastructure provides the appropriate level of protection.

5. Robinson helicopters - mast bumping incidents

The problem: A high number of mast bumping incidents has raised concerns about the risks of flying these helicopters in the mountainous terrain and weather conditions that are common here.

The solution: All pilots must understand the helicopter's operating limitations and receive proper training in the causes, dangers, and prevention of mast bumping, including in low-G conditions.