Oz Navy grounds Sea-King fleet
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Oz Navy grounds Sea-King fleet
I am not sure I follow the rationale of these types of groundings. In the event that the cause is unknown and the fleet is currently maintained and determined to be in a serviceable manner, what is achieved by this?
Australian Navy grounds entire helicopter fleet
By Cynthia Banham and Samantha Selinger-Morris
August 23, 2005
The Royal Australian Navy has grounded its helicopter fleet ahead of a formal inquiry into the fatal Sea King crash in Nias, Indonesia, in April.
The Australian Maritime Commander, Rear-Admiral Davyd Thomas, had ordered an "aviation maintenance practice review" to be conducted this week, a navy spokesman said.
He said that while there would be no blanket ban on flying, there could be "some adjustment to operational flying programs".
This meant helicopters would be flown only when absolutely necessary, and as many as possible would be kept on the ground.
Maintenance experts would advise the navy "over the next day or so" whether every helicopter in the fleet needed to be assessed as part of the review.
The executive director of the Australian Defence Association, Neil James, said grounding would be "a fairly commonsense decision to make if the investigation had discovered a flaw in the maintenance schedule".
"Grounding them all wouldn't be anything out of the ordinary; it would be a fairly logical safety precaution to take, so you could check out the other six aircraft in the fleet as soon as possible."
"If they found a flaw in the maintenance, then it would indicate that it's possibly a bit more serious."
The Sea King crashed on April 2 while delivering aid to the tsunami victims in Nias, killing nine military personnel.
A report into the crash released in April indicated a faulty flight control system might have been the cause.
The initial investigation revealed two components of the flight control system, which ran from the cockpit to the rear rotor, had become detached and other vital components linking these parts were missing from the wreckage.
At the time Rear-Admiral Rowan Moffitt said the flight control system problems were not necessarily the only cause of the crash, and that investigators were exploring six other lines of inquiry: operations, engineering, the aircraft drivetrain, medical factors, human factors and the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder.
The investigation team is due to deliver its final report to the board of inquiry into the crash, which is expected to be announced in the next few weeks.
Asked whether the unexpected grounding of the fleet was related to the Sea King crash, the navy spokesman said: "Any wholesale review of aircraft maintenance should not be divorced from the Sea King incident until the board of inquiry examines the evidence to be put before it."
Six navy personnel were killed in the crash: Lieutenants Paul Kimlin, Matthew Davey, Matthew Goodall and Jonathan King; Petty Officer Stephen Slattery; and Leading Seaman Scott Bennet.
Three RAAF personnel died: Squadron Leader Paul McCarthy, Flight Lieutenant Lynne Rowbottom and Sergeant Wendy Jones.
Leading Seaman Shane Warburton and Leading Aircraftsman Scott Nichols were injured.
NO-FLY ZONE
- No flying of Sea King helicopters except in emergency cases.
- Final report of investigation into Nias tragedy due.
- Grounding precedes a formal inquiry into accident.
Australian Navy grounds entire helicopter fleet
By Cynthia Banham and Samantha Selinger-Morris
August 23, 2005
The Royal Australian Navy has grounded its helicopter fleet ahead of a formal inquiry into the fatal Sea King crash in Nias, Indonesia, in April.
The Australian Maritime Commander, Rear-Admiral Davyd Thomas, had ordered an "aviation maintenance practice review" to be conducted this week, a navy spokesman said.
He said that while there would be no blanket ban on flying, there could be "some adjustment to operational flying programs".
This meant helicopters would be flown only when absolutely necessary, and as many as possible would be kept on the ground.
Maintenance experts would advise the navy "over the next day or so" whether every helicopter in the fleet needed to be assessed as part of the review.
The executive director of the Australian Defence Association, Neil James, said grounding would be "a fairly commonsense decision to make if the investigation had discovered a flaw in the maintenance schedule".
"Grounding them all wouldn't be anything out of the ordinary; it would be a fairly logical safety precaution to take, so you could check out the other six aircraft in the fleet as soon as possible."
"If they found a flaw in the maintenance, then it would indicate that it's possibly a bit more serious."
The Sea King crashed on April 2 while delivering aid to the tsunami victims in Nias, killing nine military personnel.
A report into the crash released in April indicated a faulty flight control system might have been the cause.
The initial investigation revealed two components of the flight control system, which ran from the cockpit to the rear rotor, had become detached and other vital components linking these parts were missing from the wreckage.
At the time Rear-Admiral Rowan Moffitt said the flight control system problems were not necessarily the only cause of the crash, and that investigators were exploring six other lines of inquiry: operations, engineering, the aircraft drivetrain, medical factors, human factors and the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder.
The investigation team is due to deliver its final report to the board of inquiry into the crash, which is expected to be announced in the next few weeks.
Asked whether the unexpected grounding of the fleet was related to the Sea King crash, the navy spokesman said: "Any wholesale review of aircraft maintenance should not be divorced from the Sea King incident until the board of inquiry examines the evidence to be put before it."
Six navy personnel were killed in the crash: Lieutenants Paul Kimlin, Matthew Davey, Matthew Goodall and Jonathan King; Petty Officer Stephen Slattery; and Leading Seaman Scott Bennet.
Three RAAF personnel died: Squadron Leader Paul McCarthy, Flight Lieutenant Lynne Rowbottom and Sergeant Wendy Jones.
Leading Seaman Shane Warburton and Leading Aircraftsman Scott Nichols were injured.
NO-FLY ZONE
- No flying of Sea King helicopters except in emergency cases.
- Final report of investigation into Nias tragedy due.
- Grounding precedes a formal inquiry into accident.
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It seems to me that its all Navy helos, not just the Sea King thats grounded.
I agree though, it seems strange to effectively ground them all now.
edit: The ABC have a caption ""All Navy helicopters have been grounded for a maintenance review."
I assume they know there is more than one type in use by the RAN?
I agree though, it seems strange to effectively ground them all now.
edit: The ABC have a caption ""All Navy helicopters have been grounded for a maintenance review."
I assume they know there is more than one type in use by the RAN?
Last edited by zhishengji751; 22nd Aug 2005 at 23:46.
