North Sea heli ditching: Oct 2012

[squirrelht1]

Just the ticket..... You must have been taking the picture!

Beep beep:

[fisbangwollop]

Just woke up to the dulcet tones of Jim Fergusson on Radio Scotland....ah bless him

[diginagain]

You have to admit, he's got a regular gig.

[QM]

Glad everyone is OK, wonder what the cause is this time?

[Impress to inflate]

Is Jim Fergusson to blame this time ??

[cyclic]

All three operators have suspended flights of 225s and L2s - time to sell your EADS shares?

[lowfat]

Mods

Shouldn't this thread be renamed "chc Helicopter ditching 22/10/12" to differentiate from the other 225 ditching threads?

I

[helen-damnation]

Does Jim Ferguson get paid. If so, I may have to learn to spout @£$& too!

I haven't seen any crew names yet. Have they been released? Only ask as I used to know some of the guys up there.

[SASless]

Shouldn't this thread be renamed "chc Helicopter ditching 22/10/12" to differentiate from the other 225 ditching threads?

How many ditchings have we had on the North Sea this month?

[lowfat]

It didn't have the month on it when I posted. sasless


But we do seem to have a plethora .

[SASless]

Well now.....I suppose it is time for HC to jump in here and tell us how superior the 225 is when compared to the 92.

In the past I posed the question re the design of the 225 MGB and whether there exists a design flaw that just does not pass muster. Have EC hung their Shoppo rouge on the wrong peg with this one?

[HeliHenri]

SASless

Well now.....I suppose it is time for HC to jump in here and tell us how superior the 225 is when compared to the 92.

It floats better ...
3 ditchings in 8 years since first introduction in 2004.

And Sikorsky will be welcome to join them because when you speak about MGB ...
.

[Milo C]

We may call it now EC225 "Hydrocopter"

[shetlander]

[SASless]

Floats work a treat in flat water don't they!

[HeliComparator]

I suppose it is time for HC to jump in here and tell us how superior the 225 is when compared to the 92.

When it is flying, it is of course vastly superior to the S92. However, when it falls into the water (again), it is no better...

We don't yet know what happened, but if it is the same as the last one, that is going to be pretty embarrassing for EC.

In the past I posed the question re the design of the 225 MGB and whether there exists a design flaw that just does not pass muster

I don't think there is a conceptual design flaw, but the devil is in the detail and there was certainly a detail problem with the Bond ditching, and maybe there is still a detail problem lurking there (we won't know until we get more info). The only thing I can say is that detail problems are relatively easy to fix, fundamental design problems such as no attempt to permit flight after total loss of oil, are much harder to fix.

[cyclic]

a detail problem with the Bond ditching

I know what you are getting at but the main shaft fracturing isn't a detail problem, I would suggest it's more than a small detail. The Emergency Lube giving an indication of malfunction even though it hadn't may have been a blessing when you consider the shaft was left unsupported in the MGB. Another 30mins in this state could have caused a little more than a "detail problem".

[cyclic]

Floats work a treat in flat water don't they!

Yep, it might have been a different story in Sea State 6. EC have actually stated that they are very pleased with the performance of their floats. Tested in the Mediterranean...

[Colibri49]

"the shaft was left unsupported in the MGB". Correct me if I'm wrong (I usually am) but the schematic of the gearbox and bevel gear at the bottom of the shaft to engage with the oil pumps, in no way indicates that the loss of the bevel gear would leave the shaft unsupported. The weld holding the bevel gear to the shaft fractured and the gear dropped off the shaft. Shaft continued turning, fully supported by its bearings.

With any luck the latest ditching isn't due to the same cause, but due to loss of oil from somewhere else like a failed engine input seal. Hope it's nothing worse because I fly these truly delightful machines every working day from Aberdeen.

[cyclic]

What I was driving at was that there was a shaft (bevel gear drive shaft) in the MGB that was no longer connected and the exact position of the bearing supports isn't present on the schematic. It had failed below the bevel gear (the bevel gear was still connected to the shaft above the failure thank goodness) and in dropping, the lower part of the shaft had damaged one of the roller bearings and the gear teeth of the pumps. However, you are quite right that this may not have caused a further failure as all the debris was no longer being circulated by the oil. I just don't like the thought that the shaft that drives the whole thing had even the slightest potential to fail without other cause and we are then in the realms of experimental engineering. EC obviously have used this technique when it comes to the design and test of the Emergency Lube system as it was never fitted to a complete system before entering service.

I fly 'em as well but not every working day...