Helicopter rescue hoist operators to review hook stowage practices

Helicopter operators and flight crew involved in rescue hoist operations should review their operational practices to ensure hoist operation and hook stowage are in accordance with the manufacturers’ published procedures.
This advice comes as the ATSB published a final report into a rescue hoist cable failure when a AS350 B3 Squirrel helicopter’s winch cable fractured at the hook assembly while under load during a cable conditioning maintenance operation near Bulga, New South Wales on 5 February 2020.