Agusta shipped a brand new A-109 to the Far East. To protect it during shipment they placed it in a seagoing metal container. There was one problem. The rotor mast protruded through the top of the container. Agusta specified to the shipping firm that no containers be placed on top of the container containing the helicopter. The helicopter was mounted on a metal frame attached to the jacking pads and vibration absorbers isolated the frame. The shipping company followed Agustas’ instructions but the container was not placed on the top of the other containers for the seagoing part of the trip. In fact there were at least three containers placed on top of the container with the helicopter.
The weight on the top drove the transmission down into the fuselage and when the helicopter arrived at its’ destination it was a write off.
