PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - North Sea heli ditching: Oct 2012
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Old 14th Nov 2012, 07:22
  #364 (permalink)  
Pittsextra
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: UK
Posts: 1,121
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The manufacturer is currently working to identify the problem, rectify it and ultimately rebuild confidence in it's product.

Once this is achieved I shall have no qualms about flying the 225 again, although I must confess to wanting some convincing arguments that the problem truly is rectificed rather than a guess at some affected serial / part numbers with a cursory limit on flying hours based upon how long it has taken previous modules to fail.
OMB - and what metric will you use to assess EC's indentification of the problem and its rectification?

There is no way the gearbox in its current state (meaning current design, material spec and production venue) can have been tested properly because in the words of Eurocopter themselves:-

"Eurocopter is able to confirm that the latest analyses have validated various similarities between the two controlled ditchings in the North Sea, which took place in May and October of this year."

i.e. it is beyond coincidence or to use your words "lady luck".

These seems to be a creeping view that HUMS can be used as a safety net for flakey engineering.
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