Yet another AW139 tail incident at Gulf helis
Bleeding nice of 'em to shuck their bits while on the ground now iddnit!
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similar
It would seem very similar to the HK aircraft.
Similar style of "Vertical Fin" break with one wayward Tail Rotor Blade.
Spoke
Similar style of "Vertical Fin" break with one wayward Tail Rotor Blade.
6. In the evening of 3 July 2010, the helicopter was lifted out of water. The top section
of the vertical fin, the tail rotor, the tail gearbox and the associated drive shaft, control
rods and cover fairings of the helicopter were found missing. After extensive
underwater search, the tail rotor and the tail gearbox were salvaged from the harbour on 14 July 2010 but one of the four blades of the tail rotor was still missing. Search of the remaining missing parts is on-going.
of the vertical fin, the tail rotor, the tail gearbox and the associated drive shaft, control
rods and cover fairings of the helicopter were found missing. After extensive
underwater search, the tail rotor and the tail gearbox were salvaged from the harbour on 14 July 2010 but one of the four blades of the tail rotor was still missing. Search of the remaining missing parts is on-going.
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I am at present working offshore in Qatar. I fly on these aircraft on a very regular basis.
Someone somwhere needs to get to the bottom of this issue and very quickly. The people at GH are more concerned about covering up the name of their prestigious company and registration of the helicopter concerned than really trying to resolve the problems and issues within the company.
Confidence here in the carrier has taken quite a knock,its either a manufacturers or engineering and maintenance issue.Someone has to put their hands up and say its our problem!!!
Somehow I fear that will never be the case.
Someone somwhere needs to get to the bottom of this issue and very quickly. The people at GH are more concerned about covering up the name of their prestigious company and registration of the helicopter concerned than really trying to resolve the problems and issues within the company.
Confidence here in the carrier has taken quite a knock,its either a manufacturers or engineering and maintenance issue.Someone has to put their hands up and say its our problem!!!
Somehow I fear that will never be the case.
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Mmm ...
Well at least now Agusta have a nice bunch of parts which hopefully will allow them to determine how this thing failed !!
NOW FIX IT PLEASE !!!!
Well at least now Agusta have a nice bunch of parts which hopefully will allow them to determine how this thing failed !!
NOW FIX IT PLEASE !!!!
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"Someone has to put their hands up and say its our problem!!!"
thehighlander959
Again, I believe that GH had covered up the registration/logo as part of company procedure-which is standard for the aviation industry including airlines.
You are right in commenting on the hope to get to the bottom of the issue whether its manufacturer/engineering/maintenance...I couldn't agree more.
Regardless, what doesn't help the situation is a slow decline in level of technical competance of maintenance staff. For sure there are very skilled/capable technicians from the countries where GH are currently hiring from but generally speaking-people from these countries are "culturally" non-confrontational and passive in nature.
In any work environment there needs to be a balance between this passive culture and people that will stand up and say something if it isn't right. Finally to have management who are encouraged to embrace this dynamic to then find a happy medium.
I think GH has continued to lean one way for quite a while, and this can only be done with the direction from the very top. Hopefully this event may influence the current culture with the end result being the supply of a good product.
Best of luck.
Again, I believe that GH had covered up the registration/logo as part of company procedure-which is standard for the aviation industry including airlines.
You are right in commenting on the hope to get to the bottom of the issue whether its manufacturer/engineering/maintenance...I couldn't agree more.
Regardless, what doesn't help the situation is a slow decline in level of technical competance of maintenance staff. For sure there are very skilled/capable technicians from the countries where GH are currently hiring from but generally speaking-people from these countries are "culturally" non-confrontational and passive in nature.
In any work environment there needs to be a balance between this passive culture and people that will stand up and say something if it isn't right. Finally to have management who are encouraged to embrace this dynamic to then find a happy medium.
I think GH has continued to lean one way for quite a while, and this can only be done with the direction from the very top. Hopefully this event may influence the current culture with the end result being the supply of a good product.
Best of luck.
Spinwing,
You are assuming the problem is with the aircraft.
You've never worked at Gulf Helis have you. I have. Was good for a while, then the MD was replaced, then the Chief Eng (has been replaced once or twice since I left too), then things started to go rapidly downhill. We (the expat AME's) basically all left within a few months of each other so that we wouldn't be there when the accidents started happening.
Guess what, they are now happening. Surprise sur-freakin-prise.
How about Qatar CAA allowing other operators to come in and operate there so that at least the people going offshore have a choice, instead of being forced to use the only company allowed to fly in Qatar.
Now lets wait and see if Agusta come out with an Alert for us, and if not, lets see what the interim or final report has to say.
I can't think of any helicopter that will keep a TGB in place with one tailrotor blade missing, so the strength of the fin is not an issue. The issue is why did the blade depart. Lets try to focus on that shall we???
You are assuming the problem is with the aircraft.
You've never worked at Gulf Helis have you. I have. Was good for a while, then the MD was replaced, then the Chief Eng (has been replaced once or twice since I left too), then things started to go rapidly downhill. We (the expat AME's) basically all left within a few months of each other so that we wouldn't be there when the accidents started happening.
Guess what, they are now happening. Surprise sur-freakin-prise.
How about Qatar CAA allowing other operators to come in and operate there so that at least the people going offshore have a choice, instead of being forced to use the only company allowed to fly in Qatar.
Now lets wait and see if Agusta come out with an Alert for us, and if not, lets see what the interim or final report has to say.
I can't think of any helicopter that will keep a TGB in place with one tailrotor blade missing, so the strength of the fin is not an issue. The issue is why did the blade depart. Lets try to focus on that shall we???
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Swinging Spanner...
We have some of the same issues offshore, the passive nature of some of employees working as contractors for our company.
I have stood and looked at a serious engineering issue and asked them if they are seeing the same problems I am seeing? Either they are to frightened to answer to a white face or theIr level of engineering skill and expertees is nowhere near what it says on their CV.
This problem at GH is not just a manufacturer,engineering or maintainence issue. It goes beyond that its a safety culture issue where people are afraid to give honest answers and put their point of view forward when something is seriously wrong.
Hope the aircraft involved is not A7-GHC as this aircraft has already been down that road.
We have some of the same issues offshore, the passive nature of some of employees working as contractors for our company.
I have stood and looked at a serious engineering issue and asked them if they are seeing the same problems I am seeing? Either they are to frightened to answer to a white face or theIr level of engineering skill and expertees is nowhere near what it says on their CV.
This problem at GH is not just a manufacturer,engineering or maintainence issue. It goes beyond that its a safety culture issue where people are afraid to give honest answers and put their point of view forward when something is seriously wrong.
Hope the aircraft involved is not A7-GHC as this aircraft has already been down that road.
Gulf Heli's management (or the Offshore Helicopter Industry in general)....some folks have cash variable Consciences as I recall. Seems they run in direct reverse of one another....the higher the cash....the lower the level of Conscience.
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How about Qatar CAA allowing other operators to come in and operate there so that at least the people going offshore have a choice, instead of being forced to use the only company allowed to fly in Qatar.
...united by their common Cash variable consciences
and shared attitude of DILLIGAFno wonder these incidents!
thehighlander959, build yourself a boat, mate.
Any one care to explain to me how the TRAILING edge got eaten up....and not the Leading edge?
While you are at it....please explain how the blade incurred the damage we see on the root end?
Is this evidence of a fabrication failure.....or a maintenance failure?
SAS - Looks like the leading edge has sustained a bit of damage, but has stood up to it better being of stronger construction than the training edge which has more apparent damage. Also - i suppose it depends on what orientation it was in when it landed and what it landed on.
Concerning indeed!
OH
Concerning indeed!
OH
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cause or effect
The interesting items to me are the lead lag damper for the missing blade showing the attaching lug still in apparently good condition and what appears to be a bolt or part of one, laying on the ground nearby. Are they part of the same assembly? If so, could explain a lot.
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SASLess,
I can't explain the damage on the trailing edge, but the root end I can. The left side shows fibres which are furry, indicating a high energy tension failure, while the right side shows a more confined failure, indicating a compression failure. The item was snapped in the direction of rotation of the blade, but I guess that would be obvious even without a knowledge of composite failure forensics.
I'd love to see close-up pictures to see if the micro-voiding apparent in the tail boom disbonds is present here too.
Regards
Blakmax
I can't explain the damage on the trailing edge, but the root end I can. The left side shows fibres which are furry, indicating a high energy tension failure, while the right side shows a more confined failure, indicating a compression failure. The item was snapped in the direction of rotation of the blade, but I guess that would be obvious even without a knowledge of composite failure forensics.
I'd love to see close-up pictures to see if the micro-voiding apparent in the tail boom disbonds is present here too.
Regards
Blakmax
Originally Posted by Bespoke
Apparently one TR Blade detached and flew across the apron and came to a stop 50m later in front of the main departure terminal. Good fortune not to hit anything or anyone, although I'm told may have clipped a couple of main rotor blades.
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Gulf Helicopters AW-139 Tail Rotor Fell Off
I believe there is a picture on heliops forum of the 139 registration A7GHA that was supposed to do a flight for Qatar Petroleum . After start and a Power Assurance check on ground the pilots noticed very heavy vibration so they shutdown and asked the pax to exit . The tail gear box fell of and a fire in the tail area ....( probably of hydraulic fluid origin ) was quickly put off by the ground crew . Some initial details suggest that one tail rotor blade probably came off first , which put the tail rotor out of balance which caused the TGB to shear off from the fin area and the fire that followed .This might have been what happened to the Hong Kong 139 too .
Any more info from the GHC guys or gals ??!!
Any more info from the GHC guys or gals ??!!
The item was snapped in the direction of rotation of the blade, but I guess that would be obvious even without a knowledge of composite failure forensics.
Am I correct to assume most Tail Rotor Blades would fail "opposite" to the direction of rotation?
If one were to have a typical tail rotor strike....blade smacking something....the leading edge gets damaged the most...and the blade fails backwards (towards the trailing edge).
Am I understanding you to say the photograph shows just the opposite....a failure from rear to front in the direction of rotation? As if the rear leg of the blade failed first....and the forward leg of the blade followed in turn?
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SASLess
I am assuming that the LE is on the left of the picture, as is the root arm with the furry edge. That would be consistent with the LE striking something and the blade bending away from the object, putting the LE arm in tension and the TE arm in compression.
I still can't explain the obvious TE damage.
Regards
Blakmax
I am assuming that the LE is on the left of the picture, as is the root arm with the furry edge. That would be consistent with the LE striking something and the blade bending away from the object, putting the LE arm in tension and the TE arm in compression.
I still can't explain the obvious TE damage.
Regards
Blakmax
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I am not that familiar with the 139 but when most helicopters loose a T/R blade the TRGB attachment studs let go or pull through. This looks like a structural failure and as the TRGB and upper part of the pylon rolled off to one side the blades struck the fin causing one to depart the scene. From a witness stand point it would look like one blade departing before the poo hit the fan. I hope they find the cause soon before someone gets hurt.
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A briefing was held yesterday for the benefit of the Pilots with AW representatives in attendance.
This was to assure the crews of the safety to continue flight operations on the 139.
It was confirmed that the assessment is of a Tail rotor blade having failed with the out of balance effect causing the failure of the Tail Rotor Gearbox support structure. Similarities with the Hong Kong Aircraft were also confirmed.
I understand many of those in attendance were not entirely convinced.
More as it filters through the region.
Spoke
A briefing was held yesterday for the benefit of the Pilots with AW representatives in attendance.
This was to assure the crews of the safety to continue flight operations on the 139.
It was confirmed that the assessment is of a Tail rotor blade having failed with the out of balance effect causing the failure of the Tail Rotor Gearbox support structure. Similarities with the Hong Kong Aircraft were also confirmed.
I understand many of those in attendance were not entirely convinced.
More as it filters through the region.
Spoke
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Mmmmm ....
So .... then the question becomes .... Why (or what caused) the blade to fail when we have been told it had been designed NOT to fail in that manner!
So .... then the question becomes .... Why (or what caused) the blade to fail when we have been told it had been designed NOT to fail in that manner!