Robinson R44, VH-HWQ: Could fire suit have saved four lives?

Helicopter manufacturer Robinson Helicopter Company issued a safety notice seven years ago, advising all occupants of Robinson R44 to don a fire-retardant Nomex suit.

Despite the directive, Australian Helicopter Industry Association (AHIA) secretary Rob Rich believes the gear is ‘‘unnecessary’’ for civilians.

He said yesterday it was ‘‘uncommon and unusual’’ for passengers on joy rides or private flights to wear the suit.

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The US makers of the R44 helicopter, the model that crashed at Bulli Tops last week, issued a safety notice in 2006, advising all occupants to wear the Nomex suit, gloves and hood to reduce the risk of burns in a post-crash fire.

The recommendation came after the manufacturer learnt of several cases where helicopter passengers had survived an accident, only to be severely burned after the crash.

Despite the notice, Mr Rich told the Mercury the Nomex gear was mainly reserved for helicopter occupants working in a ‘‘high-risk’’ environment, particularly emergency services and rescue and military operations.

While he conceded the suit may have ‘‘enhanced survival’’ for the four men killed in last week’s crash, he said it was highly unusual for it to be worn in civil operations.

He believed the safety notice was merely issued to counter potential lawsuits and was no different to a warning on a new car.

‘‘It’s common sense; the manufacturer is very conscious of prosecution so they have to be very careful,’’ he said.

‘‘They don’t want someone going to court saying, ‘I have burns, I didn’t know I could get burns’, so it’s a form of self-preservation.’’

An Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigation into an R44 crash at Cessnock in 2011, which killed two people, acknowledged the safety notice but said fire-retardant clothing would not have helped, given the intensity of the blaze.

An ATSB spokesman said yesterday it was too early to tell whether the gear would have assisted the victims of last week’s crash.

Bankstown Helicopters, which operated the helicopter, did not respond to the Mercury’s inquiries about whether they had provided passengers with Nomex suits.

Steve’s Speed Revolution Racegear owner Steve Wright, pictured modelling the suit above, said the Albion Park business had never sold a Nomex suit to a helicopter owner.

He said the gear was mainly purchased for motorsports but had been used by fire marshals and people working in hot environments.

The suits, designed by US company DuPont, retail between $700 and $1600, depending on the type.

Source:   http://www.illawarramercury.com.au