At least TC are working with FAA and EASA even if the Transport Minister won't engage on why Advisory material was used to water down a certification test.
Ottawa sent "platitudes" to N.L. chopper crash victims - Nfld. & Labrador - CBC News
Ottawa sent "platitudes" to N.L. chopper crash victims
CBC News
Posted: Nov 8, 2011 5:47 PM NT
A lawyer for people affected by the crash of Cougar Flight 491 says a response received from the federal transport minister is not acceptable.
"Our take is that the letter is long on platitudes about safety and short on answers to the serious question of what went wrong in the certification process of the S-92A's main gearbox," lawyer Joe Fiorante wrote in an email to CBC News.
The letter from Transport Minister Denis Lebel is a response to three letters from the families and Robert Decker, the only person who survived the crash.
Those letters call on the minister to answer questions the families say were not addressed by the Transportation Safety Board’s investigation into the March 2009 crash that killed 17 people southeast of St. John’s.
They want to know why the Sikorsky S-92A’s main gearbox was certified to fly for 30 minutes after losing oil pressure — when it clearly couldn't.
They also want to know why a similar S-92A main gearbox failure in Australia, months before the crash southeast of St. John’s, wasn't followed up and acted on more quickly.
Minister apologizes
Monday Federal Transport Minister Denis Lebel responded after Lori Chynn, whose husband John Pelley died in the crash, publicly called on the federal government to respond to the families.
"Please accept my apologies for the delay in responding," he wrote.
"My department continues to work with the FAA and EASA to review the regulations and guidance material to reach an international agreement on any changes that are necessary … we will continue to work with the TSB, the C-NLOPB to maintain and enhance the safety of Canadian Aviation."
Regarding recommendations made by the Offshore Helicopter Safety Inquiry following the crash, Lebel said:
"I will be in a position to provide a response to the board very soon."
The families wrote their first letter asking the federal transport minister to investigate the certification of the Silkorsky S-92A on Feb. 18, 2011.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) released its final report on the crash on Feb. 9, 2011.
Retired Supreme Court Justice Robert Wells, who led the Offshore Helicopter Safety Inquiry, called on Transport Canada to adopt and act on the four recommendations of the Transportation Safety Board.
The TSB's report recommended helicopters must:
Have a main gearbox able to run without oil for 30 minutes.
Not fly in rough conditions.
Have emergency breathing equipment on all flights where survival suits are worn.
Have an emergency flotation system to keep a chopper afloat long enough to evacuate safely.