US Helicopter accidents down for the third year running

US helicopter accidents have fallen for the third year running, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reports.

There were 106 helicopter accidents in the US in 2016 and 17 fatal accidents. This represents a 12% decrease from 2015 and a 27% decrease since 2013.

The overall accident rate fell to 3.19 accidents per 100,000 flight hours in 2016 from 3.67 in 2015. Fatal accidents decreased slightly from 0.52 in 2015 to 0.51 in 2016. Over the last three-years however, fatal accidents have fallen from 1.02.

FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said: “The FAA and the helicopter industry have worked together to educate the civil helicopter community about safe practices, to drive these improved results.

“The FAA and the industry also are taking an active role in advancing safety through new technology, collaborative policy changes and proactive outreach.”