AIAA news: Mayor Says Atlanta Police Helicopter Had Been Refurbished Before Fatal Crash.

The AP (11/6, Compton) reports, “The Atlanta police helicopter that crashed and killed two officers on board had been completely refurbished within the last decade, and its pilot and maintenance crew were confident it was safe to fly, officials said Monday.” The helicopter crashed Saturday as the officers were looking for a missing 9-year-old boy. The department did have “a newer chopper, but Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said the veteran pilot who had been flying for 16 years preferred the older model because it was easy to maneuver.” It was still unknown “if the fallen officers had been using night vision, though Deputy Chief Renee Propes said pilots often rely on their sight alone, even at night.”

Aircraft noise and vibration in helicopter operations create a safety issue. From AIAA news

Rosekind Says Pilot Fatigue Remains Top Issue. Aviation International News (2/13, Mark) reports the NTSB’s Mark Rosekind told the Heli-Expo audience this weekend, “Fatigue in the aviation industry has been on the NTSB’s Top 10 Most-Wanted list for two decades. … It still makes up six of our top 10 fears today.” Rosekind “dove right into the fatigue issue at the lead-off educational session at Heli-Expo 2012 in Dallas.” He said “aircraft noise and vibration in helicopter operations create special fatigue issues, as does the predominance of single-pilot, on-demand operations, often conducted at night.