Esso Australia did not have a procedure for a helicopter recovery from inadvertent IMC during hoist operations or recovery procedures for EGPWS alerts or advisories.
The ATSB acknowledges the introduction of a prescribed low‑level inadvertent meteorological recovery procedure and the associated training to be implemented by Esso Australia reduces the risk associated with this safety issue.
The operator, Esso Australia, conducted an internal investigation which identified deficiencies in procedures regarding search and rescue training in the vicinity of fog as the root causal factor for the occurrence. As a result of its internal finding, the operator has developed a recovery procedure for inadvertent entry into instrument meteorological conditions at low‑level in the hover and potentially whilst aircrew are connected to the hoist below the aircraft. The newly‑developed procedure has been incorporated into the operational proficiency check syllabus and flight crew training will be conducted during recurrent simulator and hoist proficiency checks on a biannual basis.
