Paint 'key' to helicopter crash
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Paint 'key' to helicopter crash
Story from BBC News
Paint 'key' to helicopter crash
A single coat of paint could have caused a helicopter crash which killed two people, a fatal accident inquiry has heard.
Pilot Phil Ward and gas worker Eddie Lapsley died instantly when the aircraft crashed in Perthshire in December 2005.
An expert investigator has been giving evidence at the inquiry at Perth Sheriff Court.
Allan Robinson told the inquiry that gloss paint could be to blame.
He said a layer of the paint just one four-thousandth of an inch thick could hold the key to the crash.
Mr Robinson, of the Air Accident Investigation Branch, said the paint had been found on the surface of the Bell 206 Jet Ranger where the tailfin was attached, and that was a mistake.
He added that the paint was likely to have flaked off when the tailfin was removed a few weeks before the crash.
Mr Robinson said that flaking paint would affect the torque during reassembly, and could have compromised the helicopter's safety. He said: "The meeting surface should not have had gloss paint on it.
"My personal opinion, and it is difficult to back up from a hard engineering point of view, is that the paint may have contributed.
"To put paint on in the first place is a form of human error. Applying the correct torque in September 2005 might not be good enough given you have got flakes of paint."
'Rattly aircraft'
Mr Robinson told the fifth day of the inquiry that the aircraft, previously described as "rattly", had completed more than 5,000 hours in the air.
The two-seater aircraft was seen to "fall apart" in the sky before nose-diving into a field beside the A94 road near Coupar Angus, Perthshire.
Capt Ward, from Glasgow, and Mr Lapsley, from Gateshead, had been checking on Transco gas pipelines at the time of the accident. The inquiry, before Sheriff Lindsay Foulis, continues.
A single coat of paint could have caused a helicopter crash which killed two people, a fatal accident inquiry has heard.
Pilot Phil Ward and gas worker Eddie Lapsley died instantly when the aircraft crashed in Perthshire in December 2005.
An expert investigator has been giving evidence at the inquiry at Perth Sheriff Court.
Allan Robinson told the inquiry that gloss paint could be to blame.
He said a layer of the paint just one four-thousandth of an inch thick could hold the key to the crash.
Mr Robinson, of the Air Accident Investigation Branch, said the paint had been found on the surface of the Bell 206 Jet Ranger where the tailfin was attached, and that was a mistake.
He added that the paint was likely to have flaked off when the tailfin was removed a few weeks before the crash.
Mr Robinson said that flaking paint would affect the torque during reassembly, and could have compromised the helicopter's safety. He said: "The meeting surface should not have had gloss paint on it.
"My personal opinion, and it is difficult to back up from a hard engineering point of view, is that the paint may have contributed.
"To put paint on in the first place is a form of human error. Applying the correct torque in September 2005 might not be good enough given you have got flakes of paint."
'Rattly aircraft'
Mr Robinson told the fifth day of the inquiry that the aircraft, previously described as "rattly", had completed more than 5,000 hours in the air.
The two-seater aircraft was seen to "fall apart" in the sky before nose-diving into a field beside the A94 road near Coupar Angus, Perthshire.
Capt Ward, from Glasgow, and Mr Lapsley, from Gateshead, had been checking on Transco gas pipelines at the time of the accident. The inquiry, before Sheriff Lindsay Foulis, continues.
Red On, Green On
Joined: May 2004
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From: Between the woods and the water
I've heard of an incident where steel vehicle wheel rims were powdercoated, and replaced on the vehicle. One wheel fell off, as despite the torque on the nut being high, there was insufficient surface bite on the face of the nut.
Several people commented afterwards that it is common practice to remove the coating around the bolt holes on the rim to prevent this. Fortunately the wheel fell off at very slow speed.
Several people commented afterwards that it is common practice to remove the coating around the bolt holes on the rim to prevent this. Fortunately the wheel fell off at very slow speed.
Joined: May 2007
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From: Warwick
Were seats removed from the Bell 206 quoted, in order to make it 2 seat - as quoted? Or is this another highly accurate media report?
At least we got some nose diving in; shame for the press it wasn't near any school / hospital / nursery etc!!
At least we got some nose diving in; shame for the press it wasn't near any school / hospital / nursery etc!!
Joined: Nov 2004
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From: Cambridgeshire, UK
Interesting, Flying Lawyer.
Bolts are often used to clamp load bearing assemblies, so may have to handle a range of loads. Normally the bolt would be sized to apply sufficient force for friction to stop the clamped join sliding at max load. Gloss paint could well affect this, and once movement starts the joint will quickly deteriorate. Worst case is that bolt has to withstand full shear load - they are not good at this. I imagine surface after wet'n'dry sanding would provide a much better grip.
Bolts are often used to clamp load bearing assemblies, so may have to handle a range of loads. Normally the bolt would be sized to apply sufficient force for friction to stop the clamped join sliding at max load. Gloss paint could well affect this, and once movement starts the joint will quickly deteriorate. Worst case is that bolt has to withstand full shear load - they are not good at this. I imagine surface after wet'n'dry sanding would provide a much better grip.
Joined: Dec 2005
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From: England
This scenario seems to occur after local repainting. More than once I have had to decide if the coat of paint has been applied where it shouldn't be. Often the maintenance manuals are of no help.
I remember being given a hard time by one chief engineer for removing paint from a repainted Dauphin tailboom at the point where the tail gearbox mounting tripod met the duct inner surfaces.
This subject should be highlighted in the CAP 747 appendix dealing with aircraft repainting.
It seems very sad that lives may have been lost due to a well known and common problem.
I remember being given a hard time by one chief engineer for removing paint from a repainted Dauphin tailboom at the point where the tail gearbox mounting tripod met the duct inner surfaces.
This subject should be highlighted in the CAP 747 appendix dealing with aircraft repainting.
It seems very sad that lives may have been lost due to a well known and common problem.
Joined: Feb 2004
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From: South of UK
This crash resulted in an AD: mine 'failed' and it cost me c.£20k (long story) to put right.
But there was no paint on my t/r gearbox support. Maybe the AAIB should have taken a look at my support too.
IIRC the AAIB report blamed the elongated holes for the accident, without specifically drawing the conclusion that it was the paint causing the original fretting that allowed the bolts to 'work'.
But there was no paint on my t/r gearbox support. Maybe the AAIB should have taken a look at my support too.
IIRC the AAIB report blamed the elongated holes for the accident, without specifically drawing the conclusion that it was the paint causing the original fretting that allowed the bolts to 'work'.
Joined: Feb 2008
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From: Adelaide
Helicopter Crash 21/12/05 Perthshire, Scotland- More Information wanted
Can anyone help me with some more information about the pilot who died in the above accident? He is reported in the various on-line news reports I have found as (Robert) Philip Ward aged 48 of Glasgow. I am trying to find out if he is a guy who was a friend of mine at University in Adelaide, South Australia, in the 1970s. He was about the right age.
I am in the process of organising a family trip to the USA for later this year. Last I heard, my friend Philip (Phil) Ward was working as a helicopter pilot in St Louis, Missouri in the USA. I thought I would try and track him down so we could visit him when we are in the USA. For want of any better options to locate him, I put "Philip Ward helicopter" into Google and to my horror, lots of news stories about the helicopter crash in Scotland came up. I have been unable to find a photograph so I don't know if the pilot who died in the horrible accident was my friend, Phil.
What I can remember of him was he was English, born about 1957, and his full name was (I think) Robert Philip Glover Ward. He worked for a year in 1976 as a tutor in the Boarding House at Prince Alfred College here in Adelaide, before starting at Adelaide University in 1977, where he lived at Lincoln College for a couple of years.
Can anyone help? There are quite a few people in Adelaide who grew very fond of Phil when he was here and would like to know.
I joined this forum to ask this question-after hours trying to find the answer by other means; I thought someone reading the forum might know the answer- or know someone who does. Please help!
I am in the process of organising a family trip to the USA for later this year. Last I heard, my friend Philip (Phil) Ward was working as a helicopter pilot in St Louis, Missouri in the USA. I thought I would try and track him down so we could visit him when we are in the USA. For want of any better options to locate him, I put "Philip Ward helicopter" into Google and to my horror, lots of news stories about the helicopter crash in Scotland came up. I have been unable to find a photograph so I don't know if the pilot who died in the horrible accident was my friend, Phil.
What I can remember of him was he was English, born about 1957, and his full name was (I think) Robert Philip Glover Ward. He worked for a year in 1976 as a tutor in the Boarding House at Prince Alfred College here in Adelaide, before starting at Adelaide University in 1977, where he lived at Lincoln College for a couple of years.
Can anyone help? There are quite a few people in Adelaide who grew very fond of Phil when he was here and would like to know.
I joined this forum to ask this question-after hours trying to find the answer by other means; I thought someone reading the forum might know the answer- or know someone who does. Please help!
Last edited by mcbryde1; 23rd February 2008 at 03:14. Reason: forgot something
Joined: Oct 2003
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From: Canada
I flew a Hughes 269B in which an engineer had applied non approved anti-abrasion tape to the M/R blades. All was fine until I flew through a rain squall.
When I tried to hover out of ground effect the thing wouldn't stay in the air. When I landed I discovered that the rain had shattered the tape thus affecting the aerodynamic properties of the blades. After it was removed all was fine. It was a cheap lesson that could have ended in disaster.
When I tried to hover out of ground effect the thing wouldn't stay in the air. When I landed I discovered that the rain had shattered the tape thus affecting the aerodynamic properties of the blades. After it was removed all was fine. It was a cheap lesson that could have ended in disaster.
Joined: Mar 2008
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From: England
Phil Ward
Hi this is Rachel Ward
I am Phils sister, just to let you know Phil was killed whilst flying his helicopter up to Aberdeen, Scotland 2 years ago. His co pilot also killed. It is so nice to know that Phil touched so many lives all over the world. The accident investigation is still going on but i am sure you would like to know that it was not pilot error. We would appreciate it if you could let any of Phils friends know of this tradgedy and if you would like any more information or a picture please email me or give me a ring my email address is [email protected] (my daughters). Hope to speak soon. Rachel
I am Phils sister, just to let you know Phil was killed whilst flying his helicopter up to Aberdeen, Scotland 2 years ago. His co pilot also killed. It is so nice to know that Phil touched so many lives all over the world. The accident investigation is still going on but i am sure you would like to know that it was not pilot error. We would appreciate it if you could let any of Phils friends know of this tradgedy and if you would like any more information or a picture please email me or give me a ring my email address is [email protected] (my daughters). Hope to speak soon. Rachel
