An aircraft accident on a transmission line can be costly not only in lives lost but in the interruption of service to major customer areas.

Accident Prevention

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) files show that many accidents involving low-flying aircraft could have been avoided if the crew had been more fully trained on the specific and unique pilot skills required for flying in the wire zones.

For more than four decades, LG&E Energy has attempted to place only trained aircraft patrolmen in the passenger seat of their company-chartered helicopter for missions in and around their system. Patrolmen have participated in the Helicopter Association International (HAI) meetings and attended many classes offered by Bob Feerst of Utilities/Aviation Specialists Inc. (www.helicoptersafety.com) through HAI. These classes are specifically designed by experienced patrol pilots and helicopter patrolmen, to train patrol crews to safely negotiate the wire and obstruction environment during line patrol and inspection operations. The course also expounds on the absolute necessity of teamwork between pilot and patrolman to identify the hazards that abound in the low-level wire environment.

LG&E believes that knowing the wire environment from an aerial perspective can prevent wire-strike accidents. In late 2004, LG&E's transmission lines department determined that three additional patrolmen were needed for future patrol and inspection missions. In planning for this training, the department learned that there has been a tremendous interest by other helicopter operators whose service to their communities require that they too operate their aircraft in the low-level wire environment. Air-ambulance groups, border patrol, military crews, airborne police officers and news helicopter crews are just a few of the many interested groups that frequent a class taught regularly by the HAI.

Even though the class was designed by utility professionals for utility helicopter operations, in talking with the HAI class instructor, it was decided that it would be highly appropriate and advantageous to offer it to nonutility aircraft personnel as well.

FAA data shows that many wire strikes involve nonutility activity such as emergency response, news coverage and air-police surveillance. Statistics also point to the fact that proper situational awareness training for pilots and other flight crew, such as patrolmen, flight nurses and police officers who fly in the low-level wire environment, can be of great benefit in saving lives and preventing aerial strikes to transmission lines.

LG&E Energy made the decision to expand the planned course offering to include not only its three new patrolmen, but also to make the training session available at no charge to other pilots and representatives in the company's service area who fly down in LG&E Energy's wire zone.

One-Day Course

The one-day “Wire Strike Avoidance” training class was held in Lexington, Kentucky, on Feb. 16, 2005. Forty helicopter pilots, safety managers and patrolmen attended the class. Participants included Kentucky National Guard flying safety officers; the Kentucky state police; the Lexington Blue Grass Airport; the Lexington police department; EMS and hospital Air Evac personnel; three area flight instructors; and LG&E Energy transmission line patrolmen.

Outstanding Results

At the end of the training class, one pilot with more than 20,000 hours of flight time said, “I don't think I will ever get in another aircraft again without thinking about this class.”

Not only do the LG&E Energy patrolmen have a thorough understanding of how to conduct patrol operations safely and efficiently, but additional aviators in the area have a newly acquired respect and understanding of the unique hazards in low-level flight.

Several operators also requested additional training manuals so they could provide better training and education to their pilots and crews. Questions came in after the class asking if LG&E Energy was planning to make this an annual event. Participants also wanted to send additional personnel to the next one. “It is truly encouraging to see that our message was taken seriously and lessons were learned,” said Nate Mullins, LG&E Energy's manager of transmission line services.

It's Not a Game

In a memo to staff, Mullins wrote, “Training sessions such as these help to prevent the pilot and crew from becoming complacent. Don't ever think you know where everything is out there. Just as sure as you do, you're asking for trouble. Things can change virtually overnight. The wires could have been relocated since you were there last, [and] weather conditions or time of day will create a different perspective. What you saw before may not be as easily visible the next time through. Keep your head into the mission at hand, not somewhere else. It's not a game when in the wire zone; stay alert. Please take your work extremely seriously; there is no time for clowning around when in the wire environment.”

The “Wire Strike Avoidance” training class achieved its objectives. Not only did LG&E Energy add three additional trained patrolmen to its professional flight team, other owners and operators of aircraft in the area were given critical skills and knowledge regarding flying in the wire zone.

Future plans are in the works to offer additional meetings with nonutility aircraft companies across the state, and other utilities are asking how they can do the same.

John Philpot and David Comstock are patrolmen and rights-of-way managers for transmission lines for LG&E Energy.

John.Philpot@lgeenergy.com
David.Comstock@lgeenergy.com

Areas Addressed in Training Class

• Crew resource management. How to operate as a crew: aircraft commander (pilot) and mission commander (patrolman).

• Flying down in the wire zone. How to recognize the signals that wires are present.

• Visibility engineering. What makes wire hard to see and how to identify it before it can actually be seen.

• How to survive a crash or forced landing in a remote area. When and how to get out of an aircraft. How to deal with a fuel fire or an electric fire.

• Understanding the dynamics of the wire and obstruction environment, and gaining respect for conductor sizes by handling samples, including steel, cored high-voltage cable.