Update: CHC Statement on Sumburgh Aircraft Accident 25 August, 2300 UK time
Harry O & Mitcha have previously commented on the CHC press release of 25 August 2300 (UK time)
Given the political climate and possible repercussions, I would presume that both Eurocopter& the AAIB were aware of the text - if not party to its drafting.
If you deconstruct the text an interesting conundrum appears.
“AS332L2 aircraft landed in the water” – Interesting use of semantics – why does CHC, a helicopter company, call the AS332L2 “an aircraft” and not a helicopter. There is however one line where CHC refer to “the helicopter”, which is either sloppy editing or could indicate more than one author was involved in writing the document. Further, “landed” implies a deliberate, intentional action. Why the helicopter “landed” on the sea and not on the runway “about two nautical miles” away, is not mentioned.
CHC state: “We believe that engineering and operating differences associated with AS332L/L1 and EC225 aircraft warrant continuing flights with those aircraft”. In other words CHC believe that the “engineering and operational differences” associated with the L2,
do not warrant continuing flights with the L2.
CHC again point to the L2: “…we canceled all of our Sunday (Aug. 25) flights…” “…”in order to give us time to take stock of any implications associated with Friday’s accident, which involved an AS332L2 aircraft.” and, “CHC plans to resume normal operations on Monday with AS332L/L1 and EC225 aircraft.” But CHC does not plan to resume operations with the L2.
I have never flown any of the SP family of “aircraft” - L/L1/L2/225 - and my time in the North Sea was happily spent only on Sikorsky types, however almost every Emergency checklist I have used will have a mandatory requirement to “land immediately” in case of specific warnings, failures, instrument indications, which could have a catastrophic consequence if ignored.
So, now to the conundrum and perhaps HC or any other knowledgeable SP L/L1/L2/225 pilot can provide a hint:
What engineering and operational differences are associated specifically with the L2, but are not found on the L, L1, or 225, which in case of a caution warning, failure, impeding malfunction or other indication, requires the helicopter to land immediately?