CHC Helibras EC225 Heavy Landing
A very crinkled tail boom on this EC225
From Airbus Helicopters
Airbus Helicopters was informed of a hard landing of an EC225 helicopter on an offshore platform off the coast of Brazil.
The hard landing did not cause harm to the passengers but did, however, result in structural damage to the aircraft which prevents it from flying in its current state.
A team composed of customer representatives and Airbus Helicopters personnel have arrived on-site to observe the initial findings and support the formal investigation. Preliminary analysis of available HUMS data conducted jointly between Airbus Helicopters and Turbomeca:
- Showed no HUMS threshold exceedance (including MOD45 which is monitoring the MGB vertical shaft)
- Shows evidence of possible engine compressor stall (“popping”), just before the crew decided to land.
This type of engine compressor stall (« Popping ») is a known transient phenomena on turbine helicopters. It is characterized by a noise which can be followed by transient vibrations. In itself, such “popping” does not represent any direct risk to subsequent continuation of the flight.
An information Notice on compressor stall describing the phenomena and both operational and maintenance recommendations is currently being prepared and will be issued over the next days.
Further analysis of the available data will be ongoing and Airbus Helicopters will keep you informed as relevant information emerges from the investigation.
Last edited by terminus mos; 20th Dec 2014 at 06:06.