• Christopher James Brooks, Conor Vaughan MacDonald, Leo Donati, and Michael John Taber.
• Survival Systems Ltd., 40 Mount Hope Ave., Dartmouth, Nova Scotia B2Y 4K9, Canada. chrisb@sstl.com
• Aviat Space Envir Md. 2008 Oct 1;79(10):935-40.

BackgroundWhen a helicopter crashes or ditches into water the crew and passengers must often make an escape from underwater and a number of the occupants do not survive. This paper examined fatality rates, human factors problems with escape, and causes of death in Canadian civilian registered helicopter accidents in water (1979-2006).MethodData obtained from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada was reviewed. Key issues such as fatalities, injuries, warning time, sinking, and inversion were examined.ResultsThere were 46 helicopters that ditched into water. There were 124 crew and passengers involved. Of those, 27 (23%) crew and passengers died. Lack of warning time (55%), rapid sinking (72%), and inversion (35%) were the most common issues in the accidents.ConclusionSurvival rates for Canadian registered helicopter accidents into water (78%) show little change from previously reported worldwide data. Lack of warning time, rapid sinking, and inversion were the significant factors in the survival rate. The practical implication is that crew and passengers involved in planned flights over water must wear all the life support equipment on strap-in and not have it stowed on the back of the seat or in the cabin.

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