56 Seconds to Live

“U.S. accident statistics reveal that a helicopter pilot who unintentionally continues VFR flight into IMC will very likely lose control of their aircraft and be dead within a median time of 56 seconds. We must join industry stakeholders to do everything we can to reverse this alarming and unacceptable trend.”

Nick Mayhew, industry co-chair, US Helicopter Safety Team



Don’t let this happen to you! Complete the 56 Seconds to Live Course now and share it with others to prevent rotorcraft accidents and fatalities resulting from UIMC.


What is UIMC?

Call it what you want - unintended flight into instrument meteorological conditions (UIMC), inadvertent IMC, or simply VFR flight into bad weather. It remains one the primary causal factors linked to fatal rotorcraft accidents in the US and around the globe. The USHST is determined help the industry understand the deadly consequences of continuing VFR flight in deteriorating weather and offer decision-making tips, training resources, and recommended practices to enable a reversal of this unacceptable trend.


About this Course

Many who viewed the US Helicopter Team’s 56 Seconds to Live video were introduced to a frightening accident scenario that reminded many pilots of a similar experience. We reintroduce viewers to that video clip for participants in this course. We then present several alternate scenarios with a different outcome. Each alternate ending is accompanied by a review of items to consider when planning your future operations. This approximately one-hour course will equip each participant with a better understanding of risk management and recommended practices to apply in all phases of flight planning and execution.


56 Seconds to Live Course Learning Objectives

• Correctly identifying and effectively managing risk
• Using avoidance as a primary method to prevent accidents
• Responding to enroute decision points / triggers
• Accurate evaluation of environmental conditions
• Effective application of aeronautical decision-making skills
• Managing stress in unanticipated weather conditions


Course is Free to Everyone - Membership is not Required.

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Skills covered

• Aviation safety risk management
• Flight risk assessment
• Aeronautical decision-making
• Enroute decision points / triggers
• UIMC/IIMC emergency recovery considerations


FAA WINGS Credit

• 1.0 course credit hours available for FAA Safety Team account holders
• To setup or update your FAA Safety Team account, go to https://www.faasafety.gov/
• Verify the email used to register for this course is the same email on file in your FAASTeam account

For more information about the USHST, visit https://ushst.org/