A commitment to safety as a fundamental characteristic of our products and services is part of our culture at Leonardo. Our customers’ flight safety is our top priority and delivering safe helicopters is our primary objective. This approach is at the heart of all our activities, from design and production to customer services, with the aim of exceeding the most rigorous safety standards and continuously developing and supporting safety in every aspect.
Safety by organisation
Leonardo’s Safety Management approach is reflected in every structure of its internal organisation and throughout the entire business network.
Leonardo is a unique and structured entity, encompassing the full helicopter lifecycle: design and related certification (including supplier management), manufacturing, sales, maintenance and continued airworthiness, training for all personnel, and support for accident/incident investigation agencies.
Safety Management System (SMS)
The Safety Management System (SMS) has been designed to reinforce Leonardo’s capabilities to identify, prevent and predict – proactively and from the bottom up – safety risks by addressing strong signals as well as weak signals – the first being after the event, the latter being early signs – before they can lead to accidents/incidents.
Safety Model
Leonardo’s safety governance is guaranteed through the System Safety Governance (SSG) and by the Safety Management Systems (SMS) embedded in every branch of its organisation. These include those for Design, Production, Maintenance, and Customer Support and Training, as well as for other specific SMS designed as appropriate. These have a unified governance within Leonardo’s single safety identity, whilst maintaining close proximity to their design and operational context.
Interface with the external stakeholders, including the relevant authorities, customers and suppliers, is part of Leonardo’s global safety management approach. The SSG addresses all interfaces in a single view, reporting and managing any weak safety signal as soon as it emerges.
Safety by design
The safety of Leonardo’s helicopters is based on the heritage of many decades’ experience in helicopter design and over a century of manufacturing and flying aircraft.
Transmission Run Dry Capability
Thanks to specific gearbox design, Leonardo’s helicopters can provide safe flight far beyond the minimum civil certification requirement of 30 minutes following a lubrication failure. Designed to withstand loads beyond operating limits and capable of maintaining an optimised oil distribution even during system failure, main rotor transmission is to run dry as follows: over 40 minutes safe run dry for AW169, 60 minutes for AW139 and 50 minutes for AW189.
Architecture
Powerplant
Pratt & Whitney’s PW210A and PT6C-67C engines, powering AW169 and AW139 respectively, are designed to include an inherent helicopter protection safety barrier in the unlikely event of rotor fragment release, by containing intermediate fragments from the mixed flow rotor and turbine stages, as well as small fragments from all compressor and turbine stages. This is a robust and reliable complementary safety feature to the whole helicopter risk minimisation system provided by Pratt & Whitney.
Technology
Flight handling and automatic flight control systems
Good controllability combined with stability are key factors in ensuring safe operations, and are the result of one of Leonardo’s design pillars: superior performance, a balanced mix of automation and flight procedures, smooth handling and robust safe design beyond minimum certifications requirements.
There are several specific modes and envelope protection features of our Automatic Flight Control Systems (AFCS), which provide crews with a reliable and automated safety net.
Among others, the Wing Level function available on most of Leonardo’s designs is a good example, providing the pilot with an automated solution to help regain situational awareness in the event that spatial disorientation has resulted in undesired and unintended aircraft attitudes.
Avionics and navigation support
Leonardo invests in continuous technological improvement of on-board systems to offer new solutions for pilot workload reduction, further expansion of crew situational awareness, and state-of-the-art Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) all-weather operation flight solutions.
IFR navigation capability can greatly enhance the safety of helicopters' flight operations. Leonardo’s product range of civil helicopters have today fully certified Performance-Based Navigation (PBN) capabilities from B-RNAV (RNP5) to RNP0.3, all phases of flight, and RNP AR APCH up to RNP0.3 minima, and are ready to take safety advantage of PBN-certified routes and flight procedures. The PBN solutions, together with the GLS (GBAS landing system) capabilities already certified on the AW189, provide safe and precise flying paths from take-off to landing, with the potential to overcome weather dependencies. PBN capabilities are also available on the latest military products, ensuring new and greater operational flexibility.
A Synthetic Vision System (SVS) is another very powerful instrument which improves situational awareness and safety beyond standards. SVS is available on all Leonardo’s latest products, and on AW139 it has been integrated with Helicopter Terrain Awareness and Warning System (HTAWS), as provided by Honeywell Primus Epic System Phase 8. This constitutes a further improvement to pilots’ situational awareness, especially in marginal Visual Flight Rules (VFR) and night operations where the pilot benefits from automatic terrain and obstacle detection.
Safety by Customer Support
Customer Portal
Leonardo’s commitment to customer proximity and improving its helicopters’ availability and efficiency helps ensure the fulfilment of its primary duty of guaranteeing safe operations. The new area dedicated to customers provides direct access to all updated publications and information including the latest manuals, bulletins, maintenance instructions, information letters and safety information documents which are essential for maintaining up-to-date safe helicopter operations.
Safety by training
Safe operations require thorough training and awareness from flight and maintenance operators. Leonardo believes in the key value of sharing the best safety practice through training, which is designed around products, experience, customers and their operations.
Safety by Lesson Learned
In case of a helicopter accident or serious incident, the investigation process must be carried out with precision and objectivity, to uncover the root causes and prevent future occurrences. To facilitate this process, in the civil environment, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has established guidelines under Annex 13 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation. Annex 13 outlines the procedures for aircraft accident and incident investigations, with a particular focus on the roles and responsibilities of various parties involved in the process. One such key player is the helicopter manufacturer, who often acts as Technical Advisor (TA) of the Accredited Representative (AccRep) during the investigation.
The Accredited Representative for the State of Registry, State of Operator, State of Design or State of Manufacturer is appointed to participate in an investigation conducted by another State, typically the State where the accident occurred (the State of Occurrence). The Accredited Representative's role is to ensure that their state’s interests are protected and to contribute technical expertise to the investigation. For Italy, the Accredited Representatives are investigators from Agenzia Nazionale Sicurezza del Volo (ANSV), that is the independent Italian national investigation authority. The accredited representative can request the support of Technical Advisors, such as Leonardo as helicopter manufacturer, to provide specific knowledge about the design, operation and maintenance of the helicopter involved. In those cases, Leonardo’s Accident Investigation office brings specialised expertise that is crucial to understanding the technical aspects of the events under investigation.
The activities performed during the investigation process by Leonardo accident investigators, as Technical Advisor to the Accredited Representative under Annex 13, can be outlined as follows.
Note: For the military helicopters, the ICAO Annex 13 is not applicable and the Ministry of Defence of the nation of occurrence, thorough its military authority’s organisation, is in charge for the investigation. Leonardo totally supports the investigation when requested by the military authorities, guaranteeing the required level of classification of the information.
Providing Technical Knowledge and Data
Leonardo, as helicopter manufacturer, possesses in-depth knowledge of the helicopter’s design, performance characteristics, systems and components. As such, during the investigation, the Company provides essential information regarding:
- Aircraft design specifications: Leonardo offers detailed documentation about the aircraft’s systems, flight controls and structural design, which helps investigators to assess if the design can have played a role in the accident.
- Operational limitations and performance data: Leonardo’s Accident Investigation office advises on the helicopter’s flight envelope and performance during various operational conditions, and how the helicopter could have behaved during the accident. The most probable scenario can be evaluated by the Investigation Team at the Full-Scale Simulator, with the support of Leonardo’s Operational Department.
Maintenance history and service bulletins: Leonardo provides historical data on the helicopter's maintenance requirements, any issued service bulletins or safety directives, and any prior technical issues that could be relevant to the investigation.
Supporting Aircraft Wreckage Survey and components Failure Analysis
In cases where the helicopter is severely damaged, the Leonardo Investigator’s expertise becomes essential in performing the wreckage survey (after the event a dedicated Go-Team is dispatched to support the onsite activities), in identifying and interpreting specific failure modes.
Assisting in Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) Analysis
For helicopters equipped with flight recorders, Leonardo’s Flight Data Recorder (FDR) / Flight Data Monitoring (FDM) Department can support the analysis by interpreting the data from the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR). The involvement of the Company's specialists includes:
- Decoding data: Leonardo’s specialists download flight data from FDR and all devices installed on HC fleets that record data on Non-Volatile Memories (NVM) and provide critical insights into what the aircraft was doing in the moments leading up to the accident.
- Correlating data with technical performance: once the data is analysed, Leonardo’s specialists correlate the recorded information with the aircraft’s performance capabilities and expected behaviour, helping investigators understand any deviations from normal flight parameters.
Reconstructing the Accident Sequence
Based on the technical data, operational limitations and physical evidence, the Company’s accident investigators play an integral role in helping the Investigator in Charge and the investigation team to reconstruct the accident sequence. This process may involve:
- Simulating flight conditions: using 3D flight simulation tools, Leonardo’s Data Specialists can model the accident scenario based on the available data to offer possible explanations for the sequence of events. The CVR data are synchronised with the FDR data and, if requested, a transcription can be performed.
- Assessing pilot-vehicle interaction: Leonardo’s Data Specialists analyses the interaction between the helicopter’s systems and the pilot’s inputs to determine whether there were any issues with handling or system response.
Advising on Corrective Actions
If the investigation uncovers any design flaws, production and operational weaknesses, or maintenance concerns, Leonardo can issue new service bulletins to its operators and evaluates the need to prescribe containment actions, which in the first instance may be Service Bulletins with the aim of prescribing specific inspections and/or improvements to the operating manuals, to prevent similar accidents. In cases where a design issue is identified, the Company revises the design process for helicopters in the production process and provide retrofit solutions for in-service fleets.
Lesson Learned dissemination in the Leonardo perimeter
The Accident Investigation & Prevention Office provides updates on specific events to Leonardo Helicopters Training Academy (LHTA) pilots. These updates on the most significant operational events are provided twice a year during the LHTA Instructor Professional Update Day. The main goal of this activity is not only to offer feedback on noteworthy events and their causes but also to gather lessons learned from the investigation process, which can lead to improvements in training procedures. The established collaboration has enabled the Academy to better address specific topics, providing valuable insights to customers on the safety of flight operations.
Since 2018, a collaboration has been established between the Accident Investigation Office and the Ground Training Management of Italian Leonardo Helicopters Training Academy. The project consolidates the Ground Instructors view on those accident occurred to Leonardo fleets related to incorrect or wrong maintenance and also provides them all the information to correct address the accident details and outcome to the customers during their training. The availability of real example related to maintenance tasks that if performed incorrectly have conducted to accident or serious incident, improves the effectiveness of the ground training courses provided by the Academy.
In 2024, the collaboration has been expanded involving also production personnel, with dedicated sessions.
Leonardo’s accident investigators play an indispensable role as Technical Advisor to the Accredited Representative in the context of ICAO Annex 13 investigations. Leonardo’s investigators and technicians’ specialised knowledge is essential for understanding the causes of accidents and serious incidents, providing insights that contribute to the overall safety of helicopter operations. Through collaboration with the accredited representative and the lead investigation authority, the manufacturer helps ensure that the findings lead to meaningful safety improvements, thereby reducing the likelihood of future accidents. Over the years, by collaborating with safety investigation entities, Leonardo has made significant strides that have led to improvements in aircraft design, maintenance practices, training, operational procedures and overall safety management. These experiences have been pivotal in driving advancements that prioritise safety at every stage.
Leonardo Safety Notice
The identification of lessons learned is a critical step in accident investigations. It involves drawing actionable conclusions from the investigation's findings, which can be used to improve future safety practices.
In Leonardo, lessons learned are typically identified through the following stages:
In Leonardo, lessons learned are typically identified through the following stages:
- Root Cause Analysis: Leonardo’s investigators use tools like the “5 Whys,” “Fault Tree Analysis”, or “Fishbone diagrams” to trace the cause of the accident back to its origin. This analysis helps to identify causes of the incident.
- Beyond the root cause, Leonardo’s investigators identify all factors that may have contributed to the accident. These can include, as example but not only, Human Factors, meteorological events, communication.
- Leonardo’s investigators apply the “Bow-Tie” techniques to evaluates whether existing safety barriers, like procedures, are adequate or needs an improvement.
- Leonardo’s Investigators, in synergy with the Safety Management System (SMS) department, also examine the broader organisational context, looking at how leadership, management decisions, safety culture and personnel (operative and maintenance) training could have contributed to the safety event.
- Extracting Lessons in a prevention perspective: the final task can be to summarise the findings into actionable lessons. Once lessons have been identified, the issuance of a Safety Information Notice comes in. A “Safety Notice” is a Leonardo accident investigation office publication that, based on the investigation’s findings, provides advice on preventing similar events in the future.
The structure of a "Safety Notice” typically includes the following elements:
- A brief description of the safety topic.
- A summary of the investigations’ results, including root causes and contributing factors.
- The lessons learned from the investigation.
- The recommendations to avoid the re-occurrence of the event, usually developed into short term actions.
Blacklist
If an aircraft results minor damage from an accident, it may be repaired at authorised (Part 145) facilities using approved manuals, parts, and tools. However, if an aircraft is classified as destroyed, it can only be rebuilt by Leonardo or qualified repair station, in accordance with approved regulatory guidelines. If it is not possible to restore the integrity of the helicopter and it is confirmed it will not be operated anymore, it is declared “scrapped” and inserted in the Leonardo “Blacklist”.
Event Statistics
As part of the European Safety Management Process, European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) early issue the “Annual Safety Review”, that represent a safety overview of the whole aviation system.
Link to External Safety contents
- International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
- About ICAO
- Safety Report
- European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)
- Accident and Incident investigation support
- European Safety Promotion Network Rotorcraft (ESPN-R)
- Rotorcraft Community
- Agenzia Nazionale Sicurezza del Volo (ANSV)
- Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
Link to Accident Databases and Safety documents repository
Event reporting
In case of accidents or serious incidents involving Leonardo products, please contact:
- Leonardo’s Customer Support at foc-se.mbx.aw@leonardo.com
- Leonardo’s Accident Investigation Office at safety.LHD@leonardo.com
In addition, in case of accidents or serious incidents occurred in Italy involving Leonardo’s civil products, please inform:
- Italian National Investigation Authority (ANSV) at safety.info@ansv.it
Safety by collaboration
Safety requires collaboration that includes every stakeholder. Leonardo is an active partner in all the major safety networks and a proactive player in numerous safety-related initiatives and promotion activities in our sector. This cooperation ensures the company stays up-to-date with the latest safety developments and provides a seat at the table for all major discussions and projects, national and international that aim to promote and improve safety.
Leonardo’s collaborative approach puts safety at the heart of its operations and helps the company ensure the same for its customers. Below you can read details of just some of Leonardo’s recent and ongoing projects.
Leonardo and ENAV
Leonardo and ENAV have joined forces to develop innovative solutions for a more efficient use of helicopters in the dedicated IFR (Instrument Flight Rule) air space, which focus on digitalisation, sustainability and safety.
Through this innovative collaboration, the two companies combine their industrial capabilities for design, production, supply and support of modern, high-performance helicopters with ENAV’s expertise in the development and management of air space in Italy and overseas.
Performance Based Navigation (PBN) is the latest generation of IFR procedures based on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). The latest certification standards of Leonardo’s helicopters, with their advanced systems and equipment, already allows the use of modern PBN navigation procedures, and ENAV has long been at the forefront of design for PBN procedures for both fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft. The adoption and implementation of PBN significantly enhances flight safety, environment protection, public service flexibility, responsiveness and effectiveness, and air transport efficiency.
PBN procedures, carried out through advanced satellite navigation, support air space optimisation, delivering greater flight operation safety thanks to superior navigation, approach and landing precision and accuracy, a key enabler particularly in certain weather conditions. It is combined with or replaces the more traditional land-based radio navigation systems.
Leonardo and its partners on Infrared Stress Monitoring System (ISMS)
Leonardo has developed an Infrared Stress Monitoring System (ISMS) for real-time monitoring of the stress to which helicopter crew members are subjected during operations. The ISMS was developed together with D'Annunzio University of Chieti–Pescara and the company Next2U, in collaboration with the Italian Army Aviation (Aviazione dell’Esercito, AVES).
ISMS uses infrared technology to identify the so-called "emotional variations" of an individual. A set of reactions – including heartbeat, breathing, hormone release and metabolic control – influence the skin temperature of some areas of the face, which is monitored using an infrared camera. The thermal data collected and processed through Artificial Intelligence algorithms constitutes an objective means of measuring the workload experienced by the pilot, based on Bedford Workload Rating Scale (BWRS) indexes. Patented algorithms allow finally identifying an integrated Stress Level Index (SLI) assessment. By assessing pilots’ reactions during flight operations, it will be possible to lower their workload and ensure safer mission planning.
This assessment of training effectiveness based on quantitative and objective measurements of pilot reactions provides a paradigmatic shift in evidence-based pilot training. Not only is ISMS an innovative and highly promising step towards safer, more effective and efficient pilot training, it also promises a longer-term view that will support cockpit design that reduces pilot workload and ensure safer operations well into the future.
Leonardo and Together4Safety
The EASA Rotorcraft Together4Safety project has the objective of keeping users informed and updated with all the latest news and information, and providing safety tips specifically to the rotorcraft community. Joining the related Community Area allows receiving updates through email notifications.
Leonardo is an active partner of Together4Safety, contributing to the generation and review of safety promotion content. Sharing information and best practices are a key element for improving flight safety.
Leonardo and EPAS
The European Plan for Aviation Safety (EPAS) constitutes the regional aviation safety plan for EASA Member States, setting out the strategic priorities, enablers and main risks affecting the European aviation system. EPAS is developed by EASA in close consultation with the EASA Member States and industry. Leonardo is an active partner of the EPAS collaborative approach, participating in the key rulemaking, safety-promotion and research tasks, towards the continuous improvement of the overall aviation safety in Europe.
Leonardo and EHA
European Helicopter Association (EHA) is a non-for profit association representing the interests of rotorcraft Operators at European and international Institutions.
It provides advocacy towards the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), European Defence Agency (EDA), European Commission (EC), European Parliament (EP), Eurocontrol, the SESAR Joint Undertaking (SJU), the Joint Authorities for Rulemaking on Unmanned Systems (JARUS), International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and International Partnership Program (IPP), etc.
EHA influences safety standards and growth of the European rotorcraft industry, creating new opportunities for its members. Leonardo is an active member of EHA with the shared objectives to improve helicopter safety through:
- Innovation: foster innovation aimed at enhancing the sustainability and safety of the vertical lift market
- Regulation: participation in ICAO advisory boards, EASA advisory boards and EASA EPAS
- Communication: communicate with all stakeholders the value of EHA. Increase recognition of rotorcraft industry
- Data sharing
Dissemination Material
Advertisements, letters and brochures dedicated to specific targets but with the common objective of disseminating safety issues.
