Originally Posted by
Lonewolf_50
Neither you nor I knows what "repaired" means for that gear box. It covers a lot of ground. The details of that may or may not be in the final report.
What was disassembled?
How far down was the gear box taken down?
What was inspected?
What was found damaged?
What was replaced?
What was repaired?
Not enough information to assess the return to service decision.
As to "write it off and collect the insurance" -- that's one way to go. But doesn't that decision depend on what you found out once you opened up the gear box and assessed what was or wasn't damaged after that transportation accident?
My point was why bother. These events will be very, very rare and it is virtually impossible to be certain the repair has covered all bases. A significant deceleration impact might initiate a future fatigue crack in almost any of the critical components that would be extremely difficult to detect.
I am not suggesting it for all the components in the helicopter but a helicopter MGB I would argue is something where those risks need not be taken. Just reject those which have been exposed to such exceptional events.
If you owned a single engined light aircraft and the repair shop accidentally dropped the engine a metre or so during overhaul and damaged it would you accept it back after repair or would you feel safer if they replace it with a new one? That is what insurance is for.