What a load of sanctimonious tosh on this strand! This is supossed to be a Professional Pilots RUMOUR Network!
We all know that the best quess/final answer will come after the BOI has done its stuff and published (some months away). In the mean time it does not take the brains of a helicopter designer to work out that this crash must have had something to do with the Merlin TR. It is an insult to this readership to pretend otherwise.
The Merlin is a fantastic aircraft and I endorse the sentiment that we need to get a fix and move on FAST..... but can we please refrain from all the 'don't talk about it cos we don't know yet' b****cks? Likewise, it is well known that the aircraft has cost a shed (no, hangar) load of cash and defence, across the board, is on the bones of its back side - so it comes down to a judgement call on risk v available cash to sort out current and anticipated snags on the aircraft; bit like the decision not to upgrade the door runners on the navy's Lynx fleet some years ago (cost v small risk of a door coming off in flight) which cost me a close friend along with his crew-mate and a cabin load of pax. Sad fact of life.