NPA 2021-10

Prevention of catastrophic accidents due to rotorcraft hoist issues

The objective of this Notice of Proposed Amendment (NPA) is to mitigate the risks linked to the failures of rotorcraft hoists during hoisting operations.

This NPA proposes to enhance the improved industry standards for rotorcraft hoists that have been developed to address some of the existing design shortfalls that have been identified. This NPA proposes additional certification specifications for rotorcraft hoists that integrate and take into account these industry standards in the form of a dedicated European Technical Standard Order (ETSO).

The proposed amendments are expected to significantly reduce the risk of catastrophic accidents in human external cargo operations.