ECA is primarily a safety organisation; indeed we use the phrase 'Piloting Safety' on our letterhead and website masthead. The 'lion's share' of the work done on behalf of ECA is aimed at constantly improving the levels of aviation safety for the travelling public, those who live underneath flight paths and, of course, our own 38,000 members. ECA: 'Piloting Safety' is not just to imply that as pilots, we are the final guardians of safety in the aircraft; but also in our European political and regulatory system, we seek to drive the cause of safer aviation in all our work.

It was therefore with sadness and horror that we again hear of another helicopter accident and, of course our thoughts and love are with those affected, their families and friends. Two questions again spring to mind with respect to aircraft accidents:

• Do we care enough about those on board aircraft who don't pay for their own passage; the crew and contractors?
• Has the industry begun to lose its focus on the need to continually improve safety culture and performance?

The first question arises because even in Europe, the Helicopter and fixed wing 'non revenue flight' accident rates are significantly higher than revenue fixed wing flights. Is this because the lives of helicopter or oil rig or crop spraying or fire fighting crews are somehow worth less than an airline passenger? Or is it that on board these aircraft are people who have no alternative – they are employees whose only choice is to find other employment, rather than choose to fly with another airline next time? ECA believes the regulator must take a closer look at the relationship between accident rates and non ticket revenue flights, as at the moment these risks are too far out of line.

The second question arises from the reaction to an accident – rare as they are, even in the non-revenue world. Despite attempts to harmonise at the highest level, incident reporting and accident investigation; the reality is a very wide divergence in practice.

The fundamental building blocks of aviation safety improvement have, for decades, come from the flow of good information from incidents and accidents. The world's best experts cooperate to author ICAO Annex 13 – the globally accepted 'state of the art' of incident reporting and accident investigation. Unfortunately, the growing habit of 'politicising' accidents and then seeking to apportion blame results in resistance to the flow of information for fear of recriminations. ECA has repeatedly publicised the way human error is criminalised, and criminal investigation is prioritised over and muddled with safety investigation.

ECA calls on everyone who plans to be on an aircraft of any sort at any time in the future, to join with us in seeking a refocusing of the industry – and particularly the regulators – on the need to prioritise the improvement of the safety culture; above commercial imperative and certainly above any sort of recrimination for tragic accidents. To do otherwise is to gamble with the lives of those on board aircraft in the future.