Air force grounds Cormorant copters
HALIFAX (CP) - Flight restrictions have again been placed on Canada's fleet of Cormorant search-and-rescue helicopters following the crash of a similar aircraft in Britain this week.
The air force said Thursday the Canadian helicopters will only be allowed to fly in emergencies until the tail rotors of each of the 15 aircraft can be inspected.
Lt.-Col. Charles Cue, commander of 413 Squadron in Greenwood, N.S., said the restrictions come following the crash of a Royal Navy Merlin helicopter on Tuesday.
Five people were injured in the crash in Britain.
It is believed the cause of the accident involved cracks in the aircraft's tail rotor.
Cue admitted cracks have been found in the same area on the Cormorants, but said they haven't caused any problems.
"We have had cracking in the tail rotor hub, but we check the hub on a daily basis," he said. "If we find a problem, we take the part off and put a new one on. So far, it hasn't been an issue."
He said the rotors on both the Cormorant and the Merlin are roughly the same.
It's the second time since the beginning of the year that the Cormorants have been placed under restrictions.
In February, concerns were raised about potential fuel leaks.
The Italian-built helicopters have already had problems with cracking windscreens and console brackets.