A helicopter hit a handrail on a Taiwan Navigation bulker off Australia partly because the ship’s crew were using an out-of-date safety checklist.

The accident happened on 6 December when the Agusta A109E helicopter came in to land on the deck of the 83,900-dwt Tai Keystone (built 2017), the Australian Transport Safety Bureau said.

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The helicopter pilot reported hearing a shredding noise and an increase in the engine pitch before completing the emergency shutdown procedure, an accident report added.

The aircraft sustained substantial damage and was secured to the deck of the Tai Keystone, which then returned to Hay Point to allow the helicopter to be recovered.

The tail rotor hit the handrail because the pilot did not detect the obstacle and the seafarers were referring to an older version of the vessel’s helicopter operations checklist, the bureau found.

The helicopter was conducting marine pilot transfer operations at the time, with the bulker about 240 km north-east of Mackay, Queensland.

The old checklist did not require the removal of the handrail.

ATSB also said the rail was not painted in a colour that contrasted with the ship’s deck, which contravenes international guidance.

In addition, the helicopter failed to position itself correctly during the landing.

“It is the responsibility of the pilot in command to ensure that a landing area is safe, but likewise, vessel operators should ensure their procedures and landing areas on ships are aligned with the relevant guidance material,” ATSB director of transport safety Stuart Macleod said.

“To best aid pilots, objects that present a threat to a landing helicopter that are retractable, collapsible or removable should be painted in an appropriate colour to ensure they are visible if forgotten or missed,” he added.

Taiwan Navigation has updated the ship’s checklist.

It now includes instructions to make the deck party aware that a landing is to be made and to keep the operating area free of heavy spray or seas.

Side rails and, where necessary, awnings, stanchions and other obstructions are to be lowered or removed.