It really is that simple. But another fatal crash shows complacency is winning.
Four people, including a pilot, died when two Eurocopter EC130-B4 helicopters collided mid-air while conducting scenic flights around Sea World marine park, Gold Coast, at new year in 2023.
An interim report by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) says that, while some of the deaths were caused by other factors, “not wearing a seatbelt, or wearing it improperly, can significantly increase the risk of serious or fatal injury in the event of an accident”.
Now the ATSB is calling on all pilots and operators to go back to basics, correctly fitting seatbelts for themselves and their passengers.
Echoes of Southern Alps crash
The comments strongly echo the investigation into a controlled flight into terrain in 2014 at Mount Alta in the South Island, when a heliskiing trip went tragically wrong.
One man died and another four passengers were injured when they were thrown from the cabin of a Eurocopter AS350-B2. The cabin broke apart and rolled 300 metres down the mountain after the impact.
Unadjusted seatbelts, flying while overloaded, and an unintended angle of approach, were among the factors that contributed to the injuries and fatality.
The Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) found it was “very likely that several of the passengers’ seatbelts were not securely adjusted, which made it more likely they would be ejected”.
The report added that if the passengers had been advised to tighten their seatbelts, some may not have been thrown from the helicopter.
Illustration based on seatbelt diagram from ATSB.
It’s a global issue
As part of the investigation into the Sea World accident, the ATSB said it found many instances globally where seatbelts – especially multi-point restraints – were not worn correctly, even by pilots and air crew.
Angela Andrews, manager of transport safety at the ATSB, says, “There seems to have been a shift, especially with multi-point restraints, towards them not being done up correctly”.
Multi-point seatbelts are unfamiliar
Mark Bathie, senior transport safety investigator at the ATSB, explains that most people are familiar with lap seatbelts from flying commercially, and with three-point seatbelts because they use them in vehicles.
Four- and five-point seatbelts – often used in general aviation – are less familiar.
“For many passengers, it’s the first time they’ve experienced that style of seat belt, so it needs to be explained to them.”
Fit low and tight
“You should fit and adjust the lap portion first. You need to make sure that the lap portion is low and tight on your hips. The restraints for the upper torso are fitted last,” Mark says.
“The correct fitting of your seatbelt is hugely important. An aircraft may have many crashworthiness features, but they’re less effective if people are not positioned correctly in the seat. It’s about sitting up straight and having the seatbelt fastened correctly and tightly.”
FAA advice
The Federal Aviation Administration explains in its booklet, Aviation Seat Belts and Shoulder Harnesses, that studies of serious accidents have shown that the proper use of shoulder harnesses, along with the safety belt, would reduce major injuries by 88 percent, and reduce fatalities by 20 percent.
“Tests have shown that any slack in the restraint system should be minimal. In an impact, your body keeps moving until the slack is taken out of the restraint, but then it must be abruptly stopped to ‘catch up’ with the aircraft.
“The restraint should be adjusted as tightly as your comfort will permit to minimise potential injuries. Placing the safety belt low on your hipbones means belt loads (the force exerted on the seat belt) will be taken by the strong skeleton of your body. If the safety belt is improperly positioned on your abdomen, it can cause internal injuries.
“If the safety belt is positioned on your thighs, rather than hipbones, it cannot effectively limit your body’s forward motion.”
Blue Hawaiian emergency landing
This advice was noted in the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) report into the emergency landing of a Blue Hawaiian Airbus EC130T2 helicopter in 2016, which seriously injured six people.
The NTSB says the aircraft’s energy-absorbing seats didn’t work as intended in the crash, because people were poorly positioned in their seats due to incorrectly adjusted seat belts. Those people were more severely injured than would have been expected for such an impact.