Originally Posted by
60FltMech
...And just for clarity in this discussion, by mechanical failure I mean defective in design, which is really what is being argued regarding the NH-90(which seems to lack evidence), not accidents related to improper maintenance action, which is it’s own human factors issue...
This is a further complication in analysis of root cause of aircraft accidents. Some months back I started compiling a list of Australian Defence Force helicopter accidents by helicopter type and cause. It all became "too hard". Australia lost a lot of Westland Seaking helicopters in RAN service. Many ditched due to apparent mechanical issues. However the last and most notable loss at Nias was finally found to be due to the installation of an incorrectly sized split pin. So while a mechanical failure, it was due to human error in maintenance. Investigation found more systemic issues existed with maintenance activities at the time, so not an isolated error.