Since the beginning, Skyryse’s mission has been to make general aviation accidents and fatalities nearly obsolete—for nearly anyone to feel safe and empowered to fly any aircraft. As part of this endeavor, the Skyryse team analyzed helicopter accident data and the impact that SkyOS could have made over the past 25 years. The discoveries were not insignificant.
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Based on final reports from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), over 800 lives from fatal helicopter accidents could have been avoided had the SkyOS platform been operable in the aircraft involved in these accidents.

What helicopter accident data did we pull from?

How was it determined that the SkyOS safety management platform could have reduced the occurrence of these accidents or eliminated them altogether? Here is a look at the analysis.

Skyryse sourced helicopter accident data specifically from the NTSB, which is a United States based agency. Therefore, the data is primarily focused on U.S. helicopter accident data. Skyryse found that there have been 577 fatal accidents since January 1st, 2000, which have resulted in a total of 1084 fatalities. These accidents were placed into four categories, based on how SkyOS could have affected the outcome:
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• (SkyOS would have) Eliminated: Pilot induced loss of control
• Significantly Reduced: Ground collisions, failed autorotation
• Reduced: Mid-air collisions
• Unchanged: Maintenance error, structural failure, pilot incapacitation

In plain terms, SkyOS would have eliminated all fatal helicopter accidents that the NTSB said were caused by pilot induced loss of control, significantly reduced the number of fatalities from ground collisions and failed autorotations, and reduced events involving mid-air collisions. Events involving maintenance errors, structural failures, and/or pilot incapacitation would have been unchanged by the implementation of SkyOS.

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How the SkyOS could have prevented the helicopter accidents from becoming fatalities:

The SkyOS platform provides the following safety features that would have mitigated the causal factors that resulted in the fatal accidents:

Hover Assist

What traditionally required both hands and feet now just requires your command. Skyryse One maintains a stable hover wherever the pilot dictates.

System initiated autorotation

SkyOS quickly recognizes a power failure and automatically enters into an autorotation, managing the rotor RPM during glide – with the pilot in control of the landing area, flare, and set down.

Dynamic envelope protection

SkyOS keeps the aircraft in a safe envelope at all times by continuously processing pilot inputs, environmental conditions, aircraft status, and flight parameters.

Engine and rotor system protection

Continuously monitoring RPMs, temperatures, pressures, and torques, SkyOS controls the flight to keep the engine within limits from start-up to shut-down, in all conditions.

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Based on the final reports from the NTSB, Skyryse determined that Dynamic Envelope Protection alone could have mitigated 56% of these fatalities. 
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Having SkyOS to reduce task saturation and pilot workload would have reduced 15% of the accidents. 
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Finally, engine and rotor system protection would have mitigated risks in 11% of the accidents while SkyOS automated autorotation feature would have mitigated 7%.
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All told, based on the NTSB’s final determinations as to the causes of 577 accidents and the technology of SkyOS, Skyryse technology would have reduced the risk of 429 of these accidents. 
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These 429 accidents would have amounted to 824 lives that could have been saved if SkyOS was available only 25 years ago.