Originally Posted by
Apate
Two fatal accidents (L2 & EC225) with full independent investigations do not find a root cause. The latest EC225 accident also highlights that HUMS did not provide any indications of an issue, yet resulted in a catastrophic failure with no chance of any survivors.
Once you wiped the Foam off your Mouth you should see that there is a very serious failure mode that hasn't been properly fixed. This is a serious issue and shouldn't be taken too lightly. The S-92 has proven to be apparently very difficult/impossible to control with a failed Tailrotor (Cougar accident). They were at low power setting and prepared that something might be bound to fail plus they were over water and still the result was an accident with only one survivor. This is probably due to a pretty big and boxy Fuselage and a rather small tail. Weather vaning effect likely pretty small. So the Tail rotor is extremely critical on this type.
Sikorsky needs to fix this ASAP. We don't need another predictable fatal accident.
Does it warrant immediate grounding? Possibly not. Does it warrant highest urgency on the side of the Manufacturer plus rigorous and tight inspections on the active fleet? Absolutely.