EC 225 Return to REAL Service

[Concentric]

Originally Posted by jimf671

If we look at the history of S-61 accidents then the ones in the back may not be the biggest issue. Two other things are going on.

The 234 stood out because it carried a lot of passengers and put a larger number of people at risk in a single event.

The Super Puma stands out because it has been the dominant offshore passenger carrying tool in the internet age when the outrageous views of the ignorant carry more weight than informed alternatives.

There were several other reasons the 234 was rejected, helideck capacity; escape exits; vibration; economics to name just four.

The S-61 did have a number of accidents in the pioneering days of the North Sea but the ones you listed previously were of various different root causes and most of those would be readily preventable with today’s inspection technology. Planetary gears are still only accessible during overhaul. I know you have collated a lot of data, so can you pick out 2 components of the S-61 that failed in very similar manners (at least one component causing loss of life twice) and each time the manufacturer claimed to have the problem solved after the first occurrence?

The issue the workforce and clients have is not so much with the Super Puma per se although that is how it may be labelled; it is with Airbus Helicopters. There is a loss of confidence in the manufacturer, due almost as much to their statements as to the failure of their components. The uncertainty in many peoples' minds is “how well has the rest of the thing been engineered?”.

My particular outrageous view is that the upgrading of the Super Puma gearbox to take the increased power of the L2 and EC225 was poorly engineered. In complex stress analyses, particular stress components appear to have been ignored in both the bevel gear shaft and the 2nd stage planet gear/bearings. I base that view upon the findings of the AAIB into failures of those components in REDL, REDW and CHCN. Safety margins were compromised so it would only be a matter of time before manufacturing quality and assembly tolerances lined up the other holes.