To: Helmet Fire
I quote “From what I gather you appear to be saying that the crashes of the EH-101 were predicted, but that an Augusta manager removed the predictions purely out of anger, and failed to tell Westland. Lu, you sure do have the biggest balls. What a call. You were not even alleging it, you were stating it”.
I was supervising the preparation of the FMEAs on the EH-101 using a computerized reporting form which I developed for the A-129 Mangusta. While I was doing that, Westland was developing a similar computerized format. The problem was that the two companies were using computers that could not interface with each other because of programming and server differences. It was the intention of Agusta and Westland to develop a program that would allow this interface to take place. I do not think this program was ever developed so both companies were blind to what the other was doing.
I attended a meeting at EHI headquarters in London to discuss this program along with manpower allocations and work sharing. Agusta had five R&M engineers only two of who spoke English and none had any formal training in R&M. That was the reason for my being there. Develop the program and instruct the employees how to perform the analysis as well as teaching the system to a young lady that had minimal English skills on how to enter the information into the computer.
At the meeting I found out that Westland was reducing their staff to a very low level (possibly 6-7 men). As an example the Apache program had 38+ R&M engineers on staff and Agusta had 5 men and Westland had 6-7 men and they were committing to a level of effort that would take 60-70 R&M engineers not including about 10 safety engineers. I sat there for a while and finally spoke up asking if I could say something. I got up and closed the door and started to raise my voice telling both managers that they did not have enough personnel on staff to accomplish 1/10th of the work they were both proposing. I told them that to make that kind of commitment they would jeopardize both companies in the eyes of the Royal Navy and the Italian Navy and the certification authorities. Both managers were shaken by my attack, as that is just not done in civilized Europe.
When I got back the manager told the engineers that I was supervising not to talk to me. I didn’t mind as I was making a ton of money and I had no responsibility. I just loafed around for a month and then the manager told the men to go back into the computer and remove all catastrophic failures from the FMEAs. It appeared that I had attacked his MACHISMO and this was his revenge because I was very adamant that catastrophic failures be included in order to drive the design.
Since Westland and Agusta computers could not talk to each other Westland was unaware of what had transpired at Agusta.
I wish I had bigger balls (as well as the attached equipment) but that is another story. I may come off in these threads as an idiot (according to Nick Lappos) but when I am being paid to do a job my main purpose is to protect the company that is paying my salary. I have found out through experience that some companies do not want to be saved. What they want to save is money and to that end they deliver second rate equipment. IMHO
Regarding the expert witness comment I was contacted by the Royal Navy and asked if I would participate in an investigation. I agreed but nothing came of it.
[ 16 February 2002: Message edited by: Lu Zuckerman ]</p>