Flight Training Simulator Fidelity Requirements to Address 'Rotorcraft Loss of Control In-flight'

This paper examines the trends in rotorcraft accident statistics, particularly regarding Loss of Control In-flight accidents (LOC-I), with the aim of stimulating interest in new research relevant to this area. Despite recent safety initiatives, LOC-I rotorcraft accidents have been identified as a significant and growing contribution to accident rates. The fixed-wing commercial airline community faced a similar situation starting in the late 1990s and, through a coordinated international effort, developed a new training program to help reduce accident rates. Lessons learned from the fixed-wing work are presented to highlight the need for improved rotorcraft modeling tools to reduce rotorcraft accidents through higher-quality, simulator-based training programs. The findings from previous and ongoing rotorcraft modeling and simulation research are presented, and areas for further research are identified. A proposal is made in the paper for a workshop to bring together the key rotorcraft stakeholders to develop future steps in tackling rotorcraft LOC-I accidents.