Abbreviated Review of the Approach to the Water Checklist
Approaches to the water can occur amid high workload periods. Ideally, pilots are well ahead of the aircraft, having accomplished the approach to the water checklist prior to, or as they arrive, on scene. Between checklist completion and initiating the approach, crews tend to hold off on items, or reconfigure the helicopter to accomplish other tasks, after the approach set up. As such, I have created a personal “abbreviated review of the approach to the water checklist,” to catch common operational errors just before starting the descent. Here are the steps:
- Door is open – weather and temperatures may preclude the aircrew from opening the door ahead of time (e.g., patient on board).
- Crew is “ready for approach” – this reengages them and ensures everyone is in seats and harnesses.
- RADALT low bugs are set – workload and conditions that require an approach to the water are typically such that I prefer not to lower the RADALT low bug until just before descent.
- Hover bars – sometimes winds are such that the helicopter’s ground speed before the descent is below 50 kts groundspeed, which replaces the CDI with the hover bars prematurely.
- Radar – last chance to ensure it is tuned optimally and configured so that it will be displayed when the hover bars replace the CDI.
Consistently reviewing these five items just prior to initiating the descent has helped me mitigate errors.
