Statoil Helo Crash - North Sea

[Randy Daytona]

AIBN: Main gearbox fatigue fracture ‘likely cause’ of Norway H225 crash

Norwegian investigators have said a fatigue fracture in the main gearbox (MGB) was the most likely cause of the fatal Airbus Helicopters H225 crash near Turoy, Norway, on April 29, and said the fracture propagated in a manner unlikely to be detected by existing mandatory or supplementary systems.

http://www.verticalmag.com/news/aib...utm_campaign=vertical-daily-news-06-29-16-opt

 

[Randy Daytona]

Update on the fatal Super Puma crash in Norway last year (main rotor separated from aircraft in flight)

Norwegian Authorities Fault Super Puma Gearbox in Fatal Crash
Throughout the summer of 2016, most of the worldwide fleet of EC225s remained grounded. While EASA cleared the type for return to flight in October 2016 contingent on a heightened inspection regime and component replacement, it remains grounded by authorities in Norway and the UK, and several operators elsewhere have declined to return it to service. The latest AIBN report is not final and its investigation is continuing; however, it concludes that the cause of the accident “was a result of a fatigue fracture in one of the eight second-stage planet gears in the epicyclic module of the main rotor gearbox.”

The AIBN concluded that the planet gear failed without warning and that onboard systems were unable to detect its degradation before failure...The Board said there were marked similarities between the crash of LN-OJF and the 2009 crash of an Airbus AS332 L2 off the coast of Scotland (G-REDL).

https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-...horities-fault-super-puma-gearbox-fatal-crash

https://www.energyvoice.com/oilandg...-searching-root-cause-north-sea-copter-crash/

 

[Randy Daytona]

The SuperPuma has been cleared back into the air - but it looks like BP is going to wait a while longer before using it for transport back and forth to the oil rigs.

BP will not reintroduce fatal crash helicopter
BP will not use the Super Puma 225 and L2 helicopters until the root cause of last year's fatal crash is known.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-40567877

 

[ChuckMK23]

Well I guess that means you will see Super Pumas on MSC ships now They are likely available dry lease for a song - less than their current capital payments or depreciation.

 

[Randy Daytona]

Update on the Super Puma. Evidently some bearings in the planetary gears, although matching designer specifications, were not the same. Look at around the 2:40 section and then the 4:50 section. It does explain why the accidents happened so suddenly and catastrophically (rotors separating from the transmission.) Reminds me of the problem the H-53's had back in 1996. Perhaps some of our test pilots here might want to chime in.

And unfortunately, another Super Puma just went down - this time in Japan.

https://www.nst.com.my/world/2017/11/300861/four-dead-helicopter-crashes-japan